6 Transportation Development Strategy 6.1. OVERVIEW • Making better use of transportation infrastructure that is to connect to Highway 401/407 ETR. already in place – through optimization including use of The resulting draft Transportation Development Strategy is Within the GTA West preliminary study area, there is a advanced technologies; shown in Exhibit 6-1. mosaic of community, industry and natural features with a complex transportation network, including transit, rail and • Providing more and better choices for people and shippers In general, elements of the Transportation Development road infrastructure, woven through it. A well-balanced and in making trip decisions – with more effective transit and Strategy to 2031 include: comprehensive transportation network is key in supporting rail infrastructure and service; future growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) and • Pursuing means to reduce travel demands – through • Supporting transit initiatives that are consistent with providing the necessary connections for commuting, goods building on current Transportation Demand Management Metrolinx RTP and GO 2020; movement and tourism / recreation activities. programs such as Smart Commute, and increased community self-containment (jobs and homes in the same • Optimize use of existing transportation infrastructure A suite of transportation alternatives was developed through community); through Transportation Demand Management (TDM) the review of firstly - existing transportation, economic and and Transportation System Management (TSM) measures • Introducing timely transportation improvements – to environmental conditions, secondly - a determination of in cooperation with Metrolinx; influence decisions on mode choice and to accommodate the area transportation system problems and opportunities, projected growth; and • Initiate a region-wide Active Traffic Management Study; and thirdly - future traffic demand analysis. This suite used • Widen selected highways to provide additional capacity the “building block” approach and the alternatives were • Shaping growth through provision of transportation including High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV - uses or 2+ analyzed based on consideration of the social environment, services – thereby meeting government objectives. occupancy) and multi-modal uses; natural environment, economic environment, transportation and cost and constructability factors. The final outcome is Through assessment carried out as part of the study (as • Initiate a multi-modal area-wide study in the Waterloo/ a comprehensive Transportation Development Strategy documented in Chapter 4), it was demonstrated that Wellington/Brantford area to explore potential for inter- (Strategy) that represents a new generation of transportation optimizing existing transportation infrastructure and regional transit service improvements west of the GTA; planning for people and goods movement while respecting increasing transit ridership through new / expanded non-road • New transportation corridor from Highway 400 west the area land uses and environment, and accommodating infrastructure alone would offer some improvements out of to connect to Highway 401/407ETR at the Halton-Peel future growth. the six features mentioned above. However, these options boundary. would not fully address the future transportation problems The recommended Strategy is shown in Exhibit 6-1 and and opportunities. In order to fully realize the vision of a It is anticipated that transportation needs beyond 2031 may emphasizes optimizing existing transportation infrastructure functional and efficient multi-modal transportation network be better known in the future and so there are other elements and increasing transit ridership through new / expanded non- that provides user choice and balance, planning for additional of the strategy that are recommended: road infrastructure prior to considering widening existing roadway capacity is required in the long-term. This could be highway facilities beyond the planned program and a new achieved through widening existing highways beyond the • Future study will be required to determine and address transportation corridor. planned program at several locations, as well as introducing future transportation needs; and a new transportation corridor. The recommended approach to addressing current and • Future study will be closely linked with, and influenced future transportation problems and opportunities features The high level evaluation of new corridor alternatives, by updates to the (Growth Plan for the Greater Golden the following: outlined in Chapter 4, and the two levels of additional Horseshoe), Metrolinx’s Regional Transportation Plan and assessment carried out in the Halton area, outlined in municipal transportation and land use plans. • A “transit first” approach – supporting existing long- Chapter 5, recommends that a new transportation corridor The Transportation Development Strategy provides for the range transit plans with the need to explore further be provided from Highway 400 westerly and then southerly important modal shift to transit to occur over time, and enhancements; Page 159 GTA West Corridor Environmental Assessment Study | Transportation Development Strategy Report - November 2012 Exhibit 6-1: Transportation Development Strategy Group #1 Initiatives include: • Bus Bypass Shoulders • Incident/Congestion Management • Ramp Metering • HOV/Transit Bypass Lanes • Speed Harmonization • Provincial/Employer Led TDM Programs • Long Combination Vehicles Group #2 Initiatives include: • Expanded Inter-regional GO Bus Routes • Transit Supportive Corridors • Inter-regional Transit Hubs • Bus Rapid Transit Links Between Urban Growth Centres Page 160 GTA West Corridor Environmental Assessment Study | Transportation Development Strategy Report - November 2012 encourages a shift to rail and marine for goods movement. • The implementation of transit / HOV bypass lanes at time, end-of-queue detectors prevent excessive backups on It also places the highest priority on optimizing the use of existing highway entrance ramp locations to provide the access ramps. Ramp metering is already operating on existing infrastructure and increasing transit ridership, expedited access for transit and HOV vehicles to and portions of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) in the City of while planning for additional highway capacity in the longer from commuter parking lots as well as efficient access to Mississauga and Town of Oakville. term. This is essential, as good transportation planning must highways where ramp metering is present; consider a long planning horizon (20 years and beyond). It is • The development of an enhanced incident management It is recommended that the feasibility of ramp metering on and congestion management system, which builds on worth noting that the traffic forecasts carried out as part of Highway 401 and other interchanges be explored by MTO in the existing Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) the GTA West study show that in the long-term, even with the near term. extensive investment in transit, congestion will build to very COMPASS system; inefficient levels unless other improvements are provided. • The expanded use of ramp metering at key interchange Timeframe Jurisdiction Recommended Action locations within the preliminary study area and consideration of ramp metering installations as part of Sections 6.2 to 6.4 describe the various elements of the Near Medium Long Transportation Development Strategy: the planning and design of all future interchanges. • Further study of the potential to introduce speed MTO Active Traffic Management • Section 6.2: Group #1 – Optimize Existing Transportation harmonization along applicable sections of the provincial Study to identify areas where Networks highway network; and ramp metering could be installed at interchanges • Section 6.3: Group #2 – New / Expanded Non-Road • Identification of mechanisms to support MTO, Metrolinx along exisiting provincial Infrastructure and the Smart Commute program in expanding TDM facilities. • Section 6.4: New / Expanded Roadway Infrastructure opportunities. 6.2. GROUP #1 – OPTIMIZE EXISTING This Active Traffic Management Plan will serve as the TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS basis for integrating strong TDM and TSM principles in many future transportation planning initiatives. MTO will This group of alternatives includes transportation initiatives undertake an Active Traffic Management Study in the near- that focus on improving the performance of the existing term to identify locations where all of the above initiatives can transportation system for all modes of travel and freight transport through strategies designed to reduce auto and be provided along existing provincial facilities to improve truck demand and improve system operating efficiency. the performance of the existing transportation system by reducing demand and improving system efficiency. These The optimization measures discussed in this section are initiatives are described in further detail below. most effective when applied in a combined and coordinated manner. The timeframes indicated below are defined as follows: One of the key outcomes of this study, and one of the founding • Near Term – 0-5 years elements of the Strategy will be the development of an Active • Medium Term – 5-15 years Traffic Management Plan that encompasses many ways of • Long Term – 15+ years optimizing existing transportation networks. The Active Traffic Management Plan will include the Expanded Use of Ramp