City of Toronto: Get involved

What key benefits will this project bring to the City and Scarborough in particular?
Like everywhere across Toronto, there will be considerable growth in the Sheppard corridor in the future. By separating transit from general traffic, this project can provide a fast, reliable - i.e. predictable - ride for customers. More people will find transit attractive, so we are taking a major step towards ‘Building a Transit City”. Toronto’s Official Plan is premised on such an approach to making transit a more attractive travel option as the City grows.

The City’s Official Plan (OP) designates certain sections of the city as ‘Avenues’ where they plan to develop a more urban and pedestrian friendly street environment – this includes the section on Sheppard Ave from Victoria Park to McCowan. Light Rail Transit (LRT) will help create development in this area that is more dense, varied and transit-oriented.

What is the purpose of the project?
The TTC and the City of Toronto want to identify the best way to provide high quality transit service in the Sheppard Avenue East corridor, from Don Mills Subway Station, to Morningside and potentially as far east as Meadowvale Road, in a manner which:

is affordable
makes transit a much more attractive travel option relative to the private auto
supports the City’s growth objectives of a better variety and density of transit-oriented developments We have completed Phase 2 of the Environmental Assessment process and are recommending new, modern, electrically powered light rail vehicles in dedicated lanes, with the only ‘interference’ from other traffic limited to crossings at intersections.

What is the projected annual ridership of the route?
In 2021, it is expected that the Sheppard East LRT will carry 17 million riders a year. Based on further, detailed forecasting (premised on development levels as far into the foreseeable future as possible - 2031) we can expect to be carrying 3000 people per hour in a single direction on the busiest point on the line.

Technology

What is LRT?
There are two basic criteria that are generally required for a facility to be called “LRT”: electrically powered rail vehicles with power supplied from overhead wires – which allows them to operate on a city street – and operation of these vehicles in a dedicated right-of-way. The vehicles can be operated individually, or attached together and operated in ‘trains’. This right-of-way can take many forms – from lanes in the middle of the street, to hydro corridors or abandoned railway corridors

In addition to the above, all-door loading (not just front doors) is characteristic of modern LRT lines in North America and there is normally a much greater distance between stops, relative to a typical bus route.

Why is LRT preferred over a subway extension?
The design of a transit service is based on the number of people it is expected to carry per hour in a single direction at the ‘peak point’, the busiest spot on the line. City planning forecasts for the Sheppard Avenue corridor into the foreseeable future show a peak point demand in the order of 3000 people per hour. This demand can easily be accommodated by LRT, particularly given that the new light rail vehicles being designed for the TTC will be about twice the size of a standard Toronto streetcar, and can be easily ‘coupled’ to operate as two-car trains, if single vehicles operation is getting too frequent to avoid vehicles catching up and ‘bunching’. A peak point demand of 3000 per hour is well below what would be required to justify the much higher cost of a subway.

Preliminary cost estimates of a surface LRT - such as that proposed on Sheppard Avenue, including vehicles, is estimated to cost roughly $40 million per kilometre. In comparison, recent estimates for the extension of the Spadina/University subway, from Downsview station to Steeles Avenue, are over $200 million per kilometre (including vehicles).

Why is LRT preferred over buses?
LRT is more comfortable for riders, quieter, has no emissions on the street, and is far superior in carrying capacity in a constrained environment such as an arterial roadway. Buses in dedicated lanes, sometimes called BRT, or bus rapid transit, cannot easily accommodate 3000 people – the peak hour demand projected on Sheppard Avenue - unless the bus ROW includes by-pass lanes at intersections to allow some buses to operate “express” and pass “local buses” stopped to serve customers. To illustrate the problem, it would require 40 articulated buses per hour to accommodate a peak hourly demand of 3000 people. That is a bus every 1 ½ minutes. Even with dedicated lanes, buses operating this close together would catch up to one another and ‘bunching’ would result if some of them don’t operate express. Given that there are a variety of important objectives for Sheppard Avenue – in addition to high quality transit – such as a comfortable walking environment, attractive streetscaping, bike lanes, etc., there is not sufficient width available to allow for the construction of a by-pass lane to be added to the transit right of way.

Will the vehicles be fully accessible to people with disabilities?
Yes.

Location of LRT

Why will the LRT run in the middle of the street?
In designing dedicated transit lanes, any crossings by other traffic must have a traffic signal to ensure everyone knows who has the right-of-way. On Sheppard Avenue, or any roadway where there are very frequent un-signalized intersections and driveways, the side of the road option is not feasible because they would all have to be signalized.

Where will the Sheppard LRT connect to the existing transit network (SRT)?
SRT is a separate study looking at optional alignments – that study will determine the location of and design of the interface between the two lines. The SRT (Scarborough Rapid Transit) study website is also located at www.toronto.ca/involved.

How far east on Sheppard will the LRT extend?
At a minimum, it must extend far enough east to intersect with the Scarborough Malvern LRT line. At present, that line is proposed on Morningside, but that EA study will evaluate Neilson as a potential alternative. In any event, the Sheppard East LRT EA study is evaluating going as far east as Meadowvale

Don Mills Station

How will a connection be made at Don Mills Station?
It is essential that we have a convenient connection at Don Mills subway station. The LRT is planned to enter a tunnel just west of Consumers Road, travel under Highway 404 and connect directly to the subway level at Don Mills Station.

Bike Lanes

Will there be bike lanes on Sheppard?
Yes. Sheppard Avenue, east of Victoria Park, is designated as part of the City’s bike lane network, and we are proposing that bike lanes be constructed on that section.

Traffic, Parking and Other

Will any lanes of traffic be removed on Sheppard Avenue East to accommodate the LRT?
East of Pharmacy, Sheppard has two through traffic lanes in each direction and the road will be widened to maintain these lanes. However, there are some existing right turn lanes that may be removed to allow more space for a better pedestrian/cycling environment and better urban design. West of Pharmacy, where there are three through lanes in each direction, we expect a reduction to only two through lanes, consistent with the section to the east. However, our designs to date do not include a reduction to the number of lanes on Sheppard in the vicinity of the Hwy 404 overpass.

Will there be left-turn restrictions on Sheppard to accommodate the LRT?
Left turns across the right-of-way will only be permitted where there is a traffic signal. Between traffic signals, there will be no left turns permitted from Sheppard into un-signalized intersections or driveways, or from those locations, onto Sheppard. However, there will be separate left turn lanes provided at the signalized intersections and motorists will be able to make “U” turns from these lanes; a motorist on Sheppard who now makes a left turn into a midblock driveway could, with the LRT in place, simply go past the driveway, to the next signalized intersection, and make a “U” turn to return to his/her destination.

Can emergency vehicles use the dedicated right of way for the LRT?
Yes.

Will there be noise or vibration from the LRT?
There will be very little noise – the greatest problems with noise on light rail lines is created at locations where the vehicle must operate through a loop to turn around. This creates ‘wheel squeal”. The vehicles on Sheppard are planned to be ‘double-ended” – ie. have an operators’ cab at both ends so it can be operated in either direction. It will reverse direction at each end of the line, similar to the operation of a subway, and therefore will not need loops. TTC will design the trackbed to dampen vibration and ensure it is kept at an acceptable level; as part of the EA study, TTC will be undertaking a vibration assessment. Consultation.

Cost and Timelines

When could construction start?
At the very earliest, pre-construction coordinated activities such as watermain work could start in Fall of 2009. The specific LRT construction schedule is being confirmed and is anticipated for 2010.

Businesses

How long will construction take?
Estimating construction timelines for any single business or residence is difficult to forecast as it is in direct correlation to the scope or amount of work being completed in close proximity to that home or business. The scope of work changes along the entire length of the corridor and is a function of utility relocation requirements, amount of streetscape improvements and roadway and sidewalk changes. Experience on other projects of similar scope suggests that the direct impact of construction would last approximately 3+months. Indirect impacts such as traffic detours etc can be expected to last up to one-year.

What will be done to minimize disruption during construction?
Experience on other large LRT projects in the City has suggested that the most prevalent issues of disruption to business is; reduced access to the area, loss of parking, noise and vibration. The City / TTC are committed to accelerating construction as much as possible in an effort to minimize construction related impacts to residents and business. Auto and transit traffic will be maintained throughout construction in a single lane in each direction. Pedestrian access may be detoured at times but will also be maintained throughout construction. As no on-street parking exists along Sheppard Avenue East no disruption is anticipated. Every attempt at replacing short term parking loss for each individual home and business will be made. Detailed condition surveys of buildings thought to be vulnerable to ground borne vibration will be monitored pre and post construction. Contract documents assign strict limits for construction related noise to daytime hours only. All construction related activities are subject to building code provisions including the applicable noise by-laws.

How will City /TTC work with businesses on the project?
Our experience shows that the biggest concern for business during large construction projects is anticipating the impacts stemming from construction. We are often told that having quick access to construction related information, specifically schedule and timing information is critical to reducing or minimizing impacts. For this reason the City / TTC will form during construction a “Construction Liaison Committee” (CLC).

The CLC is made up of City / TTC and Contractors staff who meet bi-weekly on site. Business owners and residents directly impacted by the current / future construction activity are invited and encouraged to attend these meetings where the day to day issues affecting their home / business are discussed and resolved. Issues such as business deliveries, local parking, and garbage pick-up are often topics of concern. Staff works hand in hand with local business to bring quick, onsite solutions to problems. Further, construction schedule and activity timing is also a prime topic. Besides the CLC the City and TTC will undertake, prior to each phase of construction, a comprehensive public awareness campaign. Usually conducted through local media, mail drops and local delivery, information regarding construction schedule, traffic detours, alternate transit arrangements and other pertinent issues is disseminated community wide. As mentioned, keeping the area up to date and well informed in advance of construction can dramatically reduce the inevitable disruption brought about by large construction projects.