Toronto Transit Commission:
Park 'N' Ride Metropass.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee recommends:
(1)the adoption of the following report (September 3, 1998) from the Commissioner of
Urban Planning and Development Services;
(2)that the Chief Administrative Officer be requested to review the mandate of the
Toronto Parking Authority with a view to bringing it into harmony with the objectives
of the Toronto Transit Commission, and submit a report thereon to the Urban
Environment and Development Committee;
(3)that the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, in consultation with the Chief
Administrative Officer, be requested to submit a report to the Urban Environment and
Development Committee on the feasibility of allocating a portion of the revenues of the
Toronto Parking Authority towards the establishment of commuter parking lots; and
(4)that the Chief General Manager, Toronto Transit Commission, be requested to
meet with the proponents of Destination: Technodome to explore the possibility of
offering incentives to encourage members of the public to use public transit to access
the Technodome:
Background:
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), on July 15, 1998, considered a report, entitled
"Park'N'Ride Metropass". The Commission forwarded this report to the Urban Environment
and Development Committee requesting that:
(a)City of Toronto staff, together with staff of the Toronto Parking Authority, report on
City-owned and commercial parking lots near subway stations (including location, price and
usage); and
(b)TTC staff and City of Toronto staff initiate discussions with the auto insurance industry
to determine insurance premium reductions for Park 'N' Ride passholders.
Recommendation:
That the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services be requested to
initiate discussions with all relevant parties regarding the Park 'N' Ride Metropass and
report further on the outcome in consultation with the TTC and the Toronto Parking
Authority.
Comments:
The Urban Planning and Development Services Department will be examining many ways
to reduce the demand for vehicular travel in the City.
The management of travel demand requires a multi-discipline approach to lessen the
dependence on the private automobile. The introduction of a Park 'N' Ride Metropass is one
of many concepts that would promote and encourage the use of public transit.
Transportation planning staff from the City's Urban Planning and Development Services
Department will continue to work with public transit authorities to promote the use of public
transit. In addition, staff will report further on the two above-captioned requests from the
Toronto Transit Commission.
Contact Name:
Mr. Rod McPhail, Director, Transportation, 392-8101, Fax: 392-3821.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee submits the following
communication (July 20, 1998) from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit
Commission:
At its meeting on Wednesday, July 15, 1998, the Toronto Transit Commission considered
the attached report, entitled "Park 'N' Ride Metropass."
The Commission received Recommendation No. (1) contained in the above report, as listed
below:
"(1)receive this report for information, noting that the TTC will be developing the concept
of a "Park 'N' Ride" Metropass to encourage higher ridership amongst current users of the
TTC who have access to a car, but choose to take transit for some of their trips";
The Commission amended Recommendation No. (2) by adding thereto the words, "together
with staff of the Toronto Parking Authority,"; so that such Recommendation reads as
follows:
"(2)forward this report to the Urban Environment and Development Committee requesting
that:
(a)City of Toronto staff together with staff of the Toronto Parking Authority report on
City-owned and commercial parking lots near subway stations (including location, price and
usage);
(b)TTC staff and City of Toronto staff initiate discussions with the auto insurance industry
to determine insurance premium reductions for Park 'N' Ride passholders";
The Commission also amended Recommendation No. (3) by adding thereto the words "with
such meeting to include the Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission and Commissioner
Miller,"; so that such Recommendation reads as follows:
"(3)forward this report to the Office of the Mayor, City of Toronto, requesting that a
meeting be held with the Federal Minister of Transportation and Federal representatives
from the City of Toronto to pursue a change in the tax status of employer-provided transit
passes, with such meeting to include the Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission and
Commissioner Miller."
In addition, the Commission approved the following:
(1)that staff report on the issue of video surveillance at TTC commuter parking lots for the
dual purpose of allowing Transit Control to report to the public on the available capacity at
the lots, as well as the issue of reducing thefts from automobiles;
(2)that this issue regarding the Park 'N' Ride Metropass be referred to the Customer Service
and Ride Ability Task Force once it is established; and
(3)that this report be forwarded to the Toronto Parking Authority to look at parking rates,
including public transit levies, locations and usage in the downtown area.
The foregoing is forwarded to the City Urban Environment and Development Committee,
the Mayor's Office, City of Toronto, and the Toronto Parking Authority for appropriate
action, as detailed above.
(Toronto Transit Commission Report No. 3,
entitled "Park 'N' Ride Metropass".)
Recommendations:
It is recommended that the Commission:
(1)receive this report for information, noting that the TTC will be developing the concept of
a "Park 'N' Ride" Metropass to encourage higher ridership amongst current users of the TTC
who have access to a car, but choose to take transit for some of their trips;
(2)forward this report to the Urban Environment and Development Committee requesting
that:
(a)City of Toronto staff report on City-owned and commercial parking lots near subway
stations (including location, price and usage);
(b)TTC staff and City of Toronto staff initiate discussions with the auto insurance industry
to determine insurance premium reductions for Park 'N' Ride passholders; and
(3)forward this report to the Office of the Mayor, City of Toronto, requesting that a meeting
be held with the Federal Minister of Transportation and Federal representatives from the
City of Toronto to pursue a change in the tax status of employer-provided transit passes.
Funding:
The funding implications of the Park 'N' Ride Metropass will be determined as the concept
is fully developed. It is anticipated that this initiative will result in a net gain in revenues for
the TTC, as a result of attracting more ridership to transit.
Background:
The implications for Canada of implementing the Kyoto Protocol on Greenhouse Gas
Emissions (GHG) is a 21 percent reduction in emissions from current trends (see attached).
A comparison of transportation modes shows that the urban car is by far the most significant
source of GHG; the urban car emits almost 60 million tonnes of GHG while public transit
emits one million tonnes of GHG. Reducing automobile emissions is therefore an essential
part of efforts to achieve the Kyoto targets.
There are three ways to reduce automobile emissions:
(i)reduce the number of cars;
(ii)increase emission controls; and
(iii)reduce the trip length of the automobile.
Reducing the number of cars is unlikely due to the overall importance of the automobile
industry to the Provincial economy. Increasing emission controls may be difficult to achieve
and/or cost prohibitive to implement. Reducing the trip length of the automobile has the
greatest potential to reduce emissions. This is supported by TTC market research with
residents of Toronto which demonstrates that, given the right incentives, people would be
willing to get out of their cars and onto transit for at least part of their trip.
It is estimated that for automobiles parked at suburban subway stations, vehicle emissions
would be reduced 30 percent to 70 percent each work day.
Discussion:
Recent market studies have shown that the TTC's growth market is the 'choice' rider (one
who has access to a car whenever needed). The choice user currently accounts for 60 percent
of TTC ridership. However, we have only penetrated about one-third of the trips taken by
this market compared to almost 100 percent of the captive market (i.e., those people who do
not have access to a car). Therefore, the potential for ridership growth is greatest amongst
the choice users.
Interviews with choice users indicate that they like to use their car, but are frustrated by
traffic congestion and the cost of parking. They choose to take transit because they believe
the TTC has a competitive advantage over the car in terms of:
(i)free (or lower cost) parking; and
(ii)the speed and convenience of rapid transit to downtown.
There is potential to increase ridership amongst choice users by developing a program to
provide for convenient park and ride trips which offer the advantages of both car and transit.
The TTC is reviewing the concept of a "Park 'N' Ride" Metropass to tap into this market.
This pass would provide free parking at suburban subway locations, and allow a convenient
transfer to the subway and a ride downtown. Cross-promotions would be developed to
enhance the attractiveness of the Park'N' Ride pass for potential users. For example,
passholders could be entitled to a discount on their automobile insurance premiums to reflect
that they are using their car less.
The competitive advantage of the Park 'N' Ride Metropass (and other TTC passes) would be
significantly increased by allowing employers to provide passes as a non-taxable benefit.
The application of current tax laws tends to be inequitable, as employer-provided transit
passes are normally taxed, while parking spaces provided to employees are usually not
treated as a taxable benefit.
Even with a change to the tax laws for transit passes, one of the keys to developing the park
and ride market is the TTC's ability to offer parking at rapid transit stations. However, there
is limited space available at existing commuter parking lots; usage rates are 90 percent or
higher at 16 of 23 commuter lots. Demand for commuter parking is also expected to increase
with the continued economic and employment growth that is forecast for Toronto and the
GTA.
Overall, the Park 'N' Ride Metropass program requires three major elements to be
successful:
(1)an increase in parking capacity at subway stations;
(2)a discount on car insurance from the insurance industry; and
(3)a change to Federal tax laws to allow employer-provided transit passes to be considered
a non-taxable benefit.
The following action is needed to make progress in these areas and to begin the process of
turning the Park 'N' Ride Metropass concept into reality:
(1)City of Toronto staff to report on City-owned and commercial parking lots near subway
stations (including location, capacity, price and usage);
(2)TTC staff to conduct a similar assessment of TTC commuter parking lots;
(3)the Mayor's Office to meet with Federal Minister of Transportation and Federal
representatives from the City of Toronto to pursue a change in the tax status of
employer-provided transit passes; and
(4)City of Toronto and TTC staff to initiate discussions with the auto insurance industry to
determine auto insurance premium reductions for Park 'N' Ride passholders.
Justification:
Market research has indicated a potential growth market for park and ride trips by 'choice'
users of the transit system. The Park 'N' Ride Metropass program is being developed to
provide an incentive to encourage higher ridership amongst this group. The program would
also contribute to an overall reduction in automobile trip length and emissions by stopping
the use of the car outside the downtown area. For every free parking space provided at a
subway location, car trip lengths and emissions would be reduced by 30 percent to 70
percent. This would be a tangible step towards achieving the targeted reduction in
Greenhouse Gas Emissions established in the Kyoto Protocol.
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Mr. Bob Hughes, Senior Marketing Analyst, Toronto Transit Commission, made an
overhead presentation to the Urban Environment and Development Committee in
connection with the foregoing matter.
(A copy of the attachments to the foregoing Toronto Transit Commission Report No. (3) has
been forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the September 8, 1998
meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee, and a copy thereof is also
on file in the office of the City Clerk.)