Request for Improved TTC Service in Parkdale (High Park)

The Toronto Community Council recommends that:

(1)the T.T.C. investigate improvements to the 504 Streetcar Service, particularly between Queen Street West and Dundas West subway station, with a view to increasing the frequency of service;

(2)Council endorse recent T.T.C. initiatives to increase fines for blocking streetcar tracks and make easier the removal of private vehicles which park on or block streetcar lines;

(3)the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services report to the Toronto Community Council on a widespread, effective and enforceable prohibition of automobile left turns from the streetcar tracks, including an evaluation of the costs to society vis-a-vis the benefits to individuals of allowing such left turns.

The Toronto Community Council reports, for the information of Council, having forwarded the above recommendations to the Toronto Transit Commission, in order that they may be considered by the T.T.C. as part of its annual service plan process.

The Toronto Community Council submits the following communication (February 25, 1999) from the General Secretary, Toronto Transit Commission, addressed to the City Clerk:

At its meeting on Wednesday, February 24, 1999, the Commission considered the attached report entitled, "Request For Improved TTC Service In Parkdale," which responds to a request made by the Toronto Community Council at its meeting on October 14, 1998 to report, in consultation with appropriate City Officials, on the improvement of public transportation west of Bathurst Street, south of Queen Street West.

The Commission received the above report for information, noting that:

(i)excellent transit service is currently provided in Parkdale;

(ii)the TTC would be pleased to consider any proposals for specific transit service improvements as part of the annual Service Plan process. The deadline for submissions to the Service Plan is April 5, 1999;

(iii)the most-significant and immediate action the Toronto Community Council could take to improve the existing transit service in Parkdale would be to support and encourage an enforceable and effective ban on left-turning automobiles from streetcar tracks. The TTC supports this initiative, and encourages any action which would reduce the delays to streetcar customers resulting from left-turning automobiles;

(iv)it would be beneficial if the Toronto Community Council were to endorse recent TTC initiatives which would increase the fines for blocking streetcar tracks and make easier the removal of private vehicles which park on or block streetcar tracks.

The foregoing is forwarded to the Toronto Community Council and the Toronto Transportation and Planning Departments for information and appropriate attention.

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(Report No. 17 of the Toronto Transit Commission

titled "Request for Improved TTC Service in Parkdale

which was received for information at its meeting

held on February 24, 1999)

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Commission:

(1)Receive this report for information, noting that:

(i)Excellent transit service is currently provided in Parkdale;

(ii)The TTC would be pleased to consider any proposals for specific transit service improvements as part of the annual Service Plan process. The deadline for submissions to the Service Plan is April 5, 1999;

(iii)The most-significant and immediate action the Toronto Community Council could take to improve the existing transit service in Parkdale would be to support and encourage an enforceable and effective ban on left-turning automobiles from streetcar tracks. The TTC supports this initiative, and encourages any action which would reduce the delays to streetcar customers resulting from left-turning automobiles;

(iv)It would be beneficial if the Toronto Community Council were to endorse recent TTC initiatives which would increase the fines for blocking streetcar tracks and make easier the removal of private vehicles which park on or block streetcar tracks; and

(2)Forward this report to Toronto Community Council and the Toronto Transportation and Planning Departments.

Background

The Toronto Community Council, at its meeting of October 14, 1998, considered a report on zoning issues in the Parkdale area (the report was dated September 16, 1998, was from the City Solicitor, and was entitled Draft Zoning By-Law - Portions of Parkdale Area). One of the resolutions adopted by the community council at the meeting was a request to "the Toronto Transit Commission, in consultation with appropriate City officials, to report to the Toronto Community Council on the improvement of public transportation west of Bathurst Street, south of Queen Street West." This report is in response to that community council request.

Discussion

Present services

The area of Parkdale identified by the community council already has excellent transit service. The 501 Queen and 504 King streetcar routes provide very frequent eastbound and westbound service on Queen Street and King Street. These streetcar routes operate well beyond the Parkdale area, and offer many connections to other TTC streetcar, bus, and subway routes. The 511 Bathurst, 63 Ossington, 29 Dufferin, and 47 Lansdowne streetcar and bus routes operate very frequent northbound and southbound service through Parkdale, connect with the Bloor-Danforth and Spadina subways, and take customers to many other destinations.

Unlike transit service in many other parts of Toronto, the routes in Parkdale operate throughout the day and night. Service on Queen Street, Roncesvalles Avenue, Dufferin Street, Ossington Avenue/Shaw Street, and Bathurst Street is operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Service on Lansdowne Avenue and King Street is operated for all but three hours of the day, from approximately 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. the next morning, seven days a week.

Service is closely monitored on all of these routes, and adjustments are made to the scheduled service when warranted by ridership levels. In the past three years, five streetcars and five buses have been added to these routes, in order to reduce overcrowding and improve the reliability of operation. Changes such as these will continue to be made by the TTC in response to ridership levels.

Upcoming service improvements

There are a number of transit service improvements in progress in or near the Parkdale area.

The TTC is currently constructing a new streetcar line on Queens Quay, between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. When complete in 2000, new streetcar service will be operated between Exhibition Place and Union Station. This service will substantially improve access between Union Station, Exhibition Place, and the new residential and recreational developments planned and under construction at Harbourfront and the former brewery site on Fleet Street.

Transit-priority traffic signal equipment has been installed at most signalised intersections on the 501 Queen and 504 King routes for some years now. Transit signal priority reduces the amount of traffic signal delay for transit customers, by extending green signals, or reducing red signals, as appropriate. Transit signal priority has allowed significant reductions in travel time on these routes, has made service faster for customers, and has reduced operating costs, as fewer streetcars are required to operate the same level of service. These benefits will be extended to customers on the 29Dufferin bus route from February 14, 1999, when the TTC's first bus route transit signal priority scheme becomes operational, along the entire length of this busy route.

Beginning on March 21, 1999 (and subject to the availability of suitable buses), accessible service will be operated on the 47 Lansdowne route, using low-floor buses, and on the 29 Dufferin route, using lift-equipped buses.

From March 22, 1999, service during the morning peak period and evening on 504King will be improved by the addition of more scheduled running time. This change is the result of a detailed review of operations on the route, and will increase reliability on this busy service.

Future service and route changes

Significant changes to routes and services in the area are evaluated in the annual Service Plan, which is prepared by TTC staff each year. The deadline for suggestions to this year's plan is April 5, 1999. Suggestions which would improve TTC service and attract new customers to the TTC are welcomed, and can be submitted by city councillors or by customers. The annual Service Plan process is the most-appropriate context in which to evaluate service changes, as it allows the relative benefits of worthwhile suggestions to be compared, and ensures that service changes which are recommended for implementation will, overall, provide a net benefit to the TTC's customers, its financial situation, and to the viability of transit service in Toronto.

There is no new money for transit service improvements or new routes. Because of the fixed funding given to the TTC by the city, any new services or additional service on existing routes are possible only if service is reduced on other routes, in order to reallocate resources. The challenge for transit in Toronto over the next few years will be to maintain the present service levels, in the face of possible further reductions in municipal funding for public transit. This challenge applies as much to Parkdale, and its very good existing service, as it does to other areas of the city.

There is one improvement to public transit which is possible, and which is entirely under the jurisdiction of the City of Toronto ! a widespread, effective, and enforceable prohibition of automobile left turns from the streetcar tracks. The quality of transit service on major streetcar routes is substantially reduced by left-turning automobiles. Unlike on bus routes, these left turns directly block transit vehicles, which are unable to manoeuvre out of the way. In many cases, one left-turning vehicle, often with only a single occupant, slows down and delays a following streetcar, which often has more than 100 fare-paying customers on board. This is a wasteful allocation of scarce road capacity amongst road users. When the effects are considered across the TTC's streetcar system, the delays introduced by left-turning autos contribute to the higher-than-average service unreliability of the streetcar routes, and likely contribute to a suppression of potential transit ridership and an increase in automobile use and ownership. A rational and thorough evaluation of the effects of left turns from streetcar tracks would likely find that the cost to society outweighs the benefits to individuals of allowing such turns. TTC staff would be pleased to assist city staff with ways of evaluating and implementing left-turn prohibitions. The TTC requests the community council's support in advocating this pro-transit measure.

The TTC also requests the community council's support for other recent initiatives which are intended to improve reliability on streetcar routes. As a result of the January 1999 snow emergency, the Commission recommended at its meeting of January 27, 1999 (as part of Report 6 ! January 13, 1999 Storm Impact on TTC Operations) increases to the fine for motorists who block the streetcar tracks, and the implementation of a process which would allow TTC employees to arrange to remove private vehicles which block streetcar service. These measures would make streetcar service more reliable, not just during snowstorms, but also at other busy times of the year, during special events, street festivals, and all times when there are problems with private vehicles blocking the tracks. This measure would improve the quality of transit service in Parkdale and elsewhere in Toronto. Implementation of these pro-transit measures requires co-operation from the City of Toronto Council, the Toronto Police Service, and the provincial government, and the TTC asks the community council for its endorsement of these initiatives.