Terms of Reference: Upcoming Changes

Transportation Impact Study

Description

A Transportation Impact Study will be used:

• To assess the transportation impact of a development for all modes of travel
• To assist in determining appropriate zoning by-law standards or conditions of approval, where applicable
• To determine improvements to transportation infrastructure, transportation service upgrades and other measures to mitigate any negative impacts of a development
• To identify an appropriate travel demand management strategy to accommodate the development
• To identify the potential for adverse impacts on transit infrastructure, including higher order transit, from development on adjacent lands

When Required

A Transportation Impact Study or standalone conditional chapters may be required for the following application types:

• Official Plan Amendment
• Zoning By-law Amendment
• Draft Plans of Subdivision Application
• Site Plan Control Application
• Consent to Sever Application
• Variance Application

Objective

The objective of a Transportation Impact Study is to evaluate the multi-modal effects of a development or redevelopment on the transportation system, suggest any transportation improvements that are necessary to accommodate the travel demands and impacts generated by the development, and protect the safe operation and maintenance of existing and future transit infrastructure, including for higher order transit.

The Transportation Impact Study must demonstrate how the application responds to and complies with City policies, guidelines and zoning requirements. When the application does not comply with these requirements, the Transportation Impact Study will be required to provide additional assessments demonstrating why the amendments to these City policies, guidelines and zoning requirements are justified, supportable and appropriate.

Principles

The Transportation Impact Study must include sufficient details to inform decisions regarding the provision of transportation improvements for a development and be based on established transportation planning and traffic engineering principles, supplemented by any available local survey data or experience. The Transportation Impact Study must demonstrate good transportation planning principles of the Official Plan and Secondary Plan policies and objectives, and any applicable Site and Area Specific Policies.

It must also follow:

• Guidelines for the Preparation of Transportation Impact Studies
• Road Engineering Design Guidelines
• Curb Radii & Lane Width Guidelines
• On-Street Bikeway Design Guidelines
• Complete Streets Guidelines
• TTC Surface Transit Requirements Guide
• TTC Developer’s Guide
• TTC Entrance Connection Guide
• All other applicable requirements published by the City.

The Transportation Impact Study will recommend approaches to ensure equitable access to the transportation system by users of all ages, abilities and means, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, private automobiles and trucks. It should also integrate with existing and future planned transportation systems and ensure the transportation supply and demand is optimized in a manner consistent with relevant policies, guidelines, criteria and potential improvements to achieve the objectives of these relevant policies and guidelines. The City’s authority for the requirements for the Transportation Impact Study are contained in Section 2.4 and Schedule 3 of the City’s Official Plan.

Required Contents

A Transportation Impact Study will include the following information, unless indicated otherwise:

1. Application context:
   1. Municipal address, location and context plan of the subject property
   2. Owner/Consultant contact
   3. Existing Site Overview, including existing land uses or permitted use provisions for the OPA or ZBL
   4. Summary and Conclusions
   5. Proposed Development Overview
      1. Proposed land uses and relevant planning regulations to be used in the study
      2. Total building size and building locations
      3. Number of floors below grade
      4. Floor space including a summary of each type of use or number of residential units
      5. Anticipated date of occupancy
      6. Approximate hours of operation
      7. Planned phasing of development
      8. Site plan or subdivision plan at a suitable scale including dimensions to TTC infrastructure both above and below grade
      9. Desire for an entrance connection to a TTC subway station, if applicable
2. Transportation context for existing and horizon years and time periods for analysis, including:
   1. Identify area road network
   2. Identify area transit services
   3. Identify area cycling network
   4. Identify area pedestrian environment
3. Estimate of travel demand generated by different development scenarios by different modes
4. Evaluation of transportation impacts of site-generated travel demands by different modes
5. Identification of transportation system improvements required to mitigate adverse impacts
6. Conditional Chapters, where applicable in accordance with Table below, including:
   1. Travel Demand Management Plan
   2. Traffic Operations Assessment
   3. Transit Assessment
   4. Higher Order Transit Assessment
   5. Bicycle Parking Assessment
   6. Vehicular Parking Assessment
   7. Loading Assessment
7. Supporting data used in the analyses, including traffic data (collection completed within the last 2 years)
8. Summary and recommendations

The above Chapters 1 to 5 and 7, 8 are required for each Transportation Impact Study. Table 1 below establishes direction for when some or all components of Chapter 6 are required. There may be site specific circumstances outside of the application type identified in Table 1 where staff request components of Chapter 6 based on the development proposal.

Table 1: Criteria Under Which Conditional Chapters are Required

High-level descriptions of the Conditional Chapters 6 are below.

6. a. Travel Demand Management (TDM) Plan

Description

To identify an appropriate travel demand management strategy (which complements the subject site’s parking management strategy) that focuses on providing alternatives to single occupancy vehicles, especially sustainable modes of transportation and shared mobility systems

Objective

The objective of the TDM Plan is to meet the objectives of sustainable transportation as defined in the Official Plan, leverage the area transportation context to reduce vehicular trips made to and from a site and to reduce vehicular parking demand while supporting other modes of transportation.

Principles

A TDM Plan must be based on efficient development strategies that influence travel behaviour of site-related traffic on the transportation network. A TDM Plan must recognize the general principle that a development or redevelopment should include measures that reduce vehicle usage and encourage people to instead choose more sustainable methods of travel. The assessment must demonstrate good transportation planning principles of the Official Plan and Secondary Plan policies and objectives, as well as any applicable City guidelines and standards, including the most recent Council approved version of the Toronto Green Standards.

Required Contents

A TDM Plan will include the following information, unless otherwise indicated:

1. Proposed site-specific transportation demand management measures
2. Estimate of percent vehicle trip reduction of every proposed TDM measure
3. Value of any TDM financial contributions or incentives
4. Vehicular parking supply, including the location of any parking spaces dedicated for car-share vehicles, low emissions vehicle, paid parking (if applicable), and electric vehicle charging, in addition to the minimum by-law requirements
5. Location of protected space on site for bike-share facilities (if applicable)
6. Location and number of proposed bicycle parking spaces in addition to the minimum by-law requirements
7. Achievement of Toronto Green Standards, Tier 2 Measures (where appropriate)
8. Summary and recommendations

Descriptions of site locational characteristics and existing transportation infrastructure and services in the proximity of the site are not part of a TDM plan.

6. b. Traffic Operations Assessment

Description

• To analyze the potential traffic impact of a development on existing/proposed access driveways, on-site vehicle circulation and intersections in a defined vicinity of the site
• To determine any locations on the adjacent road network where potential operational concerns may occur and identify mitigating measures to the transportation network, where required

Objective

To determine the impact of high traffic generating uses and/or when the site driveway operations may negatively impact the operations of abutting public streets.

Principles

A Traffic Operations Assessment must be based on established transportation planning and traffic engineering principles and supplemented by any available local survey data or experience. The Traffic Operations Assessment must demonstrate good transportation planning principles of the Official Plan, including Secondary Plan policies and objectives and Site Area Specific policies. The Traffic Operations Assessment must provide a balanced approach between facilitating development and protecting stable areas.

Required Contents

A Traffic Operations Assessment will include the following information, unless otherwise indicated:

1. A five-year future horizon year or longer based on phasing plan
2. Intersection and driveway access assessment during peak travel hours
3. Analysis of traffic conditions during AM and PM peak hours
4. Existing traffic conditions
5. Existing traffic conditions with signal timings of selected intersections optimized
6. Future background traffic conditions including corridor traffic growth and background developments
7. Traffic activity related to the construction of the proposed development
8. Queuing assessment
9. Traffic-calming measures
10. Sightline and safety analysis for site driveway and signalized and/or unsignalized intersections
11. Functional plan including pavement marking and signage plan
12. Estimate of travel demand generated by different development scenarios
13. Evaluation of transportation impacts of site-generated traffic/transit demands as well as pick-up/drop-off and loading activities
14. Identification of transportation system improvements required to mitigate adverse impacts
15. Supporting data used in the analyses, such as traffic signal warrants as required as well as contextual characteristics like signal spacing and Vision Zero 2.0 Principals
16. Summary and recommendations

6. c. Transit Assessment

Description

• To identity current and planned transit service adjacent to the site
• To identify existing and planned transit infrastructure adjacent to the site, such as bus/streetcar stops, shelters, transit terminals and subway infrastructure
• To ensure that site designs, landscaping, and streetscaping support existing and planned transit in accordance with the City’s Design Guidelines and Standards
• To ensure that transit facilities on the site frontage are accessible and barrier-free

Objective

The objective of the Transit Assessment is to:

• Determine the impact of the development on the operations of abutting transit infrastructure and/or services
• Ensure that existing and planned transit infrastructure, such as bus/streetcar stops, shelters and subway entrance connections are provided on sites where appropriate
• Ensure that subsurface transit infrastructure is identified

Principles

A Transit Assessment should identify existing and planned transit infrastructure adjacent to the site. TTC infrastructure and transit shelters on the site frontage should conform to TTC standards as described on TTC’s website.

Required Contents

A Transit Assessment will include the following information, unless otherwise indicated:

1. A description of all existing and planned transit infrastructure and routes in the vicinity of the site for all transit modes including bus, streetcar and subway
2. An inventory of all bus/streetcar stops on the frontage of the site in the existing and planned (post-development) condition. Note that these stops must be clearly labelled on all drawings and conform to TTC standards
3. An assessment of where and how Wheel-Trans vehicles will pick-up/drop-off passengers on the site. A vehicle-maneuvering diagram is required if pick-up/drop-off is conducted on site
4. An identification of whether the site fronts onto any Enhanced Surface Transit Network Segments from Map 5 of the Official Plan.
5. Identification of any transit priority measures that are required to mitigate the delays to transit caused by the development
6. Summary and recommendations

6. d. Higher Order Transit Assessment

Description

• To identity existing and planned higher order transit infrastructure within 60 metres of the site
• To ensure that site design, landscaping, streetscaping, and construction methods do not have a negative impact on the safety of the transportation system for customers, employees and the general public
• To ensure no negative impact or adverse effect to existing and planned higher order transit operations and maintenance
• To mitigate potential for damage to existing higher order transit infrastructure during construction
• To ensure that any entrance connection(s) to subway stations provided as part of the development of the site are accessible and barrier-free

Objective

The objective of the Higher Order Transit Assessment is to:

• Ensure that existing and planned higher order transit infrastructure within 60 metres of the site is identified
• Determine the impact of the development on the safe operations and maintenance existing and planned higher order transit infrastructure and/or facilities within 60 metres of the site
• Ensure that existing and planned higher order transit infrastructure, such as fire ventilation upgrades, second exits, substations, tunnel and platform expansions, and station entrance connections are identified on sites, where appropriate

Principles

A Higher Order Transit Assessment should identify existing and planned higher order transit infrastructure within 60 metres of the site. TTC transit infrastructure to be built, modified, or otherwise altered either on the site, or as a result of the construction activities related to the development of the site, should conform to TTC standards and/or requirements as described on TTC’s website.

Required Contents

A Higher Order Transit Assessment will include the following information, unless otherwise indicated:

1. A description of all existing and planned higher order transit infrastructure within 60 metres of the site including substations, subway tracks and tunnels, and subway stations

6. e. Bicycle Parking Assessment

Description

• To justify any deviation between the proposed bicycle parking supply and the bicycle parking requirements (number and size of parking spaces, etc.) of the applicable Zoning By-law
• To ensure that the bicycle parking requirements are adequate for each phase of development including the ultimate development scenario
• To identify alternative strategies to satisfy the bicycle parking requirements of the development (i.e., shared parking opportunities, payment-in-lieu, off-site parking, etc.)
• When requested, to undertake a bicycle parking supply/demand survey of the area to demonstrate whether supply is sufficient for the proposed development

Objective

The objective of a Bicycle Parking Assessment is to:

• Demonstrate that the proposed bicycle parking provision is sufficient to meet the mobility needs of the development while limiting the parking impacts on existing neighbourhoods to protect their residential amenity
• Estimate the bicycle parking demand generated by a development, considering the availability of alternative modes
• Establish the number and size of on-site bicycle parking spaces that should be provided, recognizing the site constraints and local conditions

When an amendment to the Zoning By-law is requested, this work may also be required to demonstrate that the requested changes will maintain usability of the parking; encourage people of all ages, abilities and means to bicycle; and not result in an increase in auto dependency or automobile commuting. If an amendment to the Zoning By-law is requested, this assessment must also provide justification for the proposed bicycle parking supply by using appropriate proxy sites.

Principles

A Bicycle Parking Assessment must be based on available local survey data or experience and supplemented by established bicycle parking rates for different land uses. The Bicycle Parking Assessment must recognize the general principle that the parking demand generated by a development or re-development should generally be satisfied on-site and that the development must not rely on on-street parking (e.g., post and ring) to satisfy the demands. This work may include provisions for shared facilities.

Required Contents

A Bicycle Parking Assessment will include the following information, unless otherwise indicated:

1. Zoning By-law bike parking requirements
2. Proposed bike parking supply
3. Inventory of bicycle parking facilities in the area
   1. On-site parking
   2. On-street parking
   3. Off-street public parking in the area
4. Utilization of existing facilities during peak periods of parking demand
5. Estimate of the bicycle parking demand generated by each component of the development including, where applicable:
   1. Residents
   2. Employees
   3. Visitors/Customers/Patrons
6. An assessment of the feasibility and appropriateness of shared bicycle parking on the site, including public bike-share facilities
7. A bicycle parking strategy if the parking demand cannot be accommodated on-site, including:
   1. The provision of public bike-share facilities
   2. Justification of the proposed parking supply, considering appropriate proxy sites, the area transportation and transit context, and any other transportation demand management strategies worth noting
8. Summary and recommendations

6. f. Vehicular Parking Assessment

Description

• To justify any deviation between the proposed vehicular parking supply and the vehicular parking requirements (number and size of vehicular parking spaces, provision of electric vehicle supply equipment, etc.) of the applicable Zoning By-law.
• To ensure that the vehicular parking requirements are adequate for each phase of development including the ultimate development scenario
• To identify alternative strategies to satisfy the vehicular parking requirements of the development (i.e., shared parking opportunities, payment-in-lieu, off-site parking, etc.) When requested, to undertake a vehicular parking supply/demand survey of the area to demonstrate whether supply is sufficient for the proposed development

Objective

The objective of a Vehicular Parking Assessments is to:

• Demonstrate that the proposed vehicular parking provision is sufficient to meet the mobility needs of the development while limiting the vehicular parking impacts on existing neighbourhoods to protect their residential amenity
• Estimate the vehicular parking demand generated by a development, considering the availability of alternative modes
• Establish the number and size of on-site vehicular parking spaces that should be provided, recognizing the site constraints and local conditions

When an amendment to the Zoning By-law is requested, this work may also be required to demonstrate that the requested changes will maintain usability of the vehicular parking and not result in an increase in auto dependency or automobile commuting. If an amendment to the Zoning By-law is requested, this assessment should also provide justification for the proposed vehicular parking supply by using appropriate proxy sites.

Principles

A Vehicular Parking Assessment must be based on available local survey data or experience and supplemented by established vehicular parking rates for different land uses. The needs of users who require accessible parking should be considered separately from other users. The Vehicular Parking Assessment must recognize the general principle that the vehicular parking demand generated by a development or re-development should generally be satisfied on-site and that the development must not rely on on-street parking (i.e., residential parking permits or off-street public parking) to satisfy the demands. This work may include provisions for shared facilities.

Required Contents

A Vehicular Parking Assessment will include the following information, unless otherwise indicated:

1. Zoning By-law vehicle parking requirements
2. Proposed vehicle parking supply
3. Inventory of vehicle parking facilities in the area
   1. On-site parking
   2. On-street parking
   3. Off-street public parking in the area
4. Utilization of existing facilities during peak periods of parking demand
5. Estimate of the vehicular parking and pick-up/drop-off demand generated by each component of the development including, where applicable:
   1. Residents
   2. Employees
   3. Visitors/Customers/Patrons
6. An assessment of the feasibility and appropriateness of shared vehicular parking on the site
7. Pick-up/drop-off locations identified on site for different users
8. A vehicular parking strategy if the parking demand cannot be accommodated on-site, including:
   1. The provision of car-share spaces
   2. Justification of the proposed vehicular parking supply, considering appropriate proxy sites, the area transportation and transit context and any other transportation demand management strategies worth noting
9. Summary and recommendations

6. g. Loading Assessment

Description

• To determine the appropriate loading requirements of a proposed development
• To justify any deviation between the proposed loading requirement and the loading requirements (number and size of loading spaces) of the applicable Zoning By-law
• To ensure that the loading requirements are adequate for each phase of development including the ultimate development scenario
• To identify alternative strategies to satisfy the loading requirements of the development (i.e., shared loading opportunities, delivery time restrictions, off-site loading depots, etc.) that are enforceable

Objective

The objective of a Loading Assessment is to estimate the loading demand generated by a development and, on this basis, to establish the number and size of on-site loading spaces that should be provided, recognizing the site constraints and local conditions. Alternatively, as part of a Loading Assessment, a loading strategy could be developed to identify how the loading demands of the project can be satisfied. This work may be required to justify the requested amendment to the Zoning By-law.

Principles

A Loading Assessment must be based on established loading activity rates supplemented by any available local survey data or experience. A Loading Assessment must recognize the general principle that the loading demand generated by a development or re-development should be satisfied on-site and that the development must not rely on on-street loading to satisfy the demands. This work may include provisions for shared facilities.

Required Contents

A Loading Assessment will include the following information, unless otherwise indicated:

1. Zoning By-law loading requirements
2. Inventory of any on-site loading facilities
3. Utilization of existing facilities during peak periods of loading demand
4. Estimate of the loading demand generated by each phase of the development including, where applicable:
   1. Types of loading/delivery/service vehicles
   2. Frequency and duration of deliveries, by type of vehicle
   3. Time of deliveries, by type of vehicle
5. Plans illustrating the movement of vehicles entering and exiting the loading space(s), including turnaround manoeuvres
6. Plans illustrating the service connections between the loading facilities and the various parts of the development that the loading spaces are intended to serve
7. An assessment of the feasibility and appropriateness of shared loading on the site
8. A loading strategy if the peak loading demand cannot be accommodated on-site

10. Pick-up/drop-off locations identified on site for different users
11. A vehicle maneuver diagram for City of Toronto garbage truck if onsite garbage pickup is proposed
12. Summary and recommendations