Report to/Rapport au :
Interim Transit Commission
Commission du transport en commun par intérim
10 January 2011 / le 10 janvier 2011
Submitted by/Soumis par: Alain Mercier, General Manager/Directeur général
Transit Services/Services du transport en commun
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Pat Scrimgeour, Manager/Gestionnaire
Transit Service Design/Conception des services du transport en commun
613-842-3636 x2205, Pat.Scrimgeour@ottawa.ca
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Ref N°: ACS2011-ICS-TRA-0006 |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Interim Transit Commission receive for information the following changes to the OC Transpo network, for implementation in the spring of 2011, in order to improve service for transit customers:
- Transitway Routes 94 and 95 will be revised to provide frequent and fast service from Barrhaven to downtown and other parts of the City;
- Express Routes 70, 71, 73, 76, and 77 will be revised to improve service for customers and to make use of the new section of Transitway; and
- Local Routes 170, 171, 173, 176, and 177 will be revised and a new Route 175 established to improve service for customers and to make convenient connections at Transitway stations.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que la Commission du transport en commun par intérim prenne connaissance des modifications suivantes au réseau d’OC Transpo, aux fins de leur mise en œuvre au printemps 2011, visant à améliorer le service pour les usagers du transport :
- modification des circuits 94 et 95 du Transitway afin de fournir un service fréquent et rapide de Barrhaven au centre-ville et à d’autres parties de la ville;
- modification des circuits express 70, 71, 73, 76 et 77 afin d’améliorer le service pour les usagers et d’utiliser la nouvelle portion du Transitway;
- modification des circuits locaux 170, 171, 173, 176 et 177 et nouveau circuit 175 afin d’améliorer le service pour les usagers et de permettre des liaisons pratiques à la station du Transitway.
BACKGROUND
The three-kilometre extension of the Southwest Transitway – south of Fallowfield Station to Barrhaven Centre – is currently in its final stages of completion and will open on Sunday, April 17, 2011. The Transitway project includes the opening of two new stations – Longfields and Marketplace – to bring the number of transit stations in Barrhaven to four.
This report describes the route changes that will be made in April to allow customers and OC Transpo operations to make best use of the Transitway extension. The route changes also respond to recent changes in travel needs in Barrhaven, will provide faster and more reliable service, and will provide additional capacity to accommodate the increased ridership resulting from the opening of the Transitway and the improvements in service.
The route changes are the outcome of an extensive process of planning and consultation with transit customers and residents, facilitated by the Councillors for the area. The very helpful feedback allowed transit staff to refine the details of the changes and to maximize benefit and minimize inconvenience for customers. Both Councillors Desroches and Harder agree with the route changes that are being made.
Route changes and service improvements are funded entirely within current budgeted service levels.
DISCUSSION
The service changes will improve transit service in Barrhaven in several important ways:
· More frequent, faster service on Route 95
· More capacity and faster trips on express service
· Direct connections on local routes to the Transitway from all areas of Barrhaven
· More frequent direct service to/from the RCMP
· Direct service home from Gatineau, providing more open capacity at Bayview and Tunney’s Pasture Stations
· Take advantage of the new section of the Southwest Transitway through Barrhaven
These route changes have been developed and agreed with the Councillors for the area after extensive public consultation. The new Barrhaven route network is shown in Document 1.
Transitway Service – Routes 94 and 95
The new section of Transitway from Fallowfield Station to Barrhaven Centre will open on Sunday, April 17. The completion of this project will make transit service quicker and more reliable, and will be the first section of Transitway built outside the Greenbelt. Many customers will be within a convenient walking distance of the four Transitway stations in Barrhaven – Fallowfield, Longfields, Strandherd, and Marketplace. Fallowfield Station has been reconstructed with platforms on the new section of Transitway, to improve the customer waiting area, and to increase the number of spaces in the park and ride lot. Longfields Station is new, in the centre of an area of medium-density residential development, an example of transit-oriented development. Strandherd Station opened several years ago and currently has capacity available in its park and ride lot (staff are also looking into a modest expansion). Marketplace Station is new, in the heart of Barrhaven’s major shopping district, and will be the connection point for local buses from southern Barrhaven and Manotick. The Transitway ends at a bus loop south of the shopping area but in the midst of the future Barrhaven Town Centre; bus stops will be installed near the bus loop for access to nearby locations.
With the opening of the Southwest Transitway through Barrhaven, Route 95 will be changed to operate along the full length of the Transitway, removing the route from its former interim operation on Greenbank and Fallowfield. The faster operating speed of the Transitway allows for more frequent service to be provided on the section of the route south of Fallowfield Station. In the morning peak period, the number of trips will be increased from 20 to 26, operating as frequently as every four to five minutes. In the midday, the number of trips will be increased from 49 to 72, operating as frequently as every 10 minutes. In the afternoon peak period, the number of trips will be increased from 16 to 38, operating as frequently as every five minutes. Similar improvements are being made in the evening and on weekends. Service to Barrhaven Centre will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In the afternoon peak period, 10 trips on Route 95 will start at Place du Portage in Gatineau and will operate through to Barrhaven Centre. This change will reduce the need for some customers to make a transfer at LeBreton Station, will reduce bus congestion on Albert Street downtown, and will provide open capacity for customers transferring from the O-Train at Bayview Station and boarding at Tunney’s Pasture Station.
The current interim routing of Route 95 via Greenbank and Fallowfield Roads will end. Operation on the Transitway will be quicker and more reliable than operation on the road network. Customers who now use Route 95 at its stops along Greenbank and Fallowfield will be able to use express Routes 70, 73, and 76, and local Routes 170 and 173, including 15-minute service at busy times on Route 170.
Route 94 will be extended to Barrhaven and will operate as a paired route with Route 95 through central Ottawa, between Blair Station and Fallowfield Station. South of Fallowfield Station, Route 94 will operate via Woodroffe to a bus loop at the site of a future park and ride lot at Woodroffe and Strandherd. In 2012, when the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge opens, Route 94 will be extended across the bridge to Riverview Station in Riverside South. West of Tunney’s Pasture Station to Barrhaven, Route 94 will initially operate every 15 minutes from 06:30 until 19:30, Monday to Friday, and every 30 minutes at other times. Route 94 will operate seven days a week, from approximately 06:30 until after midnight.
During peak periods, in the direction opposite to the main commuter flow, buses on Route 94 will operate via the new RCMP offices in Barrhaven. There will be 11 direct trips from downtown to the RCMP in the morning peak period and 15 return trips in the afternoon peak period, a considerable increase from the current four trips in each of the morning and afternoon. Operation via the RCMP means that there will be no Route 94 southbound service on Woodroffe between Longfields and Strandherd in the morning and no northbound service on this section in the afternoon; the few customers who are making trips of this type will be able to use Route 171 at its stops on Woodroffe or nearby. The service to the RCMP by Route 94 replaces the current limited service provided by Route 195.
North of Fallowfield Station, the combination of the increased service on Route 95 and the new service provided by Route 94 increases the capacity and reduces waiting times for customers. In the morning, northbound service will be increased from 30 to 36 trips, operating as frequently as every three to four minutes. In the midday, the number of trips will be increased from 94 to 120, operating on average every six minutes. In the afternoon peak period, the number of southbound trips will be increased from 33 to 54, operating as frequently as every three to four minutes.
Express Service – Routes 70, 71, 73, 76 and 77
The five express routes from Barrhaven to downtown will be changed to be best aligned with the new section of Transitway and the revised local routes. Capacity will be increased on Routes 70, 71, 76, and 77 by using some of the new articulated buses to replace the current 40-foot buses on most busy trips. The travel time to downtown will be reduced by changing the stopping procedure, so that the express buses will no longer make request stops to pick up customers after leaving Fallowfield Station until they arrive at Tunney’s Pasture Station.
Route 70 will be changed to start on Maravista at Cedarview and will follow its current route from there, through Fallowfield Station, to downtown. The service currently provided by Route 70 west of Flanders will be provided by Route 76, and express service will no longer operate on Flanders. Route 70 will have a capacity increase of 10 per cent in the busiest hour of the morning and 42 per cent in the afternoon by the assignment of articulated buses. The route will have capacity to accommodate a 35 per cent ridership growth from its current level.
Route 71 will be changed to start on Stoneway east of Woodroffe and to operate in the reverse direction from today but over its current route to Berrigan west of Longfields, then will turn onto the Transitway and continue through Longfields and Fallowfield Stations to downtown. Express service will no longer operate on Longfields south of Berrigan. Route 71 will have a capacity increase of 31 per cent in the busiest hour of the morning and 17 per cent in the afternoon by the assignment of articulated buses. The route will have capacity to accommodate a 40 per cent ridership growth from its current level.
Route 73 will be changed to start on Strandherd at Andora (west of Jockvale) and will follow its current route to Berrigan east of Greenbank, then will turn onto the Transitway and continue through Longfields and Fallowfield Stations to downtown. The service currently provided by Route 73 on Berrigan will be provided by Route 71, the service on Mountshannon will be provided by Route 171, and the service on Oriska will be provided by Route 77. Express service will no longer operate on Longfields north of Berrigan. Because the eastern part of Route 73 will be replaced by other routes, ridership will be lower than today, and the capacity will be reduced by removing one trip in the morning and by operating the route with 40-foot buses. With this change, the route will still have capacity to accommodate a 10 per cent ridership growth from its current level.
Route 76 will be changed to start on Kennevale at Cobble Hill and will follow its current route from there, through Fallowfield Station, to downtown. When the new section of Maravista is complete and open between Cobble Hill and Cedarview, Route 76 will be changed to start on Cobble Hill at Maravista. Route 76 will have a capacity increase of 19 per cent in the busiest hour of the morning and 14 per cent in the afternoon by the assignment of articulated buses. The route will have capacity to accommodate a 40 per cent ridership growth from its current level.
Route 77 will operate over its current route but will be changed in the afternoon to follow the same route on the Transitway and Oriska as it now follows in the morning. The afternoon service currently provided on Earl Mulligan will be provided by Route 171. Route 77, the busiest of the express routes from Barrhaven, will have a capacity increase of 28 per cent in the morning and 10 per cent in the afternoon and will have capacity to carry 40 per cent more customers than it now does.
The capacity increases on Routes 70, 71, 76, and 77 will provide an overall capacity increase on Barrhaven express service of 18 per cent in the busiest hour of the morning and 12 per cent in the afternoon.
Local Service in Barrhaven – Routes 170, 171, 173, 175, 176, 177, 186 and 188
To complement the extension of frequent rapid transit service along the Transitway, changes to the local route structure have been planned to provide direct connections to Transitway stations for Barrhaven customers.
Route 170 will provide all-day service, seven days a week, in the section of Barrhaven west of Greenbank or north of the railway. During the daytime from Monday to Friday, it will follow its current route between Fallowfield Station and Marketplace, except for two changes. It will no longer operate on Flanders but will operate on Cedarview between Maravista and Kennevale instead. And it will no longer operate on Wessex, Exeter, and Jockvale, operating instead on the Transitway through Strandherd and Marketplace Stations to Barrhaven Centre. The route will continue to operate every 30 minutes, but there will be additional trips to provide a 15-minute feeder service to Fallowfield Station at busy times. When the new section of Maravista is complete and open between Cobble Hill and Cedarview, Route 170 will operate on Cobble Hill between Maravista and Kennevale to provide new all-day service to this new area.
In the evening and on weekends, Route 170 will follow a modified route. At these times, the route will not operate on Kennevale east of Flanders, on Weybridge, on Fable north of Sherway, nor on Malvern west of Sherway. Instead, buses will operate on Flanders, Kennevale west of Flanders, Strandherd, Tartan, Jockvale, Fable, and Sherway. The route will continue to operate as it does today, every 30 minutes in the evening and on weekends and once an hour in the early morning and late evening on weekends. This modified route will cover streets that are served by Route 173 during the daytime hours and will ensure that all residents of this western part of Barrhaven are within a 10-minute walk of their nearest bus stop, seven days a week.
Route 171 will provide service from Monday to Friday in the section of Barrhaven east of the Transitway and north of Strandherd. The route will replace part of the current eastern part of Route 170, which will no longer operate. Route 171 will serve Earl Mulligan, Mountshannon, Longfields east of Mountshannon, Stoneway, Queensbury, and Berrigan. From Berrigan, buses will turn onto the Transitway and will operate through Strandherd and Marketplace Stations to Barrhaven Centre. Service will be removed from the section of Longfields between Berrigan and Strandherd. Route 171 will operate every 30 minutes during the daytime, with additional trips to provide a 15-minute feeder service to Fallowfield Station at busy times. In the evening, Route 171 will operate every hour, only in the southbound direction. There will be no weekend service on this route.
Route 173 will be a secondary local route in the area west of Greenbank or north of the railway, providing daytime service from Monday to Friday on the same route as it does today. Route 173 will not operate in the evening or on weekends. At those times, the modified routing of Route 170 will ensure that all customers are within a convenient walk of transit service.
Route 175 will provide the service that Route 171 currently provides between Marketplace Station and the Stonebridge area, east of Jockvale. As today, this route will operate every 30 minutes during peak periods and every hour in the midday, evening, and on Saturdays. There is no Sunday service except for one late evening trip to meet a particular travel need.
Route 176 provides service the length of Merivale Road and will provide new east-west service in Barrhaven. Until Chapman Mills Drive is complete and open between Beatrice and the Transitway, the route will operate via Beatrice, Strandherd, Longfields, and Marketplace. Route 176 operates every 30 minutes at most times of the week, with additional trips at busy times, and every hour in the early morning and evening on Sundays. Customers who currently use Route 176 on Woodroffe will be able to use Route 94, and connections between the two routes will be possible at the bus loop at Strandherd and Woodroffe.
Route 177 will continue to provide service between Marketplace Station and the Stonebridge and Half Moon Bay areas, west of Jockvale. As today, this route will operate every 30 minutes during peak periods and every hour in the midday, evening, and on Saturdays
Route 186 will continue to provide service between Manotick and the Transitway during peak periods, but will have its northern end at Marketplace Station rather than at Fallowfield Station.
Route 188 will continue to provide one morning trip and one afternoon trip to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency off Fallowfield west of Greenbank, with no change from its current service.
All eight of the local routes will make convenient connections with the Transitway. Routes 170, 171, and 173 will connect at Fallowfield Station. Routes 170 and 171 will connect at Strandherd Station. Routes 170, 171, 173, 175, 176, 177, and 186 will connect at Marketplace Station. Route 176 will also make a connection with Route 94 at the location of the future park and ride lot at Woodroffe and Strandherd. Routes 170 and 173 will continue to provide connections to the Walter Baker Sports Centre. In addition, there will be some additional local trips provided both on these local routes and on the special 600-series routes to meet the needs of customers travelling to and from schools.
Oriska Way
An issue that has been raised by residents during the consultation period and in years past is transit operation on Oriska Way. Oriska Way is a short connecting street between Mountshannon Drive and the Transitway. It was designed and built in the 1990s as a connector road to the Transitway, intended to be the route towards downtown for all express and local transit service.
Different from other connecting ramps to the Transitway, Oriska Way was built as a residential street. Different from other residential streets, Oriska Way was built to follow the engineering standards for high-volume two-way bus operation, and as a result is wider than most other residential streets and unusually has sidewalks on both sides of the street. The houses on Oriska Way were built, sold, and occupied several years before the section of the Transitway between Oriska Way and Fallowfield Road was completed in 2001, and residents since then have clearly expressed their desire for transit operations to be reduced or removed.
All original purchasers of houses on Oriska Way were formally advised by their builder to expect up to 30 bus trips each hour on their street. This would have been more than 200 bus trips each day. Current operations on the street are 29 trips each day from Monday to Friday, only northbound and only in the morning peak period. It has become clear from discussions with the current residents of Oriska Way that previous owners did not universally advise their buyers of the information that they received regarding future transit operations.
Document 2, attached to this report, gives excerpts of the conditions of development approval and the registered subdivision agreement for Oriska Way. Until 2001, there was also a large sign erected at the north end of Oriska Way advising of the future arrangements.
The new route network that is being put into place for Barrhaven has responded to the Oriska residents’ views by directing routes to the Transitway via other streets, to keep the volume of bus operation on Oriska Way at a very low level. Specifically, the express services of Routes 71 and 73 will join the Transitway at Berrigan rather than at Oriska, the all-day north-south service that might have operated on Beatrice will operate on Woodroffe as Route 94, and the local service of Route 171 will enter the area via Earl Mulligan rather than via Oriska. The only remaining service to operate via Oriska Way will be Route 77, the main north-south express route in the area. This route will operate in both the morning and afternoon peak periods, with 38 trips per day. This is an increase in the number of trips each day and an increase in the hours each day during which buses will operate on this street.
Transit staff and the Councillor for the area believe that the route plan for Barrhaven is a reasonable way to keep bus operation on Oriska Way at a very low level without causing undue inconvenience for customers, and that the operation of Route 77 on Oriska Way is required to provide a good quality of transit service in this sector of Barrhaven.
No further streets of this type, combining a residential cul-de-sac with high-volume Transitway access that is not in place until many years later, have been designed anywhere else in the City, and it is the intent of staff that no streets of this type ever be designed or constructed in the future. If there is ever a location where any future conflict in use of this type is anticipated, it is the intent of transit staff that the understanding of the initial home buyers be formally documented and that it is compulsory for that documentation to be passed-along to subsequent owners.
CONSULTATION
An early workshop organized by the Councillors was held on March 23, 2010, to bring transit customers of Barrhaven and transit staff together and to develop a vision from residents on how the transit service within their community should function. Some key points for staff to consider were: less circuitous and more direct routes, more express routes using the Transitway, more frequency on the Transitway south of Baseline Station, and more service capacity during the peak periods.
Following the workshop, staff established a route network proposal based on the workshop visions for Barrhaven. The feedback received at the Councillors’ semi-annual community open house held on April 13, 2010, enabled staff to further refine the proposed service plan.
During the Transplan 2011 consultation period in September and October 2010, the service change proposals were made available on octranspo.com and on board buses on routes in Barrhaven. Two open houses were held, one on September 21, 2010, targeted for residents of Oriska Way, and a wider one on September 28, 2010, in conjunction with the Councillors’ regular fall open house.
Comments from customers were received in writing by mail, e-mail and fax. In total, 237 comments were received. Thirteen comments were in support of the proposals and 127 comments gave suggestions for further improvement beyond the scope of the proposals. Of the 97 comments in opposition to the proposals, subsequent revisions to the plan based on the results of the consultation have addressed the substance of 91, leaving six in effect still in opposition to the current plan.
A number of major changes to the plan were made based on the results of the consultation with customers and residents. In particular:
· Routes 70 and 170 were modified to continue to operate on Larkin and Weybridge and Route 170 on Fable;
· Route 171 was changed to operate north of Beatrice via Earl Mulligan and Woodroffe rather than via Oriska Way;
· Evening service will be provided on Route 171; and
· Route 173, which had been proposed to be removed, will instead continue to operate, combined with the current service to Bayshore provided now by Route 181.
COMMENTS BY WARD COUNCILLORS
Councillors Harder and Desroches were involved extensively in the consultation and consideration of options as this service plan was developed. Both Councillors agree with the route changes that are being made, subject to the normal process of post-implementation evaluation. Both Councillors are aware that transit staff are proceeding with the implementation of this service plan for the opening of the new section of Transitway on April 17, 2011.
Councillor Harder has recognized the effort of transit staff who have worked for approximately one year to identify new opportunities for the Barrhaven community that will result in improvements of the transit service.
LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal/risk management impediments to the implementation of this report’s recommendations.
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
The recommendations contained herein directly and indirectly support the following objectives of the Strategic Plan.
A1. Improve the City’s transportation network to afford ease of mobility, keep pace with growth, reduce congestion and work towards modal split targets.
B1. Attain transit goals (30% modal split) by 2021.
E6. Require walking, transit and cycling oriented communities and employment centres.
F2. Respect the existing urban fabric, neighbourhood form and the limits of existing hard services, so that new growth is integrated seamlessly with established communities.
F4. Ensure that City infrastructure required for new growth is built or improved as needed to serve the growth.
TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no financial implications associated with this report as all of the service changes will be made within the budgeted transit service levels.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 – Map of new route network for Barrhaven
Document 2 – Background Information on Oriska Way
DISPOSITION
Staff have begun work to put the route changes described in this report in place for April 2011.
Transit customers will be advised of these service changes on octranspo.com and in detail by leaflets distributed on board buses in the weeks before the changes begin. Transit staff will assist Councillors in preparing any other information to be distributed locally.
Suggestions for further service changes from transit customers, residents and employees will continue to be collected and evaluated for future years’ planning processes.
All of the service changes will be assessed after one year of operation to check that they are meeting their objectives and that they remain the best way to provide transit service in the areas affected. Any changes which are found to be unsuccessful will be removed or revised, as appropriate.
MAP OF NEW ROUTE NETWORK FOR BARRHAVEN DOCUMENT 1
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON ORISKA WAY DOCUMENT 2
Excerpts from conditions of development approval, 1991
Regional Conditions for Final Approval, M. Holitzner Ltd. Longfields Subdivision
The Regional Municipality’s conditions applying to the approval of the final plan for registration of the M. Holitzner Limited Subdivision Part of Lot 20, Concession 2 R.F., City of Nepean, Longfields Community (06T-89062) are as follows:
56. That the owner agrees to inform all prospective purchasers, through a clause in all Agreements of Purchase and Sale, as to those streets identified for potential transit services, in a manner to the satisfaction of the Regional Transportation Commissioner.
57. That the owner agrees to inform all prospective purchasers of lots on roads designed to TAC standards that these streets have been identified for potential transit services and that a bus stop, paved passenger standing area or passenger shelter may be located on front of or adjacent to these lots at any time and that the decision to so locate these transit facilities lies with the Ottawa-Carleton Transit Commission.
60. That the owner agrees, via the Subdivision Agreement with the R.M.O.C., to construct, at the Developer’s cost, a bus access roadway from the north limit of Street “I” to Fallowfield Road. This roadway shall be built to R.M.O.C. standards to the satisfaction of the Transportation Commissioner.
64. That the Regional and City of Nepean Subdivision agreements, and all subsequent agreements of purchase and sale properties directly abutting to the Transitway corridor contain a wording warning of proximity to a future Transitway facility, to ensure that future property owners will be adequately informed of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton’s Transitway Program. This condition is to be to the satisfaction of the Regional Transportation Commissioner.
Excerpts from registered subdivision agreement with City of Nepean, 1994
3. The Owner agrees that all Purchase and Sale Agreements, Residential Condominium Agreements, Resubdivision Agreements and Site Plan Agreements for residential development within the plan of subdivision shall contain the following clauses:
“Purchasers acknowledge being advised of the proposed Transitway location and elevation within this subdivision and that the street namely Oriska Way has been designed and built to function as a direct transit route connection to the proposed Transitway and that bus volumes of 30 or more per hour can be expected at full development. Any protection from noise generated by the Transitway is the responsibility of the developer or the developer’s successors.”
4. The Owner agrees to prominently display the following notice in the sales office(s) selling lots on Oriska Way:
“Oriska Way is the main access to the Transitway for buses serving Longfields and Davidson Heights. Bus volumes of 30 or more per hour can be expected at full development.”
Diagram from plan of subdivision, 1991
Note: Oriska Way is shown on this diagram as Street I.