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REPORT NO.
MEETING
DATE: September 22, 2004
SUBJECT: TRANSIT
SERVICE TO VARIETY VILLAGE
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It
is recommended that the Commission:
1. Receive this report for information,
noting that:
·
Wheel-Trans
is operating a trial hourly service between Variety Village and the subway. The
service is available to Wheel-Trans registrants and selected Variety Village
patrons;
·
the
service is initially operating to Victoria Park Station, but will shift to Main
Street Station once that station becomes accessible in October 2004;
·
several
options for providing conventional TTC bus service closer to Variety Village
and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute have been evaluated, but are not
recommended for implementation, because they would inconvenience more customers
than they would benefit and/or they would not meet the TTC’s minimum financial
standard;
·
a
further report will be presented to the Commission in early 2005 which will
review the trial Wheel-Trans service to Variety Village.
2. Forward this report to Variety Village
and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute.
This
report has no effect on the TTC’s capital or operating budgets.
At
the April 29, 2004 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Accessible
Transportation (ACAT), discussion took place about improved service to Variety
Village. ACAT passed a motion in support of an assessment of service options in
advance of the next annual service review.
At
its meeting of June 16, 2004, the Commission received deputations in support of
direct service to Variety Village and improved service to Birchmount Park C.I.
The Commission directed TTC staff “To
report at the next meeting on the options available to provide service to
Variety Village and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, with such report to
also include the percentage of patrons who use Wheel-Trans to access Variety
Village and the anticipated school population that would use this service”. This
report responds to the Commission's direction.
Variety
Village was built in the early 1980s on a wedge-shaped property, immediately
west of the grade-separated interchange of Danforth Avenue and Kingston Road.
Birchmount Park C.I. is located just west of Variety Village. The TTC route
network in the area has been developed over the past 80 years and provides good
service to the established, stable, nearby residential communities. Birchmount
Park C.I. is within a reasonable walk of three TTC bus routes, 12 Kingston Rd, 20 Cliffside and 69 Warden
South, and is considered to be well served by transit.
The
geographic location of Variety Village makes it hard to serve by conventional
TTC buses. The highway-style flyover that makes up the Kingston Road and
Danforth Avenue interchange is very pedestrian-unfriendly. The site that
Variety Village occupies slopes down to the south and, as a result, walking
access from Kingston Road is poor. Danforth Avenue is approximately level with
the main entrance of Variety Village, but is not used for bus service because
the majority of transit customers reside to the north of Danforth Avenue, and
service on Highview Avenue provides better access for most customers.
Discussions
between the TTC staff and Variety Village regarding transit service began prior
to the opening of Variety Village in 1981. In 1980, as part of the
site-planning process, TTC staff suggested the construction of a gently sloping
walkway between Variety Village and Kingston Road, along a less-pronounced
portion of the southbound slope. This walkway would provide a good pedestrian
connection between Variety Village and existing bus stops on Kingston Road. The
walkway was not built.
At
the request of Variety Village, the City of Scarborough, and Metro Councillors
for the area, improved bus service to Variety Village was examined in the Service Standards Application
Reports/Service Plan in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, and 1994. Ultimately, no
routing changes for bus routes in the area were recommended because it was
determined that, overall, the inconvenience to current customers of
possibly-affected nearby conventional bus routes would outweigh the benefits.
Variety
Village is one of the ten busiest destinations for trips by Wheel-Trans
registrants. However, many of the seniors, ambulatory-disabled and other people
who use the Variety Village facilities, are not Wheel-Trans registrants and,
therefore, currently cannot travel to and from Variety Village by Wheel-Trans.
The
deputations made to the Commission on July 16, 2004 suggest that a significant
number of ambulatory disabled people, including blind and sight-impaired
people, have difficulty negotiating the distance between conventional bus stops
in the area and the entrance to Variety Village.
The
full-sized buses used in conventional TTC bus services are not suitable for
service in space-restricted locations like the entranceway and parking area at
the front of Variety Village. The smaller buses used for Wheel-Trans
to-the-door services and Community Bus services are better able to travel over
narrow roads or private drives and get close to the accessible entrances of
major institutions serving the needs of seniors and people with disabilities.
Subsequent
to the June 16, 2004 Commission meeting, representatives from Wheel-Trans met
with Variety Village staff and agreed to a trial operation of Wheel-Trans buses
between Victoria Park Station and Variety Village, which began operation on
September 7, 2004. The expanded Wheel-Trans service to Variety Village was the
subject of a September 2, 2004 letter from TTC staff to the Commission (see
attached). The service operates hourly, and is available to both Wheel-Trans
registrants and to those seniors and disabled people who are Variety Village
patrons with mobility and/or other restrictions. Variety Village is responsible
for determining which Variety Village patrons will be eligible to use the new
service, and for providing appropriate identification. The service is not
intended for use by Variety Village staff without disabilities, or by others
who can use conventional transit services without difficulty.
In
order to ensure that potential users of the new service are aware of the
service and are encouraged to use it, agencies and institutions (i.e. CNIB,
etc.) have been informed. Notices have been posted on Wheel-Trans buses, at
subway stations, and at Variety Village, and the service will be advertised on
the TTC web site and in Wheel-Trans newsletters to its registrants.
The
service will permit a better utilisation of the Wheel-Trans buses that already
serve the busy Variety Village facility, and will generate additional fare
revenue from new riders at minimal cost. The new service is consistent with the
objective of better integrating the TTC’s conventional and specialised accessible
services as specified in the TTC’s 2003 Accessible Transit Services Plan.
Victoria
Park Station is not, currently, fully accessible however, the nearby Main
Street Station will be an Easier Access station when the accessibility
improvements are complete, expected by October 2004. The improvements to Main
Street Station include the addition of an accessible fare gate and two
elevators. As a result, the trial Variety Village service will be changed to
operate from Main Street Station, when the Easier Access improvements are
complete. The use of Main Street Station, after the Easier Access features are
operational, will result in better utilisation of the accessibility features of
the station.
Other Options Considered
Extending
the present 404 East York Community Bus service
from Victoria Park Station south to Variety Village would require an additional
vehicle, and increase costs, because the additional distance cannot be added to
the existing route while still maintaining hourly service with one bus. In
addition, the small capacity of the Community Bus vehicles make them unsuitable
for providing service to large numbers of high school students. For these
reasons this option is not recommended.
Changes
to TTC Conventional Routes and Services
The
TTC currently operates three bus routes within walking distance of Variety
Village and Birchmount Park C.I. (see Drawing No. 11756). These are:
·
The
20 Cliffside route provides
service between Main Street Station and Kennedy Station. The route operates in
both directions on Highview Avenue, approximately 280 metres to the north of
Variety Village and Birchmount Park C.I.
·
The 69 Warden South route provides service
from Warden Station and operates in both directions on Birchmount Road, west of
Birchmount Park C.I. and Variety Village. Customers using the bus stops at
Birchmount Road and Danforth Avenue have to walk approximately 495 metres to
reach Variety Village and approximately 350 metres to reach Birchmount Park
C.I.
·
The
12 Kingston Rd route provides
service from Victoria Park Station, and operates in both directions on Kingston
Road. Most customers using this route to travel to Birchmount Park C.I. use the
stop on Kingston Road at Glen Everest Road and walk the 210 metres to the
school up a steep hill on an unpaved path. Because of the lack of a paved
walkway, customers with mobility difficulties are unable to use this route.
Five
routing options were evaluated to provide regular-route bus service that would
more-closely serve Variety Village and Birchmount Park C.I.
20 Cliffside – Service on Pinegrove Avenue
An
option was examined that would change the 20 Cliffside route to operate via Pinegrove Avenue, which
parallels Danforth Avenue, one block to the north. Service would be removed
from Highview Avenue. This change would reduce the distance that customers
would have to walk to reach Variety Village and Birchmount Park C.I. from
approximately 280 metres to approximately 70 metres. Customers would have to
continue to cross Danforth Avenue at a signalised intersection to reach Variety
Village and the school. The route change would be made with no increase in
operating costs.
It
is projected that approximately 80 customer-trips each weekday would be made
with a shorter walk to Variety Village, of which approximately 60 would be new
transit customers who would be attracted to the TTC by the new service.
Approximately 140 customer-trips each weekday would be made with a shorter walk
to Birchmount Park C.I. Approximately 240 customer-trips each weekday, which
are now made at bus stops on Highview Avenue, would be made with a longer walk
to the nearest bus stop.
The
routing via Pinegrove Avenue is not presently operationally feasible, as the
turn from northbound Birchmount Road to eastbound Pinegrove Avenue requires
that buses cross into the westbound lane of Pinegrove Avenue. Changes would be
required to this intersection to permit bus operation, such as a set-back of
the westbound stop bar or geometry changes to the south-east curb.
The
change in weighted travel time shows that the inconvenience of a longer walk
for customers currently using stops on Highview Avenue is more important than
the benefit of a shorter walk for customers travelling to Variety Village and
Birchmount Park C.I. The change would cause a net inconvenience for customers
and, for this reason, the proposal is not recommended.
20 Cliffside – Service on Danforth Avenue
An
option was examined that would change the 20 Cliffside
route to operate via Danforth Avenue and Kingston Road, between Birchmount Road
and Midland Avenue. Service would be removed from Highview Avenue, Kennedy
Road, and Park Street. This change would reduce the distance that customers
would have to walk to reach Variety Village and Birchmount Park C.I. from
approximately 280 metres to approximately 10 metres. Eastbound buses would
provide direct service to the south side of Danforth Avenue, just outside the
main entrance to Variety Village. Customers using westbound buses would have to
cross to the north side of Danforth Avenue. The route change would be made with
no increase in operating costs.
It is projected that approximately 80 customer-trips would be made each weekday
with a shorter walk to Variety Village, of which approximately 60 would be new
transit customers who would be attracted to the TTC by the new service.
Approximately
140 customer-trips each weekday would be made with a shorter walk to Birchmount
Park C.I. Approximately 1,750 customer-trips each weekday, which are now made
at bus stops on Highview Avenue, Kennedy Road, and Park Street, would be made
with a longer walk to the nearest bus stop; some of these customers would stop
using the TTC because of the inconvenience of a longer walk.
The
change in weighted travel time shows that the inconvenience of a longer walk
for customers that use stops that would no longer be served is more important
than the benefit to customers of a shorter walk to Variety Village and
Birchmount Park C.I. The change would cause a net inconvenience for customers
and for, this reason, the proposal is not recommended.
12 Kingston Rd – Service on Danforth Avenue
An
option was examined that would change the 12 Kingston
Rd route to operate via Birchmount Road and Danforth Avenue. Service
would be removed from Kingston Road, between Birchmount Road and the Danforth
Avenue/Kingston Road interchange. This change would considerably reduce the
distance that customers would have to walk to reach Variety Village and
Birchmount Park C.I. from the present 12 Kingston
Rd route. Eastbound buses would provide direct, convenient service to
the south side of Danforth Avenue, just outside the main entrance to Variety
Village. Customers using westbound buses would have to cross to the north side
of Danforth Avenue. The route change would be made with no increase in
operating costs.
It
is projected that approximately 80 customer-trips would be made each weekday
with a shorter walk to Variety Village, of which approximately 60 would be new
transit customers who would be attracted to the TTC by the new service.
Approximately 200 customer-trips each weekday would be made with a shorter walk
to Birchmount Park C.I. Approximately 490 customer-trips each weekday, which
are now made at bus stops on Kingston Road between Birchmount Road and Danforth
Avenue, would be made with a longer walk to the nearest bus stop.
The
change in weighted travel time shows that the inconvenience of a longer walk
for customers currently using the stops that would no longer be served is more
important than the benefit to customers of a shorter walk to Variety Village
and Birchmount Park C.I. The change would cause a net inconvenience for
customers, and for this reason, the proposal is not recommended.
A
variation of this option was examined that would alternate trips on the
12 Kingston Rd route between
the current routing on Kingston Road and the revised routing via Birchmount
Road and Danforth Avenue. This option would provide less-frequent service to
Variety Village and Birchmount Park C.I., compared to the first option
described above. All customers using stops on Kingston Road between Birchmount
Road and the Danforth Avenue/Kingston Road interchange would have their waiting
time for a bus doubled, compared the current waiting time. This option would
attract fewer new customers to Variety Village, because of the longer waiting
time.
The
change in weighted travel time shows that the inconvenience of a longer wait
for the bus is more important to customers than the benefit of a shorter walk
to Variety Village and Birchmount Park C.I. The change would cause a net
inconvenience for customers and, for this reason, the proposal is not
recommended.
New route from Kennedy
Station to Variety Village
An
option was examined which would operate a new bus route between Kennedy
Station, Variety Village, and Birchmount Park C.I. The service would operate
from Kennedy Station, south on Midland Avenue, west on Kingston Road, north on
Birchmount Avenue, east on Danforth Avenue, east on Kingston Road, and north on
Midland Avenue to Kennedy Station. Service would operate every 30 minutes, from
approximately 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and from
approximately 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays. New eastbound service would be
provided on Danforth Avenue, between Birchmount Avenue and Kingston Road, and
customers travelling to and from Variety Village would have direct, convenient
service to the south side of Danforth Avenue, just outside the main entrance to
Variety Village. Between Danforth Avenue and Midland Avenue, the new route
would duplicate the more-frequent service provided by the 12 Kingston Rd route, and on Midland
Avenue the new route would duplicate the service provided by the 20 Cliffside route.
It
is projected that approximately 650 customer-trips would be made on the new
service each weekday, of which approximately 60 would be new transit customers
who would be attracted to the TTC by the new service to Variety Village.
Approximately 80 customer-trips each weekday would be made to Variety Village
with a shorter walk or fewer transfers, and approximately 80 customer-trips
each weekday would be made to Birchmount Park C.I. a shorter walk or fewer
transfers. Approximately 2,000 customer-trips each weekday travelling between
Kennedy Station and stops on Midland Avenue and on Kingston Road, east of
Danforth Avenue, would be made with a shorter wait.
One
bus would be used to operate the service, with an annual gross operating cost
increase of approximately $215,000. Since there would be an increase in
operating costs, a financial assessment was carried out. The comparison of net
operating costs against the projected increase in ridership indicates the
service would not meet the TTC’s minimum financial standard of at least 0.23
new customers per net dollar of additional operating cost (see Table 1, below).
For this reason, the proposal is not recommended.
Monday-Friday peak periods 0.11 cust/$
Monday-Friday midday 0.06 cust/$
Monday-Friday early evening 0.13 cust/$
Saturday daytime 0.10 cust/$
Saturday early evening 0.13 cust/$
Sunday daytime 0.18 cust/$
SUMMARY
A
new hourly Wheel-Trans service to Variety Village from Victoria Park Station
and, soon, Main Street Station, is justified and should be operated for a trial
period. The service will use buses already serving Variety Village and will
carry both Wheel-Trans registrants and seniors and ambulatory-disabled people
who are determined by Variety Village to have mobility and/or other impediments
to travel.
Six
options for changes to existing bus routes, or new bus routes, to better serve
Variety Village have been analysed. The changes to the existing bus routes are
not recommended because the inconvenience they would cause to existing
customers is judged to outweigh the benefit they would provide to new
customers. The operation of a new TTC bus route from Kennedy Station to Variety
Village is not recommended because it does not meet the TTC's financial standard
for adding a new service.
A
review of the new Wheel-Trans service will be presented to the Commission in
January 2005. The outstanding questions from the Commission regarding the
percentage of Variety Village patrons using Wheel-Trans to access the facility
will be addressed at that time.
-------------
September 22, 2004
11-55-48/51
Attachment: Drawing No. 11756 – TTC Service near Variety
Village
Memo to the Commission – Transit
Service between Variety Village and
Victoria Park Station