|
3. Transplan 2008 – Turning And Waiting Arrangements
For Routes 2 And 3. Transplan 2008 – Arrangements
Concernant L’aire D’attente Et De Virage Des Circuits 2 Et 3 |
Committee
Recommendations
That Council approve:
1. The establishment of a bus waiting area
on Waller Street south of Laurier Avenue; and,
2. Reducing the hours of the designated
taxi stand on Nicholas Street, immediately south of Rideau Street, for the
expansion of the bus waiting area on Nicholas Street, with buses to have use of
the space from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and with taxis to
have use of the space at other times and days.
Recommandations du comité
Que
le Conseil approuve :
1. l’établissement
d’une aire d’attente pour autobus sur la rue Waller au sud de l’avenue Laurier;
2. la
réduction des heures de la station de taxis désignée sur la rue Nicholas,
immédiatement au sud de la rue Rideau, en vue de l’agrandissement de l’aire
d’attente pour autobus sur la rue Nicholas, les autobus utilisant cet
emplacement de 6 h à 19 h du lundi au vendredi, et les taxis à toute autre
heure et les autres jours.
Documentation
1. Deputy
City Manager’s report (Planning, Transit and the Environment) dated 23 October
2008 (ACS2008-ICS-TRA-0017).
2. Extract
of Draft Minute, 5 November 2008,to be distributed prior to the Council
Meeting.
Report to/Rapport
au :
Transit Committee
Comité des services de transport en commun
and Council / et au Conseil
23
October 2008 / le 23 octobre 2008
Submitted
by/Soumis par: Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale
adjointe,
Infrastructure Services and Community
Sustainability/Services d’infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités
Contact
Person/Personne-ressource : Alain Mercier, Director/Directeur
Transit Services/Services du
transport en commun
613-842-3636 x2271, Alain.Mercier@ottawa.ca
|
Ref N°: ACS2008-ICS-TRA-0017 |
|
SUBJECT: |
TRANSPLAN 2008 – TURNING AND WAITING ARRANGEMENTS FOR
ROUTES 2 AND 3 |
|
|
|
|
OBJET : |
TRANSPLAN
2008 – ARRANGEMENTS CONCERNANT L’AIRE D’ATTENTE ET DE VIRAGE DES CIRCUITS 2
ET 3 |
REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the
Transit Committee recommend Council approve:
1. The
establishment of a bus waiting area on Waller Street south of Laurier Avenue;
and,
2. Reducing
the hours of the designated taxi stand on Nicholas Street, immediately south of
Rideau Street, for the expansion of the bus waiting area on Nicholas Street,
with buses to have use of the space from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday to
Friday, and with taxis to have use of the space at other times and days.
RECOMMANDATIONS
DU RAPPORT
Que
le Comité du transport en commun recommande au Conseil d’approuver :
1.
l’établissement d’une aire
d’attente pour autobus sur la rue Waller au sud de l’avenue Laurier;
2. la
réduction des heures de la station de taxis désignée sur la rue Nicholas,
immédiatement au sud de la rue Rideau, en vue de l’agrandissment de l’aire
d’attente pour autobus sur la rue Nicholas, les autobus utilisant cet emplacement
de 6 h à 19 h du lundi au vendredi, et les taxis à toute autre heure et les
autres jours.
BACKGROUND
At its meeting of June 4, 2008, Transit Committee received for information a report on the Transplan 2008 transit service planning and consultation process. The report outlined the service change proposals that had been put forward for public consultation and that had been approved in agreement with the Councillors for the areas affected.
Transit Committee referred one aspect of one of the
service changes to Transportation Committee – the proposed construction of a
new bus turning and waiting area near the Nicholas/Waller intersection to allow
for the division of Routes 2 and 3 into separate routes east and west of
downtown. Transit Committee also directed
staff to report on other possible turning locations for Routes 2 and 3.
At its meeting of June 18, 2008, Transportation
Committee directed staff to review other possible turning locations than the
proposed location at Nicholas/Waller and to report back to Transit Committee. With this direction, the service changes for
Routes 2 and 3 did not proceed in September along with the other changes from
Transplan 2008 but were delayed until December.
The changes to Routes 2 and 3 will improve the
reliability of service on both routes, by isolating the services east of
downtown from those west of downtown, so that delays that are experienced on
one part of the route do not cause an inconvenience for customers on the other
part of the route. Between the two
routes, the changes will improve service for approximately
35,000 customer-trips each day, or approximately 10 million customer-trips
each year, about 10 per cent of the total ridership on the OC Transpo
system. The changes will require some
customers to transfer downtown between buses; this will cause an inconvenience
for approximately 500 customer-trips each day, or approximately 150,000
customer-trips each year.
The revised Route 2 will run
from downtown along Wellington and Richmond Road to Westboro and Bayshore; the
revised Route 3 will run from downtown along Preston Street and Prince of Wales
to Colonnade; the new Route 9 will run from downtown along Sussex and Vanier
Parkway to Hurdman Station; and the new Route 12 from downtown along Montreal Road
and Ogilvie to Blair Station. The
turning location for the new Routes 9 and 12 on Bank, Laurier and Kent has been
agreed. The route changes are scheduled
to begin on Sunday, December 21, 2008. The location for buses on the revised
Routes 2 and 3 to turn around and wait downtown needs to be determined.
DISCUSSION
Staff have reviewed approximately 25 possible locations for buses on Routes 2 and 3 to turn around and wait downtown. These options are summarized in Document 2, in four groups: recommended; feasible but not recommended at this time; and not feasible.
The possible locations were
screened for feasibility based on these considerations:
-
Streets
are physically able to accommodate regular bus operation;
-
Curb
space can be made available for buses to stop and wait for their next scheduled
departure;
-
Operation
is possible within the time available in the schedule (based on established
budget and schedule); and
- Does not cause a major conflict with other transit services.
The recommended locations were selected from the
feasible locations based on these considerations:
-
Allows
buses to serve all major destinations;
-
Allows
transit service reliability to be maintained;
-
Minimizes
interference with other downtown activities; and,
-
Maintains
an appropriate balance between the benefits for transit customers and the
benefits for others.
The two recommended locations for buses to turn
around and wait for their next scheduled trip are:
Waller Street, facing south,
south of Laurier Avenue
-
This
location would be used by buses on Route 3;
-
From
the west, buses would drop off customers at the bus stop on Rideau Street;
-
Buses
would then run east on Rideau, south on Nicholas, east on Laurier and south on
the small isolated section of Waller Street;
-
Buses
would stop and wait on Waller for their next scheduled departure, usually a
wait of less than 10 minutes;
-
From
the waiting location, buses would continue south on Waller, then turn to run
north on Nicholas and Waller, west on Besserer, north on Dalhousie and west on
Rideau;
-
Buses
would pick up westbound customers at the stop on Rideau Street;
-
This
stop does not block any auto or truck traffic, nor does it block any of the
driveways on Waller Street;
-
This
stop requires the change of a current zone with no parking at any time and no
stopping in peak periods to appropriate signage for a transit bus waiting area.
Nicholas Street, facing
south, south of Rideau Street
-
This
location is currently used by buses on Route 4 and would also be used by buses
on Route 2;
-
From
the west, buses drop off customers at the bus stop on Rideau Street;
-
Buses
turn the corner from Rideau onto Nicholas;
-
Buses
would stop and wait on Nicholas for their next scheduled departure, usually a
wait of less than 10 minutes;
-
From
the waiting location, buses turn east on Besserer, north on Dalhousie and west
on Rideau;
-
Buses
pick up westbound customers at the stop on Rideau Street;
-
This
location currently has room for two buses, but needs to be expanded to have
room for three buses at the busiest times so that both Routes 2 and 4 can stop
and wait there;
- A taxi stand that is used infrequently is located immediately north of the current bus waiting area;
-
Removing
the bulb-out that separates the taxi stand from the current bus waiting area
and reducing the hours of the taxi stand would allow three buses to stop and
wait on Nicholas;
- Taxis would still be able to use the space in the evening and on weekends, when the number of buses waiting would not exceed two;
- Buses would have use of this space from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday;
- Taxis would have use of this space after 7:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday and at all times on Saturdays and Sundays.
These two locations allow buses to serve all major destinations, allow the reliability of service to be maintained and are physically able to accommodate bus operations. Time is available in the schedule for buses to operate to and from these locations, operation does not cause a major conflict with any other transit service, and curb space can be made available for buses to stop and wait for their next trip. Compared to other locations that were examined, these locations minimize interference with other downtown activities.
CONSULTATION
Consultation on the proposed route changes was
conducted as set out in the Transit Service and Fare Policies approved
by Council in 2005. The proposals were
presented for consultation on octranspo.com and by leaflets distributed on
board buses on the affected routes. The
proposed changes on Routes 2 and 3 attracted 117 comments; 94 of these were in
support of the proposals and 23 were in opposition to the proposals as they
were first presented. The issues raised
in most of the comments in opposition were addressed with a change to the new
Route 9, to make connections easier with services on Slater and Albert. The remaining comments in opposition that
were not addressed concerned the need to transfer for trips between points west
of and east of downtown; as described earlier in this report, this
inconvenience is acknowledged, but the changes will improve service for many
more customers than will have an inconvenience.
Staff discussed these recommendations with representatives of community organizations on September 4, 2008, at a meeting organized by Councillor Bédard. Downtown Rideau BIA, Arts Court Foundation and Rideau Centre do not support the recommendations. Their chief concern is that increased bus operations near their locations and in the vicinity of Nicholas Street conflict with their operations and with efforts to improve urban conditions in the area. Discussion between the organizations, staff and the Councillor did not lead to the identification of any preferred alternative locations for buses to turn and wait. The organizations understand that staff are carrying these recommendations forward to Committee. Downtown Rideau BIA and Rideau Centre are preparing input for the meeting at which Committee will consider this report.
Staff discussed the recommended change in hours of the taxi stand on Nicholas Street with representatives of the taxi industry. The taxi industry does not object to the recommendation.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The cost to remove the bulb-out that separates the
current taxi stand from the bus waiting area on Nicholas Street will be
approximately $20,000, to be funded from an existing transit infrastructure
capital account.
The improvement in the
reliability of service on Routes 2 and 3 and on the new Routes 9 and 12 will
improve transit service for approximately 35,000 customers each day, or
approximately 10 million customers per year. The improved service will lead to increased transit ridership,
which will bring in increased transit fare revenue. The new revenue is expected to reach $100,000 per year.
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 – Recommended Bus
Turning and Waiting Arrangements for Routes 2 and 3
Document 2 – Possible Turn-Around Routes and End Points
Document 3 – Nicholas-Waller Bus Loop – Background
of Issues
DISPOSITION
Upon approval of these recommendations by Council, staff would prepare for approval the necessary by-laws to change the parking regulations in these two areas to reserve the space for transit buses and would start physical work to remove the bulb-out that separates the current taxi stand from the bus waiting area on Nicholas Street. The improved route structure on Routes 2 and 3 will begin operation on Sunday, December 21, 2008.
RECOMMENDED BUS TURNING AND
WAITING DOCUMENT 1
ARRANGEMENTS FOR ROUTES 2
AND 3
