By Peter Zahakos General Manager and CEO
Co-op Cabs
The City of Toronto is at a crossroads with respect to transportation planning. Transportation issues have been forced to the top of the political agenda and many high-profile ideas have been proposed. What’s lacking in this debate is a comprehensive vision for tackling not only prominent issues such as congestion, but offering a vision for sharing space amongst Torontonians and the surrounding areas.
Effective transportation planning in the City of Toronto is possible with the creation of a multi-jurisdictional task force, a balanced approach to sharing space in the downtown core and implementation of a congestion reduction plan.
Congestion Reduction Plan
The foremost challenge in Toronto is congestion. In 2006, there were 2.4 million commuters in the census metropolitan area of Toronto, and 71.1 per cent of them used a car to get to work, either by driving or as a passenger[1]. In a recent study published by the Toronto Board of Trade, Toronto was identified as having the worst commute time among the 19 metro areas for which data are available[2].
In addition to this data, the GTA is among the fastest growing communities in North America increasing its population by approximately 100,000 people and 50,000 cars every year. This Congestion costs the GTA $2.2 billion each year[3].
I propose a congestion reduction plan that has three key components:
- The delineation of two zones in the downtown core – the outer zone and the car free zone- that will serve two distinct purposes.
- A $5 parking tax for all cars in the outer zone.
- Incentives for private parking lot owners with surface lots to build multi-story lots on their property. Incentives would be available for building in the outer zone and just outside of the outer zone near subway and go transit stations
Downtown Car Zones
The delineation of two zones in the downtown core – the outer zone and the car free zone- will gradually limit access for personal car use and make space for more efficient travel downtown.
The outer zone boundaries would be from Dupont to the Lakeshore and from Bathurst to the Don Valley Parkway. The car free zone would exist from Queen to Front and from University to Church. Only commercial vehicles would be allowed in the car free zone.
Torontonians would be able to bring their cars into the outer zone area but not the car free zone. All cars entering the outer zone area would be subjected to a $5 parking tax to be discussed below. Only commercial vehicles including cabs, work trucks, delivery vans, etc., bicycles, transit buses and streetcars would be allowed into the downtown core.
Parking Tax
A $5 parking tax for all cars entering the outer zone area will create revenue for the City of Toronto and will reduce car use close to the car free zone.
Parking Lot Infrastructure Incentives
Tax incentives for private parking lot owners to build more multi-level lots in the outer zone and just outside of the outer zone near cab, subway and go transit stations will allow people to park their cars further out and take transit or cabs through the core. This process would have to be strategically coordinated and would be lead by the multi-jurisdictional task force.
A Balanced Approach to Sharing Space in the Downtown Car-Free Core
Achieving balance in the downtown core is possible by eliminating cars and by establishing the following:
- Pedestrian areas in: Yorkville, Bloor to Wellesley on Church, Little Italy, Kensington Market and Carlton to Queen St. on Yonge.
- Increased cab stands at the border of the outer zone and the downtown car-free zone and near parking lots.
- Separate bike lanes on core streets similar to what exists in Montreal[4].
- An East-West and North-South bike expressway crossing through the downtown core.
- Maintenance of existing streetcars and buses
Designing the downtown core with a balanced approach would contribute to the overall objective of decreasing congestion by promoting the convenience of diverse travel options. With roads free of cars, all of these other methods of travel will be more efficient and are more environmentally responsible.
Promotion of walking, cycling and transit use provides a variety of benefits, including accessibility, consumer cost savings, public cost savings (reduced external costs), more efficient land use, community liveability, improved fitness and public health, economic development, and support for equity objectives[5]. The key is to get cars out of the core so that these methods can flourish and so there is less congestion going in and out.
Creation of a Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force
An adequate transportation system in Toronto requires collaborative planning and a balanced approach. Bringing high level people together who work on transportation issues every day will foster the types of innovative ideas that are needed in this city. It will also create ambassadors of cross-jurisdictional decision-making within all organizations interested in GTA transit.
This multi-jurisdictional task force could include representatives from Toronto Business Improvement Areas, the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, Metrolinx, the Federal Government, Toronto Cab Companies, the TTC and academia. Toronto needs everyone’s input and a board with diverse perspectives.
Conclusions
There are a few basic principles upon which these proposed ideas rest. The first is that solutions to transportation challenges need to be created in a multi-jurisdictional and collaborative ways. The second is that all ideas and plans must be rooted in the notion of a balanced approach and the sharing of roads. The last is that it is okay to think outside the box and dream up innovative ideas of change.
There are surely other ideas and considerations when building a transportation system in a city as diverse as Toronto. I hope that by sharing ideas, other business leaders will share theirs too and political figures will champion collaborative decision-making in Toronto.
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