The vivaNext rapidways being built across York Region are good news for the environment. More people taking transit means less pollution. One Viva vehicle can replace up to 70 cars on the road – that represents a huge reduction in carbon emissions. With fewer cars on the road, gridlock, fuel use and air pollution caused by idling cars are all reduced.
There is also a direct connection between how our communities are developed, and the impact we have on our environment. Sprawling communities mean that people tend to travel farther between work, home and play. The more spread out a community is, the harder it is to provide efficient public transit. So, people become increasingly dependent on cars, and the developments that get built are more likely to be car-oriented. The more that happens, the less convenient it is for people to take transit. Eventually, entire communities become dependent on cars, and are less likely to use transit, cycle or walk to get around. More cars mean more gridlock, more pollution and more carbon emissions.
On the other hand, communities that are developed around great transit are more likely to include compact, pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods. Mixed-use developments and shorter distances between work-live-play destinations make it easier to get around and make transit a more appealing and convenient choice for a greater number of people.
The result: more people out and about, enjoying their energetic and dynamic local neighbourhood, and walking in the fresh air to ride in a comfortable, low-emission Viva vehicle.
And for people who continue to drive, their trips will be shorter due to the compact, mixed-use developments that have sprung up around transit – so once again, car usage will be reduced, resulting in less pollution and fuel consumption.
All of this is good news for the environment, for our health, and for our lifestyle.
6 replies on “Colouring Viva blue – and green”
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DaleA: Hi mahjong,
Thanks for the thumbs up – I’m glad that you and your colleague found this blog entry interesting and useful. Our blog is updated weekly and the topic varies, sometimes covering environmental topics, and sometimes covering other interesting topics related to building rapid transit systems.
Click here to see some other blog entries covering environmental topics: http://vivanext.com/blog/category/going-green/
Or click here to see this week’s blog, and check back to see it as it updates: http://vivanext.com/blog/
some genuinely fantastic content on this internet site , thanks for contribution.
I think we’re ready for light rail. While it’s more expensive than the rapidways currently under construction, it has significant benefits. There’s enough potential ridership for it and it would be an excellent green initiative. The Yonge and Hwy 7 corridors are both busy and would be perfect for light rail. Major Mackenzie and Leslie corridors are ripe for absorption into the VIVA system and the new rapidways.
Good system though, glad to finally see some initiative.
DaleA: Hi,
Thanks for your comments. Light rail is an excellent form of transit. As ridership continues to increase and more intensified development occurs along these key corridors, LRT could be the next phase of rapid transit. With this in mind, we have engineered and designed the rapidways and vivastations so that conversion in the future would be quicker. You may also be interested in our blog covering the topic of light rail – http://vivanext.com/blog/category/lrt
You completed some good points there. I did a search on the subject and found most folks will agree with your blog.
Hello. Could you please tell me who designed the Viva Bus shelters because they did not put into consideration about weather related issues. What they could have done was have more of an enclosed area of the shelter because in the winters it is freezing. Also the bench was built in this slanted way that you almost slide off when you sit. Why do they only have heated shelters at Richmond Hill Centre but not any other shelters like Yonge and Gamble.? Thank you very much.
DaleA: Hi Alisa,
Thanks for asking about the design of our vivastations. When we designed our future vivastations our public consultations told us that comfort and keeping warm are very important, so we’ve designed our new stations with this in mind. The new vivastations are designed to shelter riders from Canadian winters, including a completely enclosed section with motion-activated radiant heaters inside. Benches and seats have also been ergonomically designed for comfort and practicality, without such a steep slant. These vivastations will be built along the Yonge Street, Highway 7 and Davis Drive rapidways over the next ten years, with construction beginning in the Yonge Street and Gamble Road (19th Avenue) area in 2016.
For more details and to see a rendering of a future vivastation, see my Gimme Shelter blog
I have some concerns about potential issues that might arise with the VIVA Busways.
Since the platforms will constructed to floor level, will the doors on the articulated VIVA buses have to be modified? They pop out and they’re slightly lower than the platform. Won’t they collide with the platform?
DaleA: Good question Will!
The Viva vehicle door heights were taken into consideration when designing the vivastation platforms along the rapidways. There is space for the doors of the Viva vehicles to open easily onto the platform to enhance accessibility and embarking/disembarking. All of this will make for a smoother and more convenient trip!
Thanks for your question and interest in the vivaNext rapidways!