Posts Tagged ‘Connections’
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
For those of us living in York Region and in the Greater Toronto Area, growth is one of those things that we cannot escape. In fact, the entire Province of Ontario is set to expand its population by nearly 30% over the next 30 years. Obviously, no one community is an island; growth in one area affects all of us.
To make sure all this growth has a positive impact on our communities, in 2005 the provincial government passed the Places to Grow Act. This Act set out specific growth targets and densities for the province. It also produced individual growth plans for key regions, including the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region. This plan is the basic rule book that is guiding planning for all the regions and municipalities in the region, including York Region and all its towns and cities. It calls for municipalities to look for ways to:
- Revitalize downtowns to become vibrant and convenient centres;
- Create complete communities that offer more options for living, working, learning, shopping and playing;
- Provide housing options to meet the needs of people at any age;
- Curb sprawl and protect farmland and green spaces; and
- Reduce traffic gridlock by improving access to a greater range of transportation options.
This plan was welcomed as great news by people who understand the need for sustainable, smart management of growth. In fact, although the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe may sound like a bit of a mouthful, it has many admirers. It has won numerous awards – including from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, the Canadian Institute of Planners, and the American Planning Association (APA) as the first recipient from outside the United States of the APA’s Daniel Burnham Award. Watch a video that showcases why they received the award. This is the most prestigious planning award in the United States, given to a comprehensive plan that, among other things, best represents the APA’s slogan of “Making Great Communities Happen”.
So we’re pretty fortunate in York Region to have this strong policy framework, and we’ve continued to build on it to shape the York Region of the future. It’s a long-term plan, and as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. But bit by bit, this future vision is taking shape, and vivaNext is a key component.
Tags: American Planning Association, BRT, Bus Rapid Transit, Canadian Institute of Planners, City Planning, Congestion, Connections, Curb sprawl, Daniel Burnham Award, Growth, Ontario, Ontario Professional Planners Institute, Places to Grow Act, protect farmland, rapid transit, reduce traffic gridlock, Revitalize downtowns, Toronto, Urban Planning, Viva, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Announcements, Live-work-play, Urban Planning | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
This coming Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 p.m., hundreds of millions of people around the world will turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour in support of Earth Hour.
Earth Hour is an annual global event that is held on the last Saturday of each March to raise awareness of climate change, and to encourage each of us to make choices that will lessen our impact on the environment.
This remarkable initiative first began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 with 2.2 million participants taking part. The following year, it had grown to more than 50 million participants in 35 countries and by 2009, hundreds of millions of participants in 88 countries showed their support. Based on this phenomenal growth, there is every reason to believe that Earth Hour 2010 will be the biggest and best yet. Those of us who work in the vivaNext office plan to participate, and hope you will too.
So have you guessed what Earth Hour, vivaNext and your laundry all have in common yet? Just like hanging your clothes to dry, taking rapid transit is one of the little things you can do on a regular basis to lessen your impact on the environment.
Tags: Climate Change, Connections, Earth Hour, environmentally friendly, laundry, March 27, rapid transit, vivaNext
Posted in Community Events, Going Green, Rapidways | No Comments »
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Extending from Downsview Station in Toronto to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre at Highway 7 in Vaughan, the Spadina subway extension will cover a total of 8.6 kilometres and include six new stations.
To date, three separate public open houses have been held to share the preliminary station design concepts with the community: Sheppard West Station on November 17, 2009, York University Station on December 3, 2009, and the Steeles West Station on February 3, 2010.
If you happened to miss the February public open house, you now have another opportunity to check out the preliminary design concept for the Steeles West Station, and be among the first to review the preliminary design concepts for the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and the Highway 407 Stations. All three will be on display together at a public open house on Wednesday, March 10, 2010.
The preliminary design concept for the remaining new station – Finch West Station – will be presented to the public later this spring. Also, more open houses will be held later this year to share more detailed architectural concepts for all six stations so stay tuned.
Public Open House for Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, Highway 407 and Steeles West Subway Stations
Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: The Hilton Garden Inn, Toscana Centre
3201 Highway 7, Vaughan, ON
Tags: City Planning, Connections, Downsview Station, Finch West Station, GTA, Highway 407 Station, public open house, Sheppard West Station, Spadina extension, Steeles West Station, subway, subway extension, Toronto, transit, TTC, Urban Planning, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, vivaNext, York Region, York University Station
Posted in Announcements, Stations, Subways | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Attendees listen intently at a past public information meeting.
VivaNext rapidways are going to make a huge difference to people travelling around Newmarket. With their own dedicated rapid transit lanes, special transit-priority traffic signals at intersections and welcoming vivastations with many special features, Viva will soon get people around Newmarket faster and more comfortably than ever before.
We’re excited to be moving forward on the vivaNext rapidway that’s planned for Davis Drive, with some pre-construction activities already in motion. And now we’re moving forward with our second Newmarket rapidway, which will run north-south along the busy stretch of Yonge Street from Mulock to Davis Drive.
On February 22, we’re hosting a special public information meeting to introduce this rapidway segment. We’re going to have our whole team on hand, ready to answer all your questions about where Viva will stop along the rapidways, the design for stations and platforms, and how the special traffic features will make it easier and safer for drivers along Yonge Street. We’ll also be joined by our friends from the Town of Newmarket, who will talk about the long-term vision for this community as it continues to grow and expand, and how our leading-edge rapidways are part of that future plan.
We’re hoping that everyone who is interested in vivaNext rapidways and the Newmarket of the future will join us for an informative, inspiring evening.
When
Monday, February 22
Open House 6 to 8 p.m.
Presentation 7 p.m.
Where
Ray Twinney Complex
Lounge 1
100 Eagle Street West
Newmarket
We look forward to seeing you there!
Tags: BRT, Bus Rapid Transit, City Planning, Connections, Davis Drive, Newmarket, Public Information Meeting, rapid transit, Rapidway, transit, transit-only lanes, Viva, vivaNext, Yonge St., York Region
Posted in Announcements, Community Events, Rapidways, Urban Planning | No Comments »
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
You don’t have to be into winter sports to get out and have fun with family and friends in the middle of winter. This coming weekend, February 6 and 7, Winterfests are taking place throughout York Region featuring all kinds of fun-filled activities including pancake breakfasts, dog sled rides, horse drawn wagon rides, snow bowling, live entertainers, and of course, amusing games like our vivaNext ball toss.
We don’t want to reveal too much, but you could receive an exciting prize after you have a ball learning what’s en route with vivaNext – from the rapidways and subway extensions to great shopping and comfort zones.
For your chance to play and learn more about vivaNext, simply look for our vivaNext team and booth outdoors on Saturday at the Newmarket Winterfest and outdoors at the Vaughan Winterfest on Sunday. We look forward to seeing you there!
Winterfests Schedule
Newmarket Winterfest 2010
Saturday, February 6
Indoor at the Newmarket Community Centre
200 Doug Duncan Drive, Newmarket
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Outdoor at Fairy Lake Park
Water Street, Newmarket
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, February 7
Indoor at Ray Twinney Complex
100 Eagle Street West, Newmarket
Noon to 4 p.m.
Vaughan Winterfest 2010
Sunday, February 7
Vellore Village Community Centre
1 Villa Royale Avenue, Woodbridge
10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tags: ball toss, comfort zones, Connections, Family time, Fun, Newmarket, Ontario, rapid transit, snow bowling, Vaughan, vivaNext, winter sports, Winterfest, York Region
Posted in Community Events, Fun & Games | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Richmond Hill Main Street
As Richmond Hill’s 162,704 residents already know, they live in a great city. This was recently confirmed in an independent 120-page report, entitled City Magnets, released by the Conference Board of Canada.
The report, which analyzed what attracts skilled workers and mobile populations to Canadian cities, ranked 41 different societal indicators including health, economy, environment, education, innovation and housing.
Richmond Hill was statistically identified as a great place to live, work and play because of its solid economic performance, diverse and well-educated workforce, low crime rates and attractive quality of life.
When completed, vivaNext – York Region’s plan for the next generation of rapid transit – will make Richmond Hill an even better place to live. In addition to making it faster and easier to travel to, from and within the Region, vivaNext will inspire urban transformation as new residents come to live, work, shop and play in close proximity to great transit service.
In total, only six Canadian cities received a grade ‘A’ in the report. Along with Richmond Hill, they include Ottawa, Waterloo, Calgary, St. John’s and Vancouver.
Richmond Hill, congratulations!
Tags: Canada, City Magnets, Conference Board of Canada, Connections, GTA, Live-work-play, Ontario, Richmond Hill, societal indicators, transit, Urban Planning, urban transformation, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Announcements, General, Live-work-play | No Comments »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
VivaNext is all about putting the rapid into rapid transit. When completed, it will provide you with faster and easier rapid transit connections, so you have more time to enjoy whatever awaits you at your final destination.
On January 18, 2010, YRT\Viva launched an important first step towards improving rapid transit connections in York Region with the introduction of RideNow. RideNow, which utilizes GPS technology to track the location of transit vehicles in real time, enables riders to determine exactly when their YRT\Viva ride will arrive at their stop. This means no more running…waiting…or frustration. Just smooth transit connections.
YRT\Viva riders can access RideNow’s real-time information in any one of three ways:
1) Online – Visit www.yrt.ca, click on RideNow and enter or select a four-digit stop number to view the next arrival times
2) Email – Enter a four-digit bus stop number in the subject line and send to ridenow@york.ca. A response email will be sent back indicating the next arrival times.
3) Phone – Call 1 866 MOVE-YRT and enter a four-digit bus stop number when prompted to hear the next arrival times.
Tags: bus, bus stop, Connections, GPS technology, real-time information, RideNow, transit, Viva, Viva vehicle, vivaNext, York Region, YRT\Viva
Posted in Announcements, General | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
An aerial view of the Steeles West Station design
In the fall of 2009, preliminary station designs were unveiled at public open houses for two of the six stations that will be located along vivaNext’s 8.6 kilometre Spadina subway extension, which will extend from Downsview Station in Toronto to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station in Vaughan.
Next week, on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, the preliminary design for a third station – Steeles West – will also be unveiled at a public open house and you are invited to attend.
As previously mentioned on this blog, all of the six stations that will be built along the Spadina subway extension will have a unique design. The most striking features of the Steeles West station preliminary design are its very distinctive and futuristic profile, and its central light cone, which allows daylight to reach all the way down to the platform levels. It’s truly something you have to see for yourself to appreciate.
Following this public open house, a second one featuring more detailed architectural concepts will take place for the Steeles West station in the spring of 2010. Preliminary designs for the remaining Spadina subway extension stations – Finch West, Highway 407 and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre – will also be unveiled in the coming months.
Steeles West Subway Station Public Open House
Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Black Creek Pioneer Village, Garfield Weston Room
1000 Murray Ross Parkway, Toronto, ON
Tags: Connections, Downsview Station, public open house, Spadina extension, Steeles West, subway, subway extension, Toronto, transit, TTC, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in Announcements, Stations, Subways | No Comments »
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Getting in shape is a popular New Year's resolution. Photo courtesy of Jennoit.
Each January, certain New Year’s resolutions consistently make the Top Ten most popular lists. They include:
1. Spending more time with family & friends
2. Getting fit
3. Losing weight
4. Enjoying life more
5. Saving money
6. Helping the environment
7. Reducing stress
8. Helping others
9. Being more punctual
10. Reading more
In future, vivaNext rapid transit projects will make it easy for you to keep all of these New Year’s resolutions. How so? Rapid transit is faster, easier, less expensive and more environmentally friendly than driving. As a result, it can reduce your stress levels, allow you to arrive at your destination on time, and give you more time to work out, do the things you enjoy, be with the people you love, and of course, help you save money and the environment.
We think that’s a lot of added value for the cost of a YRT\Viva fare. Speaking of which, did you know that YRT\Viva fares will remain unchanged throughout 2010?!
Tell us about your New Year’s resolutions. Did they include any of the above Top Ten?
Tags: BRT, Bus Rapid Transit, Connections, Enjoy life, environmentally friendly, Family time, Fast, Fun, Get Fit, Green Choice, Lose Weight, New Year, rapid transit, Rapidway, Reduce Stress, Resolution, Save Money, Viva, vivaNext, York Region
Posted in General, Going Green, Rapidways | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Pick colourful candies out of the jar to decorate your very own gingerbread house.
There are all kinds of great ways to celebrate the holiday season. Spending time with family and friends…making snow angels…eating way too much food…drinking hot cocoa…hitting the slopes…and one of our favourites here at vivaNext…decorating gingerbread houses.
That’s why, this holiday season, we’ve created a fun little gingerbread house for you to decorate and share online. It includes a jar full of colourful candy, all sorts of hidden treats, some merry holiday music, an animated snowman, and of course, a warm reminder that there’s no place like home sweet home for the holidays. And with vivaNext, no faster or easier way to get there.
We hope you have as much fun decorating it, as we had creating it. No doubt your finished gingerbread house will look good enough to eat.
Happy holidays from vivaNext!
Tags: animated snowman, candy, Congestion, Connections, family activity, gingerbread house, holiday music, holidays, hot cocoa, snow angels, Viva, vivaNext, winter fun, York Region
Posted in Fun & Games, vivaNext.com | No Comments »