Author: vivaNext

Categories
Community Events

Join us this weekend at the Aurora Home Show!

image of a paint can

This weekend vivaNext we will be at the Aurora Home Show, and we hope you’ll join us at one of the most popular home shows in the GTA.

Making changes to your home takes time and energy, but can enhance your comfort in the long-term. Like renovating a home, the construction projects vivaNext has underway in Newmarket, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham will bring long-term benefits. Our construction projects are bringing change to York Region in the form of rapidways – dedicated lanes for Viva vehicles. Rapidways will make it faster and easier to travel in York Region, and will set the stage for great destinations to live, work, shop and play.

This is the 25th anniversary of the Aurora Home Show, and this year the show will feature a variety of vendors, a marketplace area, daily musical entertainment, the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs, and the ever-popular Beer Garden. As you enjoy the show we hope you’ll drop by the vivaNext booth to find out about exciting changes happening on some of York Region’s key corridors.

Aurora Home Show 2011

When:
Friday, April 15, 2pm – 9pm
Saturday, April 16, 9am – 6pm
Sunday, April 17, 10am – 5pm

Where:
Aurora Community Centre, 1 Community Centre Lane (off Aurora Heights Drive), Aurora

Admission:
$2 – children under 6 years are free

www.aurorahomeshow.ca

Categories
General

Construction season is here

Construction season is here – vivaNext newsletter and construction bulletin, tweets and Facebook page

For months now we’ve been talking about the construction you’ll be seeing on Davis Drive in Newmarket, and on Highway 7 East in Markham and Richmond Hill. Now that spring is here, several construction projects are happening on York Region’s roads, including vivaNext rapidway construction.

Construction can include temporary lane closures, occasional bus stop closures or relocations and sidewalk detours. We know how frustrating these disruptions can be for drivers, transit users and pedestrians. That’s why we’re preparing you with information about why construction is happening, and where and when.

Why is construction happening? The practical reason is to build a rapid transit system that’s not delayed by congested traffic. Provincial and Regional planning policies outline the big-picture reasons, including two of our goals: to connect Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area communities, and to set the stage for pedestrian friendly and transit-oriented urban corridors.

We also want you to know where and when construction is happening and this can be a challenge, because as with any construction project, not everything goes according to plan. We receive updates directly from construction site managers, and our team works quickly to pass this information to you. We let you know about new information by putting up electronic signs on-site, sending tweets to those who follow us on Twitter and advising radio traffic reporters. When we know about work more than a day in advance we email construction bulletins to everyone who signed up for updates, and we post bulletins on our website and Facebook page. We also give general updates on our projects in our newsletters, weekly blogs and website content.

If you have a suggestion or a question, you don’t have to wait for our updates to find out the answer. We welcome the questions and suggestions we receive when we host public meetings and attend community events, and our Community Liaisons, Andrea and Nimisha, talk to people every day about our projects. We also respond to comments through this blog, via Twitter or Facebook, and our online contact forms. We want to hear from you!

We can’t prevent the lane closures that are required to complete construction, but we hope that knowing the long-term benefits and being prepared for where and when work is scheduled will be a big step in helping you get around.

Categories
Subways

Spadina Subway: it’s about connections

Map of the extension to the Spadina Subway extension. Inset: future design of Vaughan Metropolitan Centre

Is it possible to live or work in northwest Toronto, western York Region or east side of Peel, and not know about the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension? Although you might know that a subway extension is planned, you might not know the details about this huge subway development project.

The extension to the University-Spadina TTC subway line from the current Downsview Station north to Highway 7 in Vaughan will be big news to anyone living or working along its route. A connection from Downsview Station to the Wilson Yard TTC storage and maintenance facility has already been built, and four Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) have been manufactured in Canada for this project. Each TBM took several months to build, and three weeks – 21 truckloads of parts – to deliver to its launch location. This spring the parts of the four TBMs will be lowered into their launch shafts at Sheppard West Station and Steeles West Station, and assembled in launch position. In the first of several tunnel drives, the TBMs at Sheppard West will bore northward to Finch West Station, and the TBMs at Steeles West will bore southward to York University Station. Each machine will bore at a rate of about 15 metres per day, and they’re multi-talented machines, excavating in front and placing tunnel reinforcements behind them. When they reach their destinations they’ll be removed from the ground and relocated to new launch locations for the next tunnel drive. The tunnelling is expected to take about two years, with the entire project, including stations, scheduled to be complete and in service by late 2015.

Highway 407 Station and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre will be the first subway stations in York Region. Vaughan Metropolitan Centre will be built at Millway Avenue along the Highway 7 West rapidways, and will feature retail space, a domed roof with skylights positioned to reflect light to platform level, and pedestrian and transit-oriented development.

We talk about rapidways all the time, but really we’re developing a rapid transit network – a system to move people within our region and connect us to neighbouring transit networks. Subway extensions create a vital connection in the GTHA transit network, and will bring new life to communities near subway stations, as people gather in these areas to live, work, shop and play.

If you’re interested in more details about subway extensions, be sure to visit some of these links:

Categories
Community Events

Join our public meeting in Markham!

Exciting new changes coming to Highway 7 - Invitation to Public Meeting, Wednesday March 23, 2-8pm at the Delta Markham Hotel, Truffle Ballroom, at 50 East Valhalla Drive, Markham

There are exciting new changes coming to Highway 7 in Markham! We’re preparing to widen Highway 7 East between Bayview and Warden to create dedicated lanes in the centre of the road for rapid transit. We’ve scheduled heavy road construction along Highway 7 East in 2012, but you’ll see our preparation for this work starting in about two weeks. We have utilities to move, temporary traffic lights to install, and centre medians to remove, and we’re doing most of it between now and November.

This project is moving full steam ahead, and we want you to come talk about it with us at our open house this Wednesday. This is your chance to talk to us, look at information boards and maps, and if you’re there at 7 p.m. you can see our presentation. Learn what you can expect during the construction season ahead and about how a rapidway works and the benefits it will bring to our community.

We hope to see you at the meeting, but if you can’t make it, be sure to sign up to receive construction updates, and go to the Past Meetings page on our website after March 23, where you’ll find all the materials from the meeting.

You’re invited
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Time: Drop in from 2 to 8 p.m. (presentation is at 7 p.m.)
Location: Delta Markham Hotel, Truffle Ballroom
50 East Valhalla Drive, Markham

Categories
Community Events

Spring is in the air and we’re off to the Markham Spring Home Show

vivaNext booth at the Markham Fall Home Show in 2010
The vivaNext booth at the Markham Fall Home Show in 2010

Spring is just around the corner in Markham, and aside from April showers and May flowers, spring brings change. So we’re off to the Markham Spring Home Show this weekend where we’ll tell you all about the construction that’s happening along Highway 7 this year and the changes that construction will bring.

While you’re at the Home Show thinking about changes you can make to your home, think about the changes rapidways will make to Markham, and if you have any questions, drop by our booth to chat. We’ll help you sign up to receive construction updates, and we won’t be able to resist telling you about the first new rapidway segment that recently opened at Enterprise Boulevard and Warden Avenue.

The show is host to over 100 vendors, and on Saturday celebrity speakers will include pastry chef Anna Olson and gardening expert Mark Cullen. In the spirit of renewal we’ll be giving away recyclable tote bags for you to put your brochures and samples in.

We’ll see you there!

Markham Spring Home Show 2011

When: March 18 – 20, 2011
Friday, March 18  (1pm to 9pm)
Saturday, March 19  (10am to 6pm)
Sunday, March 20  (11am  to 5pm)

Where: Markham Fairgrounds
10801 McCowan Road, Markham, ON

Categories
Announcements Stations vivaNext.com Ways to win

Warden Station is now open!

Warden Station, your new rapid transit station, is Now Open!

The first built example of a rapid transit system is now open in York Region! We’re proud to announce that Viva vehicles began arriving at Warden Station in Markham on Sunday morning, and we were there Monday to celebrate with the morning commuters as the Viva Pink, Purple, and Green picked up and delivered customers at this new station through the morning rush hour.

Warden Station is at the intersection of Warden Avenue and Enterprise Boulevard, on the first rapidway segment in York Region. We’ll be building rapidways on Davis Drive in Newmarket, Yonge Street in Richmond Hill, and along Highway 7 from Vaughan to Markham, with a total of 71 vivastations similar to Warden Station located about one kilometre apart along each rapidway.

We’re really excited about opening Warden Station, and we want you to help us celebrate by entering our contest for your chance to win a 10-pack of 2-zone, adult Viva tickets!

Click here to enter the online contest.

Categories
General Rapidways Stations Uncategorized

New vehicle + new rapidway + new station = Training

New Nova bus being used for training at Warden Station in Markham
New Nova bus being used for training at Warden Station in Markham

It wasn’t that long ago that vivaNext was listing required specs for new Viva vehicles and testing design ideas for a rapid transit station. It feels like just yesterday that we were deciding station platform widths, highlighting accessibility requirements both on and off Viva and modelling the streetscape of the rapidways.

Now, some of the new vehicles have already arrived, the first new rapid transit station has been built in York Region and the first stretch of rapidway has been completed.

The new vehicles (made by Nova Bus) have great features – larger windows, a wider centre aisle, great lighting, and an accessibility ramp at the front door instead of at the middle. They’re powered by advanced clean diesel propulsion systems that produce fewer emissions, and we’re proud to say they’re manufactured in Canada. For drivers though, it also has new, unfamiliar on-board systems and controls.

The new vivastation is completely different from a typical transit shelter. It’s a rapid transit station, complete with heated waiting area, messaging boards and safety and accessibility features. It will serve our community for generations to come. However, with the platform being much higher than a street curb, Viva drivers must practise pulling into the station and review procedures related to its operations.

The rapidways allow Viva vehicles to bypass congested traffic as they operate in their own lane. Something drivers are also becoming more familiar with, now that the first stretch of rapidway is completed at Warden Ave. and Enterprise Blvd. in Markham.

Yes, training is a key focal point right now to ensure opening day goes without any unexpected inconvenience to our customers. Driver training on all of these elements has been underway for a while, and the Nova Buses are gradually being introduced into service. In just a matter of days now, we’ll see customers using the new Warden Station, boarding a new Viva vehicle and travelling down the new rapidway.

If you’re in the Warden Avenue and Enterprise Boulevard area, join us on opening day and bring your camera! Stay tuned for the official announcement and we’ll see you on the new platform on opening day with something special.

We love to hear from you, so if you’ve seen a Nova Bus or the new Warden Station, tell us what you think by replying to this blog, or by posting a comment on Facebook or Twitter. If you have a photo of yourself or your friends on the Nova Bus, we’d love to see those too!

Categories
General Uncategorized Urban Planning

A Transit-Oriented World

Transmetro Bus Rapid Transit system in Guatemala City, Guatemala
Transmetro Bus Rapid Transit system in Guatemala City, Guatemala

There are many cities where the fastest, most convenient way of getting around is by transit. Cities are planned and built over time, so no two cities are the same, and each one is planned based on identified needs or goals. A transit system built to meet an existing need may be effective in the short-term, but once a community is already built it can be complicated and costly to keep up with population growth by adding new transit infrastructure. To meet the long-term goal of an attractive destination to live, work, and play, transit systems need to be built beforehand to shape future development.

If they’re planned well, transit systems can be built with the ability to expand along with demand – for example from Bus Rapid Transit to Light Rail Transit. Building a transit system that will shape the community is the mindset, and the term we use for this is Transit-Oriented Development, or TOD.

TOD is a relatively new term but in one form or another, cities have been planned around transit for centuries. In historic Europe, roads, bridges and rail lines were built for wars, religious pilgrimages, and shipping goods, and where these roads met, communities grew. In Toronto, streetcar suburbs were created in the early 1900s as streetcar lines extended to new city limits with annexation to the north, west and east.

Currently, TOD is springing up all around the world on different landscapes and in different climates – Brisbane, Guatemala City, Hong Kong, and London to name a few. In North America, cities such as Vancouver, San Francisco and Arlington have a strong history of planning communities around transit, paving the way for similar developments in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal. Closer to home, TOD is taking root in several communities such as Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham.

We’ve seen the sprawl that results when development happens without transit systems, and we can see worldwide examples of development springing up around transit routes and stations. Transit-Oriented Development is the urban planning of the future, but it’s strongly rooted in history – the traditional idea of a community with everything within walking distance or a short (fast!) ride away.

If you lived in a transit-oriented community, what amenities would you like to have nearby?

Categories
General Urban Planning

Locating utility lines – not always easy

Colour Code for Marking Underground Utility LinesHave you ever seen colourful markings along the side of the road, little coloured flags in a fun mix of colours stuck in the ground, or official-looking painted symbols on pavement, curbs and sidewalks and wondered what they mean?

It turns out that these markers aren’t just decorative – they mean something. In North America there is an established colour code for the markers, so that construction and utility workers everywhere will know where they should, and shouldn’t, dig.

Before the utility markers are put in place, we have to get “as-built drawings” from utility companies or from municipal records. As-built drawings are detailed treasure maps leading to utility lines, and although modern drawings are computer files, pre-1980s versions are hand-drawn. Some utility lines, such as water mains, can last up to 80 years. In most towns, each utility line was installed or replaced as needed over time, with separate record-keeping for each installation. This can make for a wide variety in age and design of drawings.

Once we have the as-built drawings, we mark the locations so that workers with utility location equipment will know where to dig – this is when the coloured flags and paint markings enter the picture. The markers are especially used where the utilities aren’t in a straight line, and may also point out other utility lines near the one we’re searching for.

Now that we have a general idea of where a utility line is located, our workers bring out a hydrovac – a large, truck-mounted vacuum – to liquefy and vacuum bore a hole about a foot in diameter, downward into the soil. If we only want a small hole a few inches in diameter, test-pitting equipment is used instead. Both of these techniques are done carefully, and as we near the utility we dig cautiously by hand.

Relocating utility lines involves investigating a proposed location with digging equipment, and following local government utility planning guidelines. Utility lines are upgraded before being moved to their new location, and new as-built drawings showing the location, depth and width of each utility are created for future reference.

People locate utility lines before they start all kinds of projects – everything from digging a hole for a sprinkler system in your yard to excavating for a big project. Our rapidway projects include widening roads so they definitely classify as big projects, and all of them will include moving some utility lines farther back from the road.

We’re relocating utilities along Highway 7 in Markham right now. If you’re interested in seeing where our projects will be in your neighbourhood, check out our system map, or sign up for construction updates if you’re interested in knowing what’s happening every step of the way.

Categories
Rapidways Urban Planning

Hello Markham…here comes your rapid transit

Rendering of the future Highway 7 rapidway
Rendering of the future Highway 7 rapidway

We’ve all seen examples of where a transportation system has caused a town to grow. Historically, many Ontario towns grew because they became a stop along a railway line. This was true for Markham in the late 1800s, when the Toronto and Nipissing Railway Company began stopping at stations in Markham and Unionville. Another cause for Markham’s growth was the post-Second World War baby boom and migration to the suburbs, and the building of Highway 404 in the mid-1970s. With the influx of high-tech industries, among other changes, Markham has seen an astonishing 25% population increase between 2001 and 2006, ranking Markham as one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada.

Transportation plays a key role in growth and development, and Markham needs a system to help move the current and future population from place to place. VivaNext is building a rapid transit system along Highway 7 to give people a better transit infrastructure that will accommodate the current population and allow for future growth. As well as move people efficiently, rapidways encourage the development of transit-oriented and pedestrian friendly places to live, work and play. As you can see in the photo above, Markham’s rapidways will widen Highway 7 by two lanes and include two centre lanes dedicated to Viva vehicles and flanked by attractive architectural features and landscaped boulevards.

We’ve already started preparing for construction along Highway 7 in Markham by relocating hydro poles and other utilities to allow for road widening. If you’re interested in receiving construction bulletins and invitations to public meetings, be sure to sign up for updates.

When the snow melts you’ll see road construction begin along Highway 7, and we hope you’ll see past the short-term inconveniences and construction to the more welcoming, improved Highway 7 in Markham.