Author: vivaNext

Categories
General Studies Urban Planning

Ridership across country to soar shows study

Passengers wait to board Viva.
Passengers wait to board Viva. A new study shows that ridership will greatly increase in the coming decades.

Transit ridership is expected to nearly double in Canada over the next 30 years as the population rises to 42 million, with most of those people living in urban centres.

This is according to a report released recently by the Canadian Urban Transit Association, which represents public transit agencies across the country.

The report, titled Vision 2040, suggests all levels of government must work together to put transit at the centre of community planning and design. This will help create communities that reduce dependency on cars.

“Today, national transit ridership and investment are both at all-time highs,” states the report. “Transit is widely recognized as an important part of the solution to national challenges including economic prosperity, climate change, public health, safety and security.”

When factoring population growth, ridership will increase from 1.76 billion trips in 2007 to 3.28 billion trips in 2040.

To deal with this increase, CUTA says large cities and major metropolitan areas such as York Region and Toronto, must focus on integrating transit services and expanding rapid transit.

It sounds like vivaNext is on the right track with subway extensions that will be the backbone of a seamless transit system. The subway extensions and dedicated lanes will improve travel times throughout the Viva network and help to shape successful urban revitalization.

Read the final report.

Watch the video and see how transit will play a role in the future: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Transit Vision 2040 Video”.

What do you think of this vision? What do you see as the role of transit in the future?

Categories
Rapidways Subways Urban Planning

We talk a lot about the rapidways, subways and LRTs that are coming.

But when you boil it down, that’s not what vivaNext is really about. VivaNext is the plan to provide you with faster and easier rapid transit connections, so you have more time to enjoy whatever awaits you at your final destination. It’s not only our goal; it’s our slogan – “vivaNext. it’s about connections. it’s about time.”

Transit hubs at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Richmond Hill/Langstaff Urban Growth Centre, where the Spadina and Yonge subway extensions will respectively meet Highway 7, is just one way vivaNext plans to improve connections. At these locations, riders will be able to make convenient connections with Viva, GO Transit commuter rail and express buses, YRT and other transit systems.

Rapidways is yet another way vivaNext is putting the rapid into rapid transit – up to 40% faster. How? By featuring dedicated centre lanes in roadways to allow our beautiful blue Viva vehicles to safely speed past congested traffic, no matter what time of day.

So tell us…When the vivaNext projects are complete, which connection point will be the most important for your daily commute?

Categories
Community Events

Back to school with vivaNext

Drop by our booth at York University to learn how our plans will improve your quality of life.

Viva vehicles on the York University campus.
Viva vehicles on the York University campus.

The rapidways and subway extensions will make it faster and easier for people living and working in York Region to get around. This is especially true for current and future students, faculty and staff at York University. Within the next four years, new rapidway stops in dedicated lanes will be near the campus and within the next six years, two subway stops will be right on the campus. Construction will begin on both of these fully-funded projects within the year.

When complete, not only will you save time getting there, but you’ll save on parking. If you’ve already graduated, then these projects will make it faster and easier for you to get to work and connect with other places.

We will be on campus Sept. 16 for the Annual Clubs BBQ. On Sept. 17, we will be there, joined by all of the other public transit providers in the area plus cycling networks and car share companies, for the Transportation Fair.

Here is some more information about the events we’ll be at.

Annual Clubs BBQ

Date: Wednesday September 16 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Vanier Field

Transportation Fair

Date: Thursday September 17 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: York Lanes Mall

Categories
Announcements Live-work-play Rapidways Subways

And the new name is…

An artist rendering of what an intersection at the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre may look like in the future. It is complete with subway and rapidway stops, high rise condos, offices, shops and restaurants.
An artist rendering of what an intersection at the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre may look like in the future. It is complete with subway and rapidway stops, high-rise condos, offices, shops and restaurants.

The City of Vaughan’s downtown core will undergo a transformation over the next several years. Encompassing 125-acres, development plans include office and residential towers, shopping and entertainment complexes, plenty of green spaces and pedestrian walkways, and, of course, vivaNext rapid transit connections.

In recognition of all the exciting changes to come, Vaughan City Council determined that a change of name – from Vaughan Corporate Centre – was in order to better reflect the true vision and future of this key hub.

This summer, the City held a contest where people were encouraged to submit their suggestions. Almost 1,600 entries were received, including Central Vaughan, Vaughan Gateway, Vaughan Mosaic Centre and Vaughan Nexus.

In the end, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre was chosen as the winning entry by the City subcommittee that reviewed all the submissions, which consisted of business stakeholders and citizens.

“People wanted something that’s easy enough to remember and still reflected what we want to see from the downtown,” said Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco, who chaired the City subcommittee.

To view a video of the future transformation of Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, please click here or visit vivaNext.com.

Categories
Rapidways Subways

Pop quiz for students

All aboard!
All aboard!

If you are a student, you’ll be heading back to school next week so we thought we would get you ready for some of those really hard tests with a little pop quiz. Luckily for you, this is an open book/computer quiz and help can be found on our website and blog.

1) What major university will have two subway stops running by it within the next six years?

2) What College campus in Markham will have a rapidway stop right outside its door within three year?

3) What high school at Warden and Highway 7 will have a rapidway stop outside its doors within three years?

4) What public high school in Newmarket will have a rapidway stop only a short walk away from its doors?

5) What Richmond Hill high school may have a subway stop a few blocks from its doors?

Good work, pencils down.

So as you can see, the rapidways and subway extensions will make it a lot easier for students from many different areas to get to school and travel in to, out of and around York Region.
If you are a student, how will our future projects help you get to school?
Good luck this school year.

Answers: 1) York University 2) Seneca College, Markham Campus 3) Unionville High School 4) Huron Heights Secondary School 5) Langstaff Secondary School
Categories
Live-work-play Rapidways Urban Planning

Bringing the vivaNext vision for Markham into focus

An artist rendering of what the new Downtown Markham transit-pedestrian mall may look like.
An artist rendering of what the new Downtown Markham transit-pedestrian mall may look like.

Markham Centre is on the verge of becoming a world-class, mixed-use urban centre and a key destination place.

For example, construction on Downtown Markham is well underway and features the first transit-pedestrian mall in the GTA with businesses, residences, shops, restaurants, theatres and a 10-acre world-class park for people to enjoy without having to drive to get here.

Viva riders travelling along Highway 7 will be able to make seamless and convenient connections in Markham with GO Transit commuter rail and express buses, YRT local bus services, and the future 407 transitway. Bicycle racks will also be available at vivastations and on Viva vehicles for those who choose to cycle.

To view artist renderings of the vivaNext vision for Downtown Markham, click here or visit the Media Centre at vivaNext.com.

Have you visited a transit-pedestrian mall in another country? Tell us about your experience.

Categories
Rapidways Stations

How level boarding at our new vivastations will further enhance service efficiency

With level boarding, the vehicle will pull up to a raised platform. This greatly increases the time it takes for passengers to get on and off the vehicle making for a faster trip.
This is a rendering of a viva vehicle stopping at a new vivastation. With level boarding, the vehicle will pull up to a raised platform. This greatly decreases the time it takes for passengers to get on and off making for a faster trip.

Viva is already a highly efficient rapid transit service thanks to features such as our off-board fare collection system. It’s going to get even better. In addition to our new vivaNext rapidways – which will take our beautiful blue Viva vehicles out of mixed traffic and put them on dedicated centre lanes so they can safely speed past congested traffic – our new vivastations will feature level boarding.

What do I mean by level boarding? Simply that the platforms at our new vivastations will be raised so they are about the same height as the floor of our Viva vehicles. This, in turn, will speed up the boarding process by eliminating the need for riders to climb steps or lift objects, and for Viva drivers to lower ramps for easier accessibility.

Level boarding is already successfully used throughout the world by other BRT, LRT and subway systems to enhance service efficiency. It only made sense to make it a feature of our new vivastations so that we can get you where you want to go faster and easier, and like never before.

Can you think of other things that might make your rapid transit experience even better?

Categories
Going Green Rapidways Urban Planning

Bogotá, Colombia cashes in on its rapid transit success story

A Transmilenio bus travels in its dedicated lane through the streets of Bogotá, Colombia. Photo courtesy of DianaCats.
A Transmilenio bus travels in a dedicated lane through the streets of Bogotá, Colombia. This system has earned the city up to $300 million through selling carbon credits. Photo courtesy of DianaCats.

, one of Bogotá, Colombia’s major thoroughfares, used to resemble a noisy, tangled, smoke-laden parking lot jam-packed with motorcycles, cars and small, privately operated buses. Then, beginning in 2001, it became part of a 7-line bus rapid transit system in the city known as TransMilenio.

In addition to making it faster and easier for the 1.6 million commuters who use the system each day to reach their destinations, TransMilenio has enabled the city to eliminate 7,000 of the small buses from its thoroughfares. This, in turn, has led to a more than 59% reduction in the use of bus fuel and associated CO2 and other emissions.

In recognition of this remarkable “green” achievement, last year the United Nations granted approval to TransMilenio to generate and sell carbon credits to developed countries that exceed their emissions limits under the Kyoto Protocol. According to analysts, this has already generated an estimated $100 million to $300 million in revenue for the city’s coffers.

Closer to home, York Region residents can look forward to a faster, easier and more environmentally friendly alternative to driving along busy routes such as Highway 7 with our vivaNext rapidways, which will allow our beautiful blue Viva vehicles to safely speed past congested traffic.

Related articles:
The New York Times
Mother Nature Network

Categories
Going Green

A great way to spare our air in warmer weather is to take transit

While warmer weather and patio surfing go hand in hand, unfortunately, so do smog advisories.  Smog, which is most prevalent in summer and can affect our health, is produced when heat and sunlight react with air pollutants such as the ones we emit when we burn gasoline to drive our cars.

While we have been largely spared of smog advisories this summer due to cooler temperatures, this past week we have seen some days where the temperature after humidity reached almost 40 degrees sparking advisories. And last summer eight advisories were issued over a 17-day period in and around the GTA. According to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, one of the best ways to reduce smog advisories is to reduce our car use in warmer weather and take transit.

The vivaNext plan will make transit more convenient and up to 40% faster, providing a viable alternative to driving even when there is no smog advisory. With such speed and convenience, why would anyone choose to sit in congested traffic? We’re focused on moving the vivaNext projects forward and starting construction.

In addition to taking transit, here are some other ways you and your family can help spare our air –

See what kids can do to keep our air clean
Tips from the Ministry of the Environment

Categories
Announcements Community Events Ways to win

Congratulations to our Grand Prize winner Larisa Roiberg

Contest Grand Prize winner Larisa Roiberg shows off her new iPod touch.
Contest Grand Prize winner Larisa Roiberg shows off her new iPod touch.

The sun may be in short supply this summer but the sunny smile of our Grand Prize winner, Larisa Roiberg, sure made up for it. The Friday before last, a beaming Larisa stopped by our vivaNext office to pick up her new iPod touch® after her name was randomly selected from all eligible entrants in our Next Best Thing To Summer Contest.

So how did her winning streak begin?

Larisa says she learned about our contest when she stopped by one of our booths at the mall to learn more about vivaNext projects. While there, the vivaNext team told her how much fun it was to complete our interactive story, so she decided to go online and give it a try when she got home. And wow, is she glad she did.

During the four weeks that our contest ran, about a thousand people submitted entries that showed us what their picture perfect summer looks like. Perhaps you were one of them, and maybe you were even one of the daily prize winners?

If not, don’t worry because you’ll soon have plenty of other chances to win during our upcoming fall and winter contests. The prizes will be just as exciting so be sure to watch for news about them here, on Twitter and at vivaNext.com.