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Announcements Community Events Rapidways Urban Planning

VivaNext comes to Yonge Street

vivaNext Public Information Meeting
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!

Categories
General Going Green LRT Rapidways Subways Urban Planning

Key international publication identifies GTA’s transportation challenges

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is one of the world’s largest and most reliable sources of comparable statistical, economic and social data. In a publication launched in November 2009 entitled “OECD Territorial Reviews: Toronto, Canada”, several of the GTA’s transportation challenges are collectively identified as a key policy issue. They include traffic congestion problems (70% of commuters use cars), poorly integrated regional transit services, and relatively underdeveloped public transport infrastructure.

To address this key policy issue, one of the publication’s key recommendations is to “tackle transportation challenges by creating incentives for reducing car use, access to additional revenue sources, [and] longer term funding commitments by federal government for investment”.

Here in York Region, we are doing our part to tackle these transportation challenges with such vivaNext initiatives as the rapidways, subways and proposed LRTs. In addition to making it faster and easier to get in and out of the GTA, they will make it up to 40% faster to travel along our Region’s busiest corridors. We believe that such incentives will significantly reduce car use, lead to economic revitalization, help the environment, and maintain the quality of life our residents have come to enjoy.

Categories
Announcements General Urban Planning vivaNext.com

Reflecting back on a year of many milestones!

With a new year just around the corner, we wanted to celebrate by reflecting back on some significant milestones for vivaNext in 2009.

In early spring, the Province of Ontario committed $1.4 billion for the construction of dedicated rapidways along Davis Drive, Highway 7 and Yonge Street for Viva vehicles.

The following month, the Ministry of the Environment unconditionally approved the Environmental Project Report for the proposed Yonge subway extension.

Around this time, our new website was also launched along with this blog and other social media initiatives to help keep you informed of all the latest vivaNext developments.

By the fall, preliminary rapidway construction activities were underway in Newmarket and Markham, and a contract for conceptual design work regarding the Yonge subway extension was awarded. In addition, preliminary station designs were also unveiled for several of the Spadina subway extension stations at a series of public open houses, and the project took an important step forward with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Wilson Subway Yard.

Then, just before the holiday season, a ceremony was held on the site of the planned rapidway alongside Enterprise Drive in Markham (which is part of the Highway 7 rapidway project) to commemorate the start of construction of the first 37 km of rapidways.

From every side of York Region, this past year has been filled with milestones for the vivaNext projects. We look forward to bringing you many more in 2010.

Happy New Year from vivaNext!

Reminder: All YRT\Viva rides are free on New Year’s Eve after 7 p.m.

Categories
Live-work-play Urban Planning

Montreal tops list of “9 Great Streets Around The World”!

Crowds pack Boulevard Saint Laurent during a street festival. Photo courtesy of Djof.
Crowds pack Boulevard Saint Laurent during a street festival. Photo courtesy of Djof.

Project for Public Spaces (PPS), an internationally-recognized non-profit organization that helps communities get the most out of their streets, both as transportation links for all modes of commuters and as vital places for people to enjoy, recently compiled its list of “9 Great Streets Around The World”.

Affectionately known as “The Main”, Montreal’s Boulevard Saint Laurent tops PPS’s list for a number of reasons including its Access & Linkages, Comfort & Image, Uses & Activities, and Sociability.

With vivaNext, this kind of placemaking will also take place along York Region’s busiest corridors as people come to live, work, shop and play in close proximity to great transit service. In addition to great access, vivaNext will bring attractive boulevards, planted medians and an enhanced pedestrian experience including continuous, wide sidewalks.

We wouldn’t be at all surprised if Highway 7, Yonge Street and Davis Drive top the PPS list of great streets in years to come!

Categories
Announcements Rapidways Subways vivaNext.com

Get all the latest news about vivaNext in our fall e-newsletter!

Wondering when and where we’ll start to break ground on the vivaNext rapidways? Or how they are already affecting urban transformation in such key destinations as downtown Markham?

In our fall e-newsletter, which has just been posted on our website at vivanext.com, you can find quick and easy answers to these vivaNext-related questions, and many more.

For example, you can learn what people just like you have to say about commuting to and from work in York Region, and whether or not they think our rapid transit projects will make things better or worse.

Perhaps you’re especially looking forward to the proposed Yonge subway extension? If so, then you’ll enjoy our look back to where it all began more than fifty years ago.

We even reveal the lucky Grand Prize winner in our ‘Next Best Thing To Summer’ contest. It’s all there, along with a handy sign-up form so you can conveniently receive future issues of our e-newsletter in your Inbox, along with customized email updates about vivaNext projects of particular interest to you.

Once you’ve had a chance to read our latest e-newsletter, we encourage you to submit topic suggestions for future issues right here on our blog.

Enjoy!

Categories
Community Events Rapidways Subways Ways to win

Be on the lookout for our vivaNext ‘segway’ team at Vaughan Mills this weekend

Two members of our segway team texting to win. When you see them near Vaughan Mills Mall this weekend ask how you could win the new iPod nano®.Two members of our segway team texting to win at Markville Mall. When you see them near Vaughan Mills Mall this weekend ask how you could win the new iPod nano®*.

Over the past two weekends, our vivaNext ‘segway’ team made appearances outside of Markville Mall and the Markham Home Show. Even in the pouring rain, they were a tremendous hit, attracting a lot of attention from Markham area residents. This, in turn, allowed us to drive awareness of vivaNext projects and communicate how to enter our new contest for a chance to win the new iPod nano®*. It’s so easy you could do it right now. All you have to do is text the word vivaNext to the number 101010.**

Now our vivaNext ‘segway’ team is preparing for their next appearance outside of Vaughan Mills this coming weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, they will be out in force to talk with Vaughan area residents about vivaNext projects in their area including the Spadina subway extension and the Highway 7 rapidway, which will both extend to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. As well, our vivaNext team will have a booth set up inside the mall from Friday through until Sunday, to ensure that we are able to talk to as many people as possible about our projects.

We hope to see you there!

Outside mall segway hours:
Saturday, October 24      noon – 4pm
Sunday, October 25        noon – 4pm

Inside mall booth hours:
Friday, October 23         10am – 9pm
Saturday, October 24     10am – 9pm
Sunday, October 25       11am – 7pm

* “iPod nano” is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, Inc. is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion.
** Wireless service provider charges may apply.
Categories
Rapidways Subways vivaNext.com

Add your business’s name to our wall of support

Across York Region, all kinds of large and small businesses are taking the time to show that they are 100% behind vivaNext projects by sending letters of support.

They recognize that traffic congestion and the lack of convenient transit alternatives have directly impacted their business through lost employee productivity and absenteeism, and that revitalization is needed along some key corridors.

Over the next 20 years, York Region’s population is expected to increase by 50% and the number of jobs by 100%. To help manage this growth and businesses succeed in the future, a faster and more convenient rapid transit system is essential – vivaNext.

To see a list of those businesses that have already sent letters of support and had their names added to our wall of support, visit vivaNext.com/wall_of_support.

If your business would like to write a letter of support for vivaNext projects and be added to our wall of support, please send a message to contactus@vivanext.com.

Categories
Community Events Ways to win

The vivaNext ‘segway’ team will continue to drive awareness at the Markham Home Show this weekend

Team vivaNext member, Donald Chang, speaks with a woman interested in the rapidways coming to York Region Friday at the Home Show.
Team vivaNext member, Donald Chang, speaks with a woman interested in the rapidways coming to York Region Friday at the Home Show.

They’re back! Our vivaNext ‘segway’ team was such a big hit at Markville Mall last weekend, they’ll be making an appearance again this weekend at the Markham Home Show.

In addition to driving awareness of vivaNext projects, they’ll be getting the word out about our new contest where you could WIN the new iPod nano®* simply by texting the word Viva to the number 101010.**

Our vivaNext team will also have a booth inside the Show, where they’ll be showcasing time-lapse animations of vivaNext projects. It’s a great opportunity to see what York Region could look like in the future.

Show hours:
Friday, October 16      1 – 9pm
Saturday, October 17   10am – 7pm
Sunday, October 18     10am – 5pm

For more information, please click here.
If you would like to see a map and get directions, please click here.

VivaNext team members will also have a booth inside at Upper Canada Mall this weekend, where they’ll be talking to people about vivaNext projects and showing them how they could WIN the new iPod nano®* when they text the word Viva to the number 101010.**.

Mall hours:
Friday, October 16      9:30am – 9pm
Sunday, October 18     11am – 5pm

We hope to see you in one or both of these places this weekend!

* “iPod nano” is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, Inc. is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion.
** Wireless service provider charges may apply.
Categories
Community Events Ways to win

Team vivaNext drives awareness while riding on segways at Markville Mall

Team vivaNext members attracted a lot of attention riding around on segways outside Markville Mall this past Thanksgiving weekend. They were there to talk to people about vivaNext projects and show them how they could WIN the new iPod nano®* in our new contest by texting the word Viva to the number 101010.** We also had a booth inside the mall to make sure we were able to talk to as many people as possible. Take a look at the crowds that gathered around the segways and our booth, and what they had to say about the vivaNext rapidways and subway extensions.

* “iPod nano” is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, Inc. is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion.
** Wireless service provider charges may apply.

Categories
Community Events

Kick off fall with vivaNext at the Markham Fair

Team vivaNext at the Fair on Thursday.
Team vivaNext at the Fair on Thursday.

One of the biggest Markham community events of the year is going on right now on the Markham Fairgrounds. In fact, it is also Canada’s largest four-day agricultural fair.

Over 80,000 people are expected to visit the fairgrounds to watch a demolition derby, monster trucks, an FMX bike demonstration, a tractor and truck pull, a teen talent show, a horse show, live music and more. Even Dora the Explorer is making an appearance on Sunday and will meet and greet the kids.

In addition to all these activities, the vivaNext team will also be there to talk to you about our new rapidways that will get you around York Region’s busiest corridors faster. We will have our booth set up inside with a team ready to answer your questions.

The Fair runs today through Sunday and is located on McCowan north of Major MacKenzie. For more information on how to get there, the price of admission, and the hours, please click here.

For a $2 off adult admission coupon provided through the Markham Fair website, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you at the Markham Fair.