Tag: Markham

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General Uncategorized

tis the season to support your local businesses

It’s that time of year again, holiday decorations adorn windows and doors, festive music fills the air and it seems everyone’s in a rush to go somewhere.  With the holidays fast approaching, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed with what to get that special someone.  Don’t fret the businesses along the vivaNext corridors are here to help you find the perfect gift.

The shops and services on Highway 7 and Davis Drive will take the stress and worry out of your holiday shopping. Your local merchants will help you find that perfect treasure for those nearest and dearest and will help you cross everything off your holiday shopping list. While you’re out and about, take a break from shopping with a stop at one of your favourite restaurants. Why not hop aboard yrt/viva to get you to and from your destinations?

Once you’re done shopping and you’ve checked your list twice, pour a glass of eggnog and congratulate yourself on a job well done!  You got all your shopping done with a little help from your local businesses.

Support your local businesses this holiday season. Your neighbours look forward to seeing you!

 

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Categories
Construction General Uncategorized

getting ready for winter

If you have a property with a garden, you’ll be familiar with the list of things you do every year to get things tidy and safe before it freezes up out there. We face the same kind of to-do list along our construction zones on Highway 7 and Davis Drive, although the key difference is we’ll still be actively working throughout the winter (I’ll tell you more about what we’ve got planned for the winter months in an upcoming post).

But in terms of getting things all tidied up, here’s what you’ll see us doing over the next couple of weeks to get ready for the snow and ice.

Our top priority, as always, is making the construction zones as safe as possible for pedestrians and drivers.  For that reason much of our pre-winter activity involves ensuring that sidewalks and boulevards are free of hazards, and hazards that cannot be removed are carefully fenced off.  In some cases we’re finishing the grading and construction of some boulevards, and in others installing temporary walkways and ramps where work isn’t scheduled to be finished until next year.

Snow fences are being installed behind sidewalks in areas where work is continuing, to help mark the safe route for pedestrians.  And because of ongoing roadwork and other activities, some sidewalks will remain closed.  We’ll make sure there’s a clear route for pedestrians through work zones, although it may require crossing from one side of the street to the other. Look for directional signage to know where it’s safe to walk, and how to access bus stops – for your own safety it’s critical that pedestrians stay out of work zones.

During construction, road and sidewalk maintenance is the responsibility of the construction contractor within the project areas.  But during the winter, the Region and local municipalities are responsible for ensuring the roads and sidewalks are kept clear. For that reason, another top priority before winter is to ensure every aspect of the construction zones is compatible with the requirements for winter maintenance operations.

This means making sure the snow-clearing equipment can manoeuver through the construction zones, boulevards and platforms.  Our design work and construction staging plans have always had those requirements top of mind, but we walk through the sites with Regional and municipal staff again before winter to identify any little details that might impede their operations.

And to keep traffic moving throughout the winter, we’ll be taking steps to make travel lanes as straight as possible through the construction zones, and ensure markings are clear.

Just like at your home, we like to get everything tidied up and in order before winter, so we’re going to keep working steadily at it until we’re forced to stop by severe winter weather.  Once that happens, we have a long list of other activities we will continue with, so stay tuned.

 

Categories
General Uncategorized

wouldn’t you like an extra 32 minutes a day?

Did you know that a recent American study showed that people, who live in areas with good access to transit, are more satisfied with their quality of life than people who don’t have easy access to transit?* This is one of the reasons cited by an intriguing new public awareness campaign, arguing that more and better access to transit is good for communities, families and individuals.

The new campaign – dubbed Your32 – is an initiative spearheaded by the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance, a not-for-profit advocacy organization that promotes the economic, social, and environmental benefits of building transit infrastructure across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.  The campaign is being done in partnership with a wide range of leaders representing key sectors across our communities and economy, including business, academia, labour and financial.

The big-picture benefits of transit are well known: it’s better for the environment; it will reduce the gridlock that’s choking our roads; and it will help our economy and productivity.  All of which are reason enough that we need more transit in the GTHA, and we need it now.

But ultimately we all live our lives at a personal level, and this is what the Your32 Campaign does that’s so interesting: it brings the benefits closer to home for each of us.  Your32 refers to the estimated 32 minutes per day that people would save on their commute once the Metrolinx transit plan for the GTHA (The Big Move) is fully funded and built.  32 minutes is the difference between the projected future average commute time if no comprehensive transit system is built, and the average future commute time with the big move.

32 minutes a day: that’s a lot of time over the course of a year – 8 full days – that you could be doing something better with.  And over the course of your life it adds up to about two years of found time.   There are a lot of ways most of us could imagine spending 2 extra years, beyond spending it sitting in gridlock.

The Your32 website has a lot of really interesting facts and figures about commuting and how better transit will benefit all of us, and its aim is to encourage people to become more knowledgeable about the issues and possible solutions.  The campaign is asking people to “pledge” their support for new funding sources that are “dedicated, efficient, transparent & accountable, regional, fair, and sustainable”.  And ultimately, its objective is to continue to build support from people and governments at all levels for more funding for transit in the GTHA.

We’re proud that vivaNext and York Region are already helping lead the move for more transit, and we’re pleased that such a useful campaign is underway to help reach more people and get out the true facts about transit.  I recommend this initiative to anyone interested in learning more, and to add their voice calling for senior levels of government to fund the transit we all need.

 

Categories
Construction General Rapidways

happy national housing day

Having a home is probably one of the most important and basic needs people have, and National Housing Day was introduced to remind us we should never take this fundamental need for granted.  This year National Housing Day is Friday November 22, and it’s being marked by special initiatives all across the country including here in York Region, where the Region is hosting a special social media and web-based campaign to raise awareness about the importance of affordable housing.

One of the biggest challenges facing our Region is that people have limited choice when it comes to affordable housing.  Traditionally a suburban region, many York Region residents have chosen to live in low-density single-family homes. As wonderful as that choice is for many, many families, there are some people who want – or need – other options.  And until recently, people who wanted to live in other forms of housing had very limited choices within the Region.

York has the lowest percentage of rental accommodation in the entire GTA. In some cases, that has meant people who want to live in York Region to stay near their families, or their jobs, have had to move away.  Whether it’s a young professional in their first job who has had to leave York Region to find affordable housing, or an older person who can’t manage a larger home on their own any more, too many people have found it hard to stay here at home.

Fortunately that’s changing, and VivaNext is a key driver that’s helping to expand the housing choices available here in York Region.

All along the viva routes, we’re seeing more and more housing being developed or proposed, including higher density developments near our new urban centres. Taking the direction from Regional Council, 35% of new housing in the centres and key development areas along the corridors have to meet affordability criteria, which is going to meet a key need here in York Region.

Building residential units along transit can help to reduce housing costs, since developments don’t have to include as much underground parking spaces.  This can reduce costs per unit significantly.  Another benefit of building near transit means people can get around without needing a car.  Whether you’re a young person moving out for the first time, or an older person who is happy to give up the keys to the car, that’s a significant advantage.

The best thing is that people who want to stay in York Region are now more able to, because rapid transit and long-term planning together are resulting in more choices, and more affordability.

So on November 22, give a thought to how much it would mean to you to be able to stay in the community you love, and to have a variety of affordable options to choose from.  We’re really pleased to be helping make that more possible, and wish you a Happy National Housing Day.

 

Categories
Construction Live-work-play Rapidways

vivaNext – more to come

When it comes to the future of transit in York Region, you don’t have to look far. The first rapidway along Highway 7 east corridor is now up and running smoothly. With it came wide pedestrian-friendly boulevards, lined with trees and other greenery. The transformation taking place along the Viva routes will change how pedestrians, cyclists and motorists not only view the area in general, but get from A to B more easily, more safely and more efficiently.  Check out this 3600 virtual tour for a peak.

This is just the beginning of many miles of rapidway that are under construction or coming soon.  Here is an update of what’s happening.

Construction on Highway 7 East continues and crews are working hard from Highway 404 to Warden Avenue to widen the road, build pedestrian boulevards, plant trees and shrubs as well as installing utilities. This next segment of rapidway is expected to be completed in 2014.

Moving along Highway 7 west to Vaughan, you will see the vivaNext rapidway construction starting to take shape between Edgeley Boulevard and Bowes Road.  Over the last few months, crews have been working to remove signs, test soil and begin utility relocation to prepare for heavier construction.  Throughout the fall and winter, hydro, gas and telecommunications installations and relocations will continue in Vaughan.

Preliminary construction activity will also continue in other parts of Vaughan as vivaNext rapidway construction continues along Highway 7 West.   The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] station will be completed in time with the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension [TYSSE].  Vaughan’s VMC station will be the northernmost subway station, connecting to Viva and a variety of other transit services, for a convenient and seamless experience.

In Newmarket, as you drive or walk along Davis Drive, you’ll see that construction is in full swing and the transformation is starting to take shape. The relocation and replacement of underground infrastructure in some segments on the south side of Davis Drive is complete. In those sections, road widening and preliminary paving has started preparing the roadway for future rapidways.

Also in Newmarket, crews are working to re-locate the Historic Union Hotel and its adjoining building to their final foundations this fall. Extensive culvert work at eastern and western creek is underway.  Work continues on the north side of the Keith Bridge.  Once completed all this work will help make your travel along Davis Drive smoother and more efficient, especially if you are on transit!

Over the next few years, future rapidways will be added to the Viva routes to better service customers and make travel times shorter by up to 25%.  We know construction is messy, but the end results are marvelous!

Categories
Rapidways Stations

making our stations accessible

Making public infrastructure, such as transit services, accessible is a priority, and the new vivaNext BRT design more than complies with all the requirements.   Formally, accessibility requirements are legally concerned with people with disabilities, but that’s actually only one component of how we’ve made the stations accessible.

The vivaNext commitment is to ensure everyone feels equally welcome on the station platforms and is able to board the viva vehicles, whether they have mobility or other physical limitations, or are pushing a baby stroller, or for any other reasons they might feel uncomfortable accessing transit service.

In addition to meeting the accessibility requirements set out in Provincial and local regulatory frameworks, we’ve gone to great lengths to design the platforms so all users have a comfortable and pleasant customer experience, and obtained advice and input from the CNIB and York Region’s Accessibility Committee during the design process.

Here’s what we’ve built into the new stations to ensure all users feel safe and comfortable.

  • The ramps to the platform have a shallow incline and handrails on either side, and there are no changes of grade or tripping hazards anywhere on the platform.   For people with impaired vision, the platform edge is clearly indicated through the use of domed tactile tiles in a contrasting colour.  At the primary bus stop location there are directional tiles which provide directional grooves going toward the bus, which will be helpful for people using canes for guidance.
  • People using wheelchairs will have no difficulties getting in and out of the heated enclosures, which provide wheelchair-turning radius inside, and have doors at either end to simplify access.  And the enclosures will have barrier free doors which have been designed to meet the highest accessibility standards including their button placement and operations such as door opening speed and how the door responds if it contacts an object.
  • We’ve included benches inside the enclosure and outside, complete with grab bars for people who appreciate a little help getting up and down.  And for anyone who dreads the chilly experience of sitting on a metal bench in a Canadian winter, we’ve planned for that too – the benches are constructed from durable Brazilian Ipe wood which will make sitting a little warmer in the cold weather.
  • The electronic ITS elements are designed to ensure using the equipment is equally successful for all our customers.   Our fare equipment is designed to be functional for people at wheelchair height or with other physical limitations, with angled screens, clear, bright graphics and large push-buttons.  The VMS will provide clearly visible information on buses, routes and the time.  We extensively researched and analyzed our PA system to make sure it’s clearly audible, and provides full coverage along the platform and in the enclosures. The notice holders for system updates are posted at the right height so they’re easily read whether you’re walking or in a wheelchair.  And we’ve installed large map cases at each platform, illuminated to make it easy for everyone to navigate their route.

Overall, our objective has been to provide a comfortable, safe and welcoming experience for all our transit riders with no barriers or restrictions.

Categories
Rapidways Stations

take a tour of the new rapidways on highway 7

Rapidways are now open on Highway 7 and they’re beautiful, they’re functional, and they’re going to make a huge contribution to the transformation of our communities.  Anyone travelling along Highway 7 in Richmond Hill or Markham has seen them from the outside, but here’s a peek of what they’re like on the inside.

The first thing you’ll notice as you cross to a station is how big and airy the canopy is at 28m (92’) long and 5m (16’) high.  The curved glass above the platform also provides both weather protection and a sense of space at the same time and satisfies long-term needs as platforms accommodate two viva vehicles at once and LRT (Light Rail Transit) in the future.  The platform is approached by a gently sloped ramp with handrails on both sides, making it fully accessible to all, whether they’re walking, pushing a stroller, or in a wheelchair or scooter.  Passing by the familiar viva fin and planted planter boxes, you’ll next come to an illuminated wall map of the YRT\Viva system.

Next on the tour is a bank of fare equipment, including a Ticket Vending Machine (TVM), a Ticket Validator (TV), and two Presto machines. Once you’ve paid your fare, you’ll move to the Fare Paid Zone (FPZ), which is clearly shown by being paved with a different coloured tile on the ground, as well as by a curved sign above.  We need to show this area as distinct, as YRT fare rules require passengers to have paid their fare before moving into the FPZ.

Once you’ve paid your fare, you’re free to make yourself comfortable on the platform until the next bus arrives.  We’re making it easy for you to know how long you’ve got to wait, with a large VMS (Variable Message Sign) projected from the canopy.  The VMS scrolls through all the upcoming arrivals, telling you exactly when the next bus will arrive.  Because the VMS system is connected to the GPS in our actual vehicles as well as the central transit scheduling software, it can be constantly updated to provide accurate and real-time information.

But if you decide you want to sit down on a bench, or get comfy out of the elements, we’ve made that easy too.  The fully heated glass enclosure is well lit, and accessed by two push-button automatic doors.  The heaters – which won’t be needed anytime soon, but you’ll like them come later this year, they’re like the infrared heaters in a hockey arena – will automatically turn on if someone enters the enclosure, and if the temperature in the enclosure feels lower than 10 degrees Celsius.  Multiple benches and garbage disposal units will add to your comfort.

The entire platform will be well lit, with lighting inside the canopy as well as on the platform.  And to enhance your feelings of comfort and security, the back of the platform is protected from the Highway 7 traffic by a barrier wall topped with a guardrail, and there are multiple security features including cameras and an emergency call button.

Last but not least, to help you stay oriented, wayfinding signage will show you where the buses will stop, and other features including the way to the crosswalk.

It’s hard to do the stations justice by written descriptions, so we have created a virtual tour to entice you to come out and try viva.

Categories
General Urban Planning

introducing the Bayview Towers

The Bayview Towers opened on September 1 for service, just in time for back to school. If you’re in the area near Highway 7 between Bayview and Chalmers/South Park you’ll have noticed two attractive buildings, sporting vivaNext symbols, built right next to the Bayview Bridge.   Here’s a description of the Bayview Towers, and how they’re going to make life more convenient and comfortable for York Region transit users.

The two handsome glass and concrete buildings, one on each of the north and south sides of Highway 7, are there to provide convenient access for people on Bayview Avenue wanting to connect to the viva system, and vice versa.  These buildings replace the stairs that used to be the only way people could make that connection.

Providing elevator access was always seen to be the ideal solution to ensure everyone would be able to move easily from Bayview down to Highway 7, but because elevators need to be located in spaces with constant temperatures and protected from the elements, we needed to create actual buildings around them.

That’s why we have built the Bayview Towers.  The buildings are not bus stations – there are curb-side vivastations on both the north and south sides of Highway 7.  The buildings are both fully accessible, and each has an elevator that will whisk people up to the level of the Bayview Bridge, as well as an interior stairwell.

Inside, the Towers are airy and well-lit, with glass walls making the interiors clearly visible to Highway 7.  With full security coverage including cameras that can monitor the entire building and emergency call buttons on all levels that connect directly to YRT dispatch, people will feel safe using the towers at all times.

At the top level, people will access the Towers via pedestrian bridges that enter onto the sidewalks on the Bayview.  Changes to YRT and Viva routes will go into effect now that the Towers are open, so check out the schedules before you head out.

All in all, we’re proud of these great new additions to our rapidway system, which are going to improve connectivity for everyone using Viva and YRT.

 

Categories
Construction Rapidways

colour coding the rapidway

As I’ve posted previously, Bus Rapid Transit is an increasingly popular rapid transit technology around the world [Bus Rapid Transit: growing around the world, Bus Rapid Transit: South America leads the way].   One of the ways to make BRT truly rapid, as we’re doing here in York Region, is to provide vehicles with separate lanes so they can move easily through congested areas.  And one way to make those lanes distinct without having an actual grade separation (which would require extra room as well as be much more costly) is to make them a different colour.  This is why the vivaNext rapidways are bright red, as you’ll have seen if you’ve driven along Highway 7 East recently.  These red lanes are for viva transit vehicles only and cars need to be careful not to drive into them for everyone’s safety.

But colouring asphalt anything other than basic black isn’t as easy as you might think.  Here’s what we’ve done to get our rapidways red.

Painting asphalt isn’t an option. Although it’s something we all take for granted, creating a long-lasting, durable asphalt mix for the conditions along a busy roadway like Highway 7 is actually a highly specialized science.  The surface on roadways that carry a lot of heavy traffic, especially traffic that is constantly turning and braking or accelerating at intersections, needs to be exceptionally strong to prevent cracking, rutting and shifting.  Canadian climate conditions including extreme temperature changes, hot sun, frost, and salting over the winter, all impose significant challenges.  Creating an asphalt mix to take these conditions without requiring frequent maintenance is something that specialized pavement designers work long and hard to achieve, with the technology constantly evolving.

So adding in the requirement to make it a distinct colour definitely adds to the complexity.

Using red pavers or bricks would not provide a sufficiently durable driving surface long term, and would be extremely costly to install and maintain.  One approach that is used when the colour is needed in very limited areas, such as crosswalks or bike lanes, is a material called “street print”.  But this material, which is actually a special top layer that’s heated right into the asphalt once it has been imprinted with a brick or paver pattern, would be too complicated to use along the full length of the rapidways (although we are using it for our crosswalks), and again would not be durable enough.

So the best approach is to tint the black asphalt, which we’re accomplishing in a couple of ways.   Asphalt is composed of a mixture of sand, stones and asphalt cement binding it together.  By adding reddish stones rather than grey ones, we can give an underlying red tint to the asphalt, especially as it wears.

The more complex adjustment is to add a special red pigment.  The challenge with the pigment is to be careful in how much we add:  too little and the colour doesn’t come through, but too much and the overall durability of the asphalt might be compromised.  The pavement design team has worked long and hard through a highly technical process to get the balance just right.

We’re delighted with their final results, which will give us what we need: a clearly defined rapidway that stands out from the regular traffic lanes, with a long-lasting and durable surface, at an affordable price.  Drivers need to remember as they make turns from side streets along Highway 7 to follow the white skip lines and not turn onto those red rapidways!  Although beautiful, they are red for safety too!

 

Categories
General Rapidways Stations

we can hear you, loud and clear

As I wrote earlier this summer, our engineers have worked hard to design the optimal public address system for your new vivastations.  Here’s what the system will include, and how good it’s going to sound.

Most PA systems are pretty frustrating in the garbled sound quality they provide.  We knew we wanted to do much better.  There’s nothing worse than knowing something important is being said, but not being able to understand it.

To make sure the new PA system is always audible, we started with an acoustic analysis study using special “Enhanced Acoustic Simulator for Engineers” (EASE) software. This study analyzed the two elements most critical to sound: Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and Speech Transmission Index (STI). The SPL, measured in decibels (dB), is concerned with sound magnitude and takes into account ambient noise levels – it is the relative “loudness” of a sound.  STI predicts how the equipment being used and the surrounding environment will affect the quality of the sound, and therefore how intelligible it is for you as you hear it.

First, the acoustic engineers needed to determine what effects our curved canopies and the beams and angles inside the station would have on the way sound is going to move around.  Secondly, the reflection of sound by the concrete wall, floor and glass was modeled. This analysis helped predict how clear the final sound will be on the platform and in the enclosure, and also helped determine the number and placement of speakers that will be most effective in achieving clear sounds.

Following this sophisticated modeling the engineers determined that the optimal number of speakers to achieve our goals would be 12 speakers located outside of the passenger enclosure, and another 3 speakers inside.

The next challenge was to work on the volume to be used by the speakers.  The problem with PA systems in noisy places is that the ambient noise can overwhelm the volume of the PA system, making it impossible to hear what’s being said.  Our solution is to use a speaker volume system that automatically adjusts when its sensors detect that the ambient noise has increased or decreased.

There are two sensors on each viva platform to measure noise level. This way, announcements should be audible whether there’s a bus idling in the station and trucks are moving past, or it’s nighttime and quiet.

The PA system will be used for recorded and live announcements from transit operations, such as emergency information or service changes, but will not announce bus arrivals although it does have that capability.

Although we’ve tested the system many times, we continue to monitor the sound levels now that operations have started.  We hope you have been out to test drive the first section of rapidways now open on Highway 7 and let us know if you can truly hear us, loud and clear.