Tag: York Region

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
Announcements Community Events Rapidways

you’re invited to our Yonge Street open houses!

The next generation of rapid transit is coming to Yonge Street in Richmond Hill and Newmarket! In both communities, Yonge Street will be widened to accommodate dedicated rapidway lanes in the centre of the road, providing fast, reliable, convenient transit, while enhancing the area as an attractive destination for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

In Richmond Hill, the rapidway will extend 6.5 km and include 7 new vivastations from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue/Gamble Road. In Newmarket, dedicated bus rapid transit lanes will run along 2.4 km and include 3 new vivastations from just south of Mulock Drive to Davis Drive.

This project is moving full steam ahead with work beginning in 2014, and we want you to talk about it with us at our open houses this week! This is your chance to look at information boards and maps, and talk to vivaNext staff about what you can expect during the construction season ahead. You will also learn how a rapidway works and discuss the benefits it will bring to the community.

The same information will be available at both open houses. We hope to see you there, but if you can’t make it, you can subscribe online to receive construction updates and view all of the materials on our website after the meeting.

You’re invited!
Richmond Hill
When: Tuesday, November 19, 4-8 p.m.
Where: Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church
10066 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill

Newmarket
When: Wednesday, November 20, 4-8 p.m.
Where: Ray Twinney Recreation Complex
100 Eagle Street West, Newmarket

Learn more about the Yonge street rapidways ahead of the open houses by reading our Yonge Street project newsletter, and as always, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have at contactus@vivanext.com.

 

Categories
General LRT Rapidways

choosing the right form of transit

In September the Province set up an expert panel to look at how Metrolinx should be expanding transit in the GTHA, and to propose realistic options to pay for it.  The panel has just released their second discussion paper, and it’s well worth a read for anyone interested in getting beyond the rhetoric and really understanding the facts and issues.

Certainly the issue of what transit technology should be funded, and where it should run, is a subject that’s dominated the headlines for months and is of interest to everyone.  It’s understandable that so many have views on this subject, and it’s also reasonable to expect that the people doing the planning should listen to those views.

But in the final analysis, choosing a mode of transit – the main rapid transit options are subway, LRT, BRT and commuter train – shouldn’t be treated like a popularity contest. There’s just too much money involved.  Each mode of transit has its uses, benefits and drawbacks.  Those qualities are well known to transit planners, and need to be thoroughly and objectively analyzed in the context of local circumstances including passenger volumes, current and anticipated densities, employment projections, and present and future land use patterns.

Planners ideally will look at a range of transit modes to meet the needs of users across a region or area, with the primary consideration being a seamless system that enables passengers to make easy, fast connections.  That doesn’t necessarily mean the trip will be non-stop, or use the same technology the entire way.

This is a concept we all already live with, so we shouldn’t expect transit to be any different. Pretend you are taking a trip to a small island in the Caribbean.  You’d probably drive to the airport, then you’d get on a big jet, then most likely transfer to a smaller plane for the last leg, or maybe even a boat if you were going somewhere out of the way. You’d never expect the big jet to swing by your house to pick you up at your door, then whisk you non-stop to the tiny island.  Getting around the GTHA, depending on where you’re travelling from and to, follows the same logic.  Some riders may need to take surface transit, then transfer to one form of rapid transit – and then possibly to another mode to complete their trip.  The key point is to create a system that gets you there as fast as possible.

In a world where there’s only so much new money available for transit, careful decisions are needed to ensure final choices get the greatest number of people into transit, reducing gridlock on the road system.  The most costly option – subways – should be reserved for where it will do the most good, i.e. get the greatest number of cars off the roads.  Given that the need for new transit massively outstrips the money available, every single transit dollar needs to be spent wisely.

Professional analysis of facts has always been the basis for our vivaNext decisions. That’s why we’re installing BRT – the lowest cost form of rapid transit – along Highway 7, with the option to change to LRT when future volumes justify it.  On the other hand, the ridership and future employment projections do justify the cost of extending the subways north to the VMC, and along Yonge Street from Finch to Highway 7, so our plan includes subways too.

We’re proud of the system we’ve planned and are building for York Region, and are looking forward to the day when it will be connected to a system that covers the entire GTHA.  Now that’s something we think everyone will support.

Categories
Construction General

clearing the way for construction

If you’ve ever watched a new subdivision get built, you know how fast the work seems to advance.  Crews install utilities, build rough roads, and before you know it there’s an entire subdivision ready for families.  But building a new roadway in a densely built-up area is a completely different challenge: the work seems to go on for a long time, and progress is hard to detect unless you know what you’re looking for.

We’ve been working flat-out on Davis Drive for a year now, with dozens of complex activities underway or completed from Yonge to Leslie.  Even so, most of our effort so far has been about clearing the way, rather than constructing a rapidway and stations.

That’s the predictable reality of modernizing our roads and revitalizing Newmarket’s infrastructure, but it’s worth explaining why we can’t get going on roadway construction until these steps are completed.

A key work priority has been to build retaining walls to enable the road widening along the hilly contours of Davis Drive,  with that work now nearing completion.

And like all major thoroughfares, the foundations of the existing Davis Drive roadway are literally lined along both sides with existing critical infrastructure carrying water, telecommunications, gas, storm sewers and sanitary sewers.  Much of this infrastructure crosses the road at intervals and in many cases the various utilities are stacked up in multiple layers.  In addition, at the sides of the road are hydro poles and lines, transformers for electricity and telecommunications, fire hydrants, and a whole range of privately owned signs for businesses and commercial buildings.

As much as we love getting to the stage of putting down asphalt and constructing the beautiful viva stations, we can’t start this until the right-of-way is completely clear. Once we’ve built the retaining walls, we need to relocate everything else, one element at a time, further back and out of the way of the new wider roadway.  Relocating utilities is a complex task in itself, requiring a highly detailed level of coordination between gas, hydro, telecommunications and other utility companies.

Each type of utility has its own specific requirements about how and where it can be relocated, and which one goes deepest, which has to be installed last, and so on.  Each element requires its own program of design work and approvals.  And lastly, different crews are responsible for specific utility relocations, and there are rules about how closely they can work relative to adjacent work crews.

So the job of getting the roadway clear for construction is a huge, time-consuming and enormously detailed process – without even considering the new bridge and retaining walls that are underway. With multiple activities to be carried out in each block, some people may wonder why we’re not progressing more quickly.  But the reality is that we’ve already completed much of the work needed to clear the roadway, and widening has already started in some segments.  Because so much of the work is underground, there isn’t much to see yet.  But as crews start paving, it will feel and look like progress is starting to take shape.

Even though building a rapidway is a long process, people along Highway 7 in Richmond Hill and Markham can attest that the transformation does come to fruition. Residents and visitors alike are now enjoying the Highway 7 rapidway. We look forward to the day the Davis Drive rapidway is complete and Newmarket can enjoy the finished result too.

Categories
Construction General Live-work-play Rapidways

bringing vaughan metropolitan centre to life

We recently posted a great blog on planning that talked about the link between transit and new urban communities. Given that tomorrow (November 8), urban planners from towns and cities in over 30 countries worldwide will celebrate World Town Planning Day, we thought we would take a moment to highlight another one of York Region’s amazing communities, and see how vivaNext transit projects fit into York Region’s planning vision.

In the Region’s Centres and Corridors strategy, selected areas in Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan are targeted to have new, urban “downtowns.” They will be vibrant, higher density, attractive destinations with a full range of amenities so that people can live, work, shop and play in the same community. These “centres” will be connected by transportation “corridors” that will make it easier for people to get around the region. That’s where we come in. Our vivaNext rapidways will run along the corridors, connecting the centres through transit and safe and efficient travel options for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists alike.

You can see the vision for one of these centres coming to life in the City of Vaughan’s new video about the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] . Located in the heart of Vaughan, centered on Highway 7, between Highway 400 and Creditstone Road, VMC will be one of the largest and most ambitious development projects in the area’s history, and is a superb location for Vaughan’s new downtown.

In the VMC, mixed-use transit-oriented development is proposed along a tree-lined main street, including businesses, residences, entertainment and cultural facilities, as well as pedestrian shopping areas. The VMC area will act as a transportation hub, including convenient passenger pick-up and drop-off, a York Region Transit bus terminal, and viva rapidways running in dedicated lanes along Highway 7.

VMC will also be home to the northernmost subway station, as part of the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension [TYSSE], an 8.6 km subway extension from Downsview Station, northwest through York University and north to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. An entrance to VMC Station will be built on Millway Avenue, between Edgeley Boulevard and Jane Street to provide easy and efficient connections to other transit services.

With approximately 442 acres of development opportunities, VMC also includes:

  • Projected office development: 1.5 million SF
  • Projected retail development: 750,000 SF
  • Minimum of 12,000 residential units
  • Population potential: 25,000 new residents
  • Employment potential: 11,000 jobs of which 5,000 will be office jobs

It’s exciting to visualize how Vaughan will evolve in the years to come. To find out more about other vivaNext projects, visit our projects page.

 

Categories
General

why do we need retaining walls?

As you know, crews have been working hard on Davis Drive in Newmarket doing preliminary preparations and constructing a number of retaining walls.  With 16 already done and 1 remaining retaining wall construction is almost completed. Here’s why we need to build all these retaining walls.

If you’re at all familiar with Davis Drive in Newmarket, you’ll know how hilly the surrounding area is –the road itself is a series of hills, and many of the properties on both sides are either above or below the level of the road.

In general, retaining walls are used when one stretch of ground is at a different height than a neighbouring stretch of ground, and the slope between them is too steep to be stable on its own.  A retaining wall is used to hold the slope in place, and support the higher level of ground. Grade differences can be managed without retaining walls when the difference is slight, or where there’s enough space to make the slope very gradual. But because we’re widening Davis Drive, we’re reducing the space left over at the sides of the road, resulting in more pronounced grade differences between the road and some of the neighbouring properties and that’s why more retaining walls are needed.

The new walls will be built at the back of the boulevard where it meets private property, and where the grade at the back of the boulevard is different from the neighbouring grade.  Where the neighbouring property is higher, the retaining wall will extend upwards from the boulevard; where the neighbouring property is lower, the wall will extend down from the boulevard to the property behind.

The safety and design criteria for these walls are specific about what type of wall material is used for certain heights.  For walls that are less than 1.2 metres high, we are using pre-cast blocks that lock together like building blocks, set on a gravel base.  For taller walls, we’ll be using concrete that is poured in place, using special forms that mold the concrete and provide an architectural design.  To ensure safety, we’ll be adding an attractive aluminum handrail on the top of the retaining walls where it’s required.

These retaining walls will add to the more urbanized, stylish appearance of the future Davis Drive, and will help set the stage for the transformation that’s coming to this part of Newmarket.

Categories
General

staying safe as it gets darker out there

With today being  Halloween, the leaves are falling, the days are getting shorter, and the light levels are much lower, especially once Daylight Savings time ends on Sunday November 3.  There are lots of things we love about this time of year, but the darker mornings and afternoons take a little getting used to.

No matter what time of year, keeping yourself safe, whether you’re a transit user, pedestrian, cyclist or driver is a shared responsibility and we all need to be looking out for each other.   That becomes even more important now that we’re getting into the darker, cold days of winter.

Here are some reminders to make everyone’s travels safer along our rapidway and construction sites:

Pedestrians and transit users should:

  • Always walk on sidewalks.  From time to time sidewalks need to be closed for construction, and signs will direct you to the other side of the road.  It is incredibly dangerous to walk on the road in live traffic.  Please take the small amount of extra time needed to cross to a sidewalk.
  • Only cross at crosswalks and intersections. If you’re crossing Highway 7 remember the walk signal won’t come on automatically; you need to push the button first.
  • Obey traffic signals and wait for the walk light to shine.  At two-stage crossings wait in the protected median for the next stage.
  • Bear in mind that you’re probably not as visible to drivers as vehicles are to you, especially in winter if you’re bundled up in layers of dark clothing.
  • On busy roads, especially those with multiple lanes like Highway 7, remember that drivers are focused on their signals, including advanced green arrows for drivers turning left.   Pedestrians need to take their own safety very seriously.
  • Obey construction signage.  We cannot emphasize strongly enough: construction zones are dangerous places for pedestrians, even if there’s no active construction activity underway at the time.  There are many hazards, and fences are there to keep people safe.  Please obey them.

Drivers need to:

  • Watch road markings carefully, especially through construction zones.  With paving going on until the weather gets very cold and other construction continuing all winter, crews will be actively working.  Please be on the lookout for lane changes and temporary closures, which can change from day to day and hour to hour, especially around stations.
  • Pay attention to the new rapidway alignment and turning lines.  It’s becoming more familiar to drivers, but some drivers are still learning about the new turning markings for safe left turns and u-turns at intersections.
  • Be extra careful when making right turns to watch for cyclists and pedestrians – remember they have the right of way across intersections and driveways.
  • Approach crosswalks at stations carefully.  Pedestrians have a responsibility to be aware and obey the signals, but drivers need to be careful too, especially near schools.

Cyclists should:

  • Use the dedicated bike lanes where they’re in place; bikes cannot use the sidewalks.
  • Obey traffic signals.
  • Watch for pedestrians and remember they have the right-of-way if you’re turning right at a driveway or intersection.
  • Use the dedicated bike boxes where they’ve been installed for left hand turns, rather than making left turns from the traffic lanes.
Categories
General Rapidways

hard truths about transit

Transit is a top story in the news these days, in Toronto, across the GTHA, in fact all across the country.  And with good reason: the links between the availability of well-planned transit and our ability to sustain our quality of life are well documented.   But the discussion about transit is still confusing for many people, with so many different positions being put forward on how transit should be planned, the merits of different forms of transit, and how to pay for it all.   Meanwhile, gridlock across the GTHA is getting worse.  To ensure we don’t fall farther behind, important decisions have to be made soon about the future transit network in the GTHA.

Fortunately, a significant amount of new transit is already being built across the GTHA including our vivaNext BRT routes and the extension of the Spadina subway up to Highway 7.  But there are a large number of important transit projects, including parts of the vivaNext system such as the extension of the Yonge Subway, which remain unfunded.  Building a connected network across the GTHA, and completing the vivaNext parts of the system in York Region, needs to be a top priority for us all.

To help bring some clarity to the discussion, a newly-established advisory panel in Ontario has been set up to look at the future of transit in the GTHA.  The panel’s mandate is to help Ontario make the right decisions about what transit projects get funded in the GTHA, and how to pay for them.

Getting input from the community is a priority for the panel, and they will be providing a series of discussion papers to help people become better informed.  These papers will be well worth reading for anyone who has an interest in the future of transit across the GTHA.

Here’s a link to the new advisory panel’s site, www.transitpanel.ca which includes the first of several discussion papers.  Over the next few weeks, the panel is also going to be collecting input from the public, business and key stakeholders.  There are a number of ways that you can provide input to the panel.  You can mail, email, and provide input online or by attending one of the public meetings.  Four meetings will be held across the GTHA, including one in Vaughan.

The more people who participate in this discussion, the better: it affects us all, whether we live in suburban areas or downtown, and whether we’re transit users or drivers.  The decisions that need to be made soon about what transit will be built, and how it will be paid for, will shape the quality of life across the GTHA for generations.

VivaNext is proud of what we’re building in York Region, but ultimately the strength of our system depends on being part of a great regional network.  So please check out the panel’s website, read their papers, and have your say.

 

Categories
Construction General Urban Planning

what is a culvert anyway?

 

I’m guessing that you probably weren’t thinking about culverts as you sipped your coffee on your commute through the construction this morning — probably not even if you passed right by one. But let me just take a moment to tell you why culverts are important – besides the obvious.

First of all, what is a culvert anyway? Well, I’m sure you’ve seen one by the side of the road, underneath a driveway, around creeks and rivers. A culvert is a tunnel or pipe of varying size, shape and material used to allow water  to move easily from one side of an obstruction (like a road or railway) to the other side.

A culvert has three main functions: to allow for stream crossing; to manage and direct water runoff; and to allow natural wildlife crossing. The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but where it gets interesting is the wildlife crossing.

Since culverts affect both animals and the environment, the Ministries of the Environment, Natural Resources and Transportation have set out specific standards for culverts. Those standards note that they must be constructed in such a way to allow any wildlife travelling through them to see light at the other side. And culverts must include material that mimic the natural landscape of the wildlife passing through it to encourage them to use the culvert for migration.

The typical lifespan of a culvert is somewhere between 10-20 years, depending on a number of factors. When water flows through a culvert frequently, as it does at eastern and western creeks in Newmarket, the culvert will naturally succumb to some erosion. With our plans to widen Davis Drive for the rapidway, we are extending the western creek culvert and removing and replacing the eastern creek culvert that was well beyond its lifespan.

It’s just one more component of an overall transformation towards vibrant urban centres, connected by a rapid transit network to help people get around.