COMMISSION REPORT MACRO - City of Toronto

Form Revised: February 2005

TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION REPORT NO.

MEETING DATE:

March 30, 2012

SUBJECT:

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVED BUS SERVICE ON FINCH AVENUE – FOLLOW-UP REPORT

ACTION ITEM: RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Commission forward this report to Councillors Shiner, Filion, Pasternak, Perruzza, Mammoliti, Crisanti, and Ford, and the City’s Transportation Services, noting that: this report is a follow-up to the May 11, 2011 Commission report, Opportunities for Improved Bus Service on Finch Avenue, which responded to the Commission’s enquiry about possible bus rapid transit service on Finch Avenue West; it would be possible to increase the speed and reliability of the 36 FINCH WEST bus route, and reduce its round-trip running time by approximately ten minutes, through: o

construction of queue-jump lanes for buses at 30 intersections, either by constructing new curb-side lanes or by lengthening existing right-turn lanes;

o

moving nine heavily-used bus stops from their current locations on the approach-side of intersections to new bus bays on the away-side of intersections;

o

enhancement of the existing transit signal priority system on Finch Avenue West, and installation of transit signal priority at seven new intersections which currently don’t have it;

the cost of these improvements would be approximately $25-$30million; and this capital investment in bus-operations improvements may not be warranted because City Council’s recent decisions to confirm the implementation of light rail transit on Finch Avenue West, and Metrolinx’s planned 2016 start of construction of light rail transit there, would result in the queue-jump lanes and other physical improvements only being used for 1- 3 years.


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FUNDING This report has no effect on the TTC’s operating or capital budgets.

BACKGROUND In the spring of 2011, there was discussion of improved bus service in the Finch West corridor as an alternative to the Finch light rail line, which had been previously approved by the Commission and Council in the Etobicoke-Finch West LRT Environmental Assessment Study. In March 2011, Councillor Vincent Crisanti proposed the development and implementation of a rapid bus transit service on Finch West, and Mayor Ford entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Province of Ontario and Metrolinx which included a commitment for the City to provide enhanced bus service in the Finch West transit corridor between Finch West Station on the extended University-Spadina subway line and Humber College. Subsequently, at its meeting on May 11, 2011, the Commission received a staff report entitled, Opportunities for Improved Bus Service on Finch Avenue, which outlined possible means of implementing rapid-bus service on Finch Avenue West. The options reviewed included a bus rapid transit facility either in the centre of Finch Avenue, or in the adjacent hydro corridor, and the potential for queue-jump lanes for buses at specific intersections on Finch West. The report identified the need for further study of these options. Recently, at a special City Council meeting on February 8, 2012, City Council reaffirmed its support for an LRT line in the Finch West corridor, and its support for an early implementation of the first phase of the project from the Spadina Subway extension to Humber College. On March 21-22, 2012, Council authorized City staff to enter into an agreement with Metrolinx to proceed with the design and construction of the project. The Province of Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, Bob Chiarelli, has subsequently confirmed Provincial support for the project. In light of these recent developments, this report is limited to discussion of less capital-intensive means of improving bus service on Finch Avenue West, with a focus on site-specific modifications at signalised intersections.

DISCUSSION The 36 FINCH WEST bus route provides very-frequent service between Yonge Street and Humberwood Boulevard. The route carries upwards of 40,000 customer–trips on a typical weekday. Like other bus routes which operate in mixed-traffic on congested roadways, the


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36 FINCH WEST bus route is susceptible to random and variable delays due to traffic congestion, service irregularities, and the resulting and frustrating bunching and gapping of buses.

Any improvements to bus service on Finch Avenue West, in advance of the implementation of light rail service, should increase the overall speed of the service, and make trip times more consistent in order to reduce bunching and gapping, overcrowding on buses, and unscheduled short-turning of buses. Faster service would also increase the capacity of the line by allowing existing buses to make more round trips and carry more customers. Congestion on Finch Avenue West is greatest at major intersections with high traffic volumes and many turning vehicles. Also, as with all of the TTC’s bus routes, the majority of bus stops on the 36 FINCH WEST route are located on the approach-side of intersections. At stops which have many on’s and off’s, the time required to serve customers is long and variable. This unavoidable situation reduces the effectiveness of the transit signal priority which is in place at most intersections on Finch Avenue West, and which is designed to give buses green lights when they are ready to go through the intersection. Measures to Improve Bus Speeds and Reliability: The following measures could significantly improve the quality of bus service on Finch Avenue West.


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Construct Queue-Jump Lanes for Buses and Move High-Volume Bus Stops to Bus Bays on the “Away” Side of Intersections Delays to buses waiting in traffic queues at intersections could be largely eliminated by constructing queue-jump lanes to allow buses (as well as other right-turning vehicles) to by-pass traffic congestion and move through intersections more quickly. Bus queue-jump lanes can be created by constructing new curb-side lanes or by lengthening existing right-turn lanes. This concept is shown in Exhibit 1. To be effective, a queue-jump lane must be slightly longer than the queue of vehicles that typically backs-up at an intersection. At bus stops which have many on’s and off’s, the time required to serve customers is long and variable. Here, the benefits of the queue-jump lane could be enhanced by moving the bus stops to bus bays on the away-sides of intersections. Queue-jump lanes, together with moving bus stops to the away-side, would make the time a bus needs to get through an intersection more consistent and predictable, which would allow the TTC’s signal priority system to work more effectively in reducing red-light delays for buses. Queue-jump lanes and moving busy bus stops to the away-side would also benefit other traffic. Right-turning vehicles would be able to by-pass traffic queues and the removal of right-turning traffic and buses from the traffic queues and over to the queue-jump lanes would allow the through-lane to operate more efficiently. As detailed in Appendix A, there are 30 signalized intersections where queue-jump lanes would be beneficial to bus operations on Finch Avenue West. Nine intersections would warrant moving heavily-used bus stops to the away-side of intersections in new bus bays. These potential intersection improvements are shown graphically in Exhibit 2. Four of these queue-jump lanes are on the eastbound and westbound approaches to the Highway 400 interchange area. These are shown in Exhibit 3. Improve the Transit Priority System on Finch Avenue West Transit signal priority is already in place at most intersections on Finch Avenue West. This system is linked to the traffic signal controller. It detects buses approaching an intersection and adjusts the signals to provide green lights sooner and/or longer in order to reduce delays at red lights. These longer green lights also help out general traffic on Finch Avenue West. Signal priority on the 36 FINCH WEST bus route can be enhanced at some intersections, in conjunction with bus queue-jump lanes, to further improve the speed and reliability of service. Signal priority can also be installed at seven intersections which currently don’t have it. The combination of queue-jump lanes, away-side bus bays, and improved signal priority would decrease the round-trip travel time on the 36 FINCH WEST bus route by


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approximately ten minutes. Customers would benefit from faster service, reduced travel time by as much as five minutes per direction for longer trips, and more-reliable service. The reduced round-trip time for buses would mean that buses could move along the route faster, which would have the same effect as adding four buses to the route in the morning peak period and three in the afternoon peak period. Capital Costs The queue-jump lanes at 30 intersections on Finch Avenue West, the relocation of nine busy bus stops to new bus bays at the away-side of intersections, and the addition of signal priority at seven new intersections would cost approximately $25-to-$30 million. Project Viability If new, additional funding were to be approved for implementation of these improvements, it would take upwards of two years to re-construct the designated intersections and build the required new bus bays. The likely completion would be 2014. Metrolinx has indicated that construction of the Finch West LRT line could begin as early as 2016. With the start of major construction on Finch Avenue West, the benefits of the queue-jump lanes would be largely wiped out, so the real benefits of the lanes might be available for only two or three years. This brings into doubt the wisdom of spending a considerable amount of money on what would likely be short-lived benefits. However, fourteen of the queue-jump lanes would be east of the subway extension where -- according to Metrolinx’s implementation timeframe -- the light rail line might not be implemented for another fifteen years or more. On that section of Finch Avenue, any investment in transit operational improvements would be longer lived. East of Keele Street, queue-jump lanes could be constructed in both directions at Tangiers Road, Alness/Champagne Drive, Dufferin Street, Wilmington Avenue, Torresdale Avenue/Goldfinch Court, and Bathurst Street, and on the westbound approach to Chesswood Drive and to Keele Street. Implementation of queue-jump lanes at these intersections would result in a reduction in round-trip time of two-to-three minutes, out of the total possible for the route of ten minutes. Other Considerations When the TTC gets its new higher-capacity articulated buses starting in 2013, one of the routes on which they will be operated is the 36 FINCH WEST route. This will improve the efficiency and productivity of the route, because each bus will be able to carry more people. However, with this increase in capacity per bus, comes an increase in the total passenger boarding time per stop. In order to avoid this, consideration will be given to providing staff at high-volume bus stops to allow customers to board at all doors and reduce the time at busy stops, until the Presto fare system is in operation.


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The desirability of operating an express branch on the 36 FINCH WEST route has been examined. At this time, the concept isn’t supportable because traffic congestion on that road from Keele Street eastward is so bad that express buses wouldn’t be able to travel much faster than local-service buses. However, when the University-Spadina subway extension opens, bus services which intersect with the subway will, as always, be revised to provide customers with the fastest and most-convenient connections possible. At that time, there may be justification to operate one or more branches of the 36 FINCH WEST route from Finch West station westward and, if that happens, it may become viable to introduce a new express service to/from the west.

SUMMARY Significant improvements to the speed and reliability of the 36 FINCH WEST bus route could be achieved by implementing queue-jump lanes at the majority of signalised intersections on Finch Avenue West to allow buses to by-pass traffic queues. The overall cost of these improvements, plus others mentioned in this report, would be approximately $25-to-$30 million. In light of Council’s recently-announced and re-confirmed support of near-term implementation of light rail on Finch Avenue West, west of Keele Street, the cost of such short-lived improvements would be difficult to justify. There are no near-term plans for a light rail on Finch Avenue West, east of Keele Street, and there are fourteen intersections between Keele Street and Bathurst Street where buses would benefit from queue-jump lanes. These improvements could be considered for the implementation because they would have longer service lives.

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March 30, 2012. 11-31-42 Attachments:

Exhibit 1: Queue-Jump Lane Concept Exhibit 2: Potential Intersection Improvements on Finch Avenue West Exhibit 3a: Queue-Jump Lane Concept at Highway 400 Interchange - West Exhibit 3b: Queue-Jump Lane Concept at Highway 400 Interchange - East Appendix A: Potential Improvements on Finch Avenue West - Eastbound Appendix B: Potential Improvements on Finch Avenue West - Westbound


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Appendix A: Potential Improvements on Finch Avenue West Eastbound

Intersection Highway 27 Westmore Dr. Silverstone/John Garland Blvd. Martin Grove Rd. Albion Road Kipling Avenue Islington Avenue Pearldale Ave./Ardwick Blvd Duncanwoods Dr./Ardwick Blvd. Milvan Dr./Rumike Rd. Jayzel Dr. Weston Rd. Signet Dr. Arrow Rd. Highway 400 West Ramps Highway 400 East Ramps Norfinch Dr./Oakdale Rd. Jane St. Driftwood Ave. Tobermory Dr. Sentinel Rd. Romfield Dr. Keele Street Tangiers Rd. Alness St./Champagne Dr. Dufferin St. Wilmington Ave. Torresdale Ave./Goldfinch Ct. Bathurst St.

Proposed Improvement Construct a new 280-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Construct a new 70-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Construct a new 70-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Construct a new 260-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane and a 70-metre long away-side bus bay Lengthen the existing right turn lane by 100 metres and construct a 70-metre long away-side bus bay Lengthen the existing right-turn/bus queue-jump lane by 140 metres construct a new 70-metre long away-side bus bay Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 180 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 50 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 50 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 50 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 50 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 200 metres Construct a new 210-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Modify the road as shown in Exhibit 3 Modify the road as shown in Exhibit 3 Construct a new 200 metre right turn lane/bus queue-jump lane Lengthen the existing away-side bus bay by 30 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Construct a new 70-metre long queue-jump lane Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 100 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Lengthen the existing bus bay/right-turn lane by 170 metres Prohibit parking to extend existing right-turn lane by 100 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 200 metres Construct a new 70-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 140 metres and construct a 70-metre long away-side bus bay

new new and

new


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Appendix B: Potential Improvements on Finch Avenue West Westbound

Intersection Humber College Blvd. Highway 27 Westmore Dr. Silverstone/John Garland Blvd. Martin Grove Rd. Albion Road Kipling Avenue Islington Avenue Pearldale Ave./Ardwick Blvd Duncanwoods Dr./Ardwick Blvd. Milvan Dr./Rumike Rd. Jayzel Dr. Signet Dr. Arrow Rd. Highway 400 West Ramps Highway 400 East Ramps Norfinch Dr./Oakdale Rd. Jane St. Driftwood Ave. Tobermory Dr. Sentinel Rd. Romfield Dr. Keele Tangiers Rd. Chesswood Dr. Alness St./Champagne Dr. Dufferin St.

Wilmington Ave. Torresdale Ave./Goldfinch Ct. Bathurst St.

Proposed Improvement Lengthen the existing left-turn lane by 80 metres Construct a new 160-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Construct a new 70-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Construct a new 70-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Construct a new 200-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane and a new 70-metre long away-side bus bay Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 100 metres and construct a new 70-metre long away-side bus bay Construct a new 150-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane and extend the taper on the away-side bus bay Construct a new 280-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 50 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 50 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 50 metres Construct a new 70-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Construct a new 150-metre right turn lane/bus queue-jump lane Modify the road as shown in Exhibit 3 Modify the road as shown in Exhibit 3 Construct a new 280-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 200 metres and extend existing away-side bus bay by 25 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Construct a new 70-metre long right-turn lane Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 100 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 160 metres and construct a new 70-metre long away-side bus bay Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 160 metres Construct a new 100-metre long right-turn/bus queue-jump lane Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 80 metres, restripe the road lane lines to lengthen the right-turn lane to 300 metres and construct a new 70-metre long away-side busy bay Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 70 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 140 metres Lengthen the existing right-turn lane by 140 metres and construct a new 70-metre long away-side bus bay