Public Transportation II

Challenges and Opportunities

What you will learn today

• How transit REALLY works

• Provincial policy

• International policy and program examples

• Challenges and Opportunities

How would you define what a good transit How would you define what a good transit How would you define what a good transit How would you define what a good transit

system comprises of?system comprises of?system comprises of?system comprises of?

A good transit system is…

• Safe and secure

• Reliable

• Efficient

• Customer-focused/ service-oriented

• Interactive through the use of technology

• Marketable

• Environmentally Friendly

• Sustainable and Resilient

• Integration with mixed use development

Transit just isn’t about vehicles…Transit just isn’t about vehicles…Transit just isn’t about vehicles…Transit just isn’t about vehicles…

• Customers/Passengers/Taxpayers want to see results

• Capital: Vehicles – Trains, subways, streetcars and light rail transit vehicles and other infrastructure.• This what gets funded by all levels of government.

It’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power too

• Operations: The service on the road. • Operators

• Planners

• Schedulers

• Security

• Only funded by the municipal property tax and farebox revenue.

• Business development: Employ marketing techniques to put butts in the seats

It’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power too

• Business development: Employ techniques to put butts in the seats• GIS Technicians/cartographers who design the maps

It’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power too

• Marketing and social media

• Bus designs

• Fare products and

It’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power too

Bus designs by service segmentation

It’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power tooIt’s about people power too

• Fare products and technology

Planning Act

Provincial Policy Statement

(updated in 2014)

Growth Plan for the Greater Golden

Horseshoe

(update in 2015)

Greenbelt Plan

The Big Move

must have regard to all three

The Big MoveThe Big MoveThe Big MoveThe Big Move

• Regional Transportation Master Plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area• TMPs of individual cities and regions are considered

within Big Move

• $16 billion already funded

• $34 billion in additional funding for next wave of projects including Mississauga LRT, Subway extension to Richmond Hill

Investment StrategyInvestment StrategyInvestment StrategyInvestment Strategy

• 24 recommendations included• Revenue tools: 1% VAT to HST, 5 cents/L regional

fuel & gas tax, business parking levy, development charge increase

• All funds would be transferred to a dedicated Transportation Trust Fund

• Steps towards service level and fare integration

• Development of Transportation Policy Statement

• Supplemental funding: Conversion of HOV lanes into HOT Lanes, paid parking at stations, land value capture

TransitTransitTransitTransit PanelPanelPanelPanel• Anne Golden chaired this panel

• Golden Report (1996)

• Governance Gridlock (2012)

• Others included Paul Bedford and Cherise Burda

• Re-Assess Metrolinx’s Investment Strategy

• 3 separate reports• Hard Truths about Transit

• The Transit We Need

• Key Themes from Public Meetings

• Recommendations

TransitTransitTransitTransit PanelPanelPanelPanel

• 8 Recommendations which included• Integrated Region Wide Transit Network

• New Revenue Stream

• Gas & Fuel Taxes increase up to 10 cents/L

• 0.5 % Increase of Corporate Income Tax

• GTHA portion of HST charged on gas & fuel taxes

• Land Value Capture

• Transportation Policy Statement

• Revenue Streams were introduced in Provincial Budget

Other ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transit

• Congestion Pricing• Singapore

• London

• $8 congestion charge rejected in New York by State Senators and suburban politicians

Other ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transit• Toll roads

• They have existed for centuries

• Built on existing highways and are favoured on new highways

• Partial revenues from Dulles Toll Road in Greater Washington to fund capital construction for Phase 2 of WMATA’s Silver Line extension

• HOT lanes where express lanes are charged by time period (ie SR-91 in California)

• Like Highway 407, toll revenues go back to “sustain the financial viability of the 91 Express Lanes.”

Other ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transit

• Municipal or Regional Sales Tax

• Home Rule and ability to raise tax revenues

• Creativity (and Luck) of Measure R in Los Angeles County • Creativity – Sales tax measures and bond extensions occur solely because

cities are handcuffed by Prop 13.

• ½ cent sales tax to fund transportation projects over the next 10 years.

• Included Regional Connector, “Subway to the Sea” , Expo Line to Santa Monica, Gold Line Extension to Azusa

• Ballot measure passed in 2008

• Initiative began with LA County County Funding Collaborative led by Denny Zane (former Mayor of Santa Monica) in 2007

• Luck – Obama’s election � progressive motivation

Other ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transitOther ways to fund transit

• Public Private Partnerships• Vancouver – Canada Line

• InTransitBC L.P., a limited partnership formed by SNC-Lavalin Inc., British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC) and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec signed a 35-year concession agreement with Richmond-Airport-Vancouver Project Management Ltd. (RAVCO) and the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (now Metro Vancouver) to design, build, partially finance, operate and maintain the line.

• Criticism – Ridership exceeded expectations and platform length too short

• Denver – FasTracks

• Regional Collaboration and funded by P3, regional funding, bonds and loans.

Denver FasTracks

Challenges and OpportunitiesChallenges and OpportunitiesChallenges and OpportunitiesChallenges and Opportunities

• Political Will, Culture and Populism• Leadership and Getting Past No

• Higher tax rates, more tax revenue, we can have more of the goodies

• Revenue tools

• Stop talking, start building

• Reliance on the property tax

• Regional governance and greater taxation powers

Fear mongering?

DiscussionDiscussionDiscussionDiscussion

What are some other challenges and opportunities the region faces? How can we

move forward?