Report to/Rapport au:

 Transportation and Transit Committee/

Comité des transport & des services de transport en commun

December 4, 2001/4 décembre 2001

Submitted by/Soumis par: R.T. Leclair, General Manager/Directrice générale,

Transportation, Utilities and Public Works/Transport, services et travaux publics

Contact/Personne-ressource: G. Diamond, Director/Directeur,

Transit Services/Service du transport en commun

842-3636 ext. 2271, gordon.diamond@transpo.ottawa.on.ca

SUBJECT:     ROUTE 170 – REVIEW OF SERVICE ON FABLE STREET

OBJET:          CIRCUIT 170 – ÉTUDE DU SERVICE SUR LA RUE FABLE

REPORT RECOMMENDATION(S)

That the Transportation and Transit Committee receive this report for information, noting that:

·        Route 170 was changed to serve Fable Street in Barrhaven in December 2000, after approval by the former Transit Commission;

·        The Transit Commission directed that the service be reviewed after one year of operation;

·        Route 170 service on Fable Street is operating satisfactorily, as described further in this report;

·        Transit ridership in the area near Fable Street has increased by approximately 34 percent since the service was changed; and

·        No changes are recommended to the present service provided on Route 170.

RECOMMANDATION(S) DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité des transports et des services de transport en commun accepte le présent rapport à  titre de renseignement, constatant que :

·        Le circuit 170 a été modifié afin de desservir la rue Fable à Barrhaven en décembre 2000, suite à l’approbation de l’ancienne Commission du transport en commun ;

·        La Commission du transport en commun avait alors demandé que ce service fasse l’objet d’une étude après une année d’exploitation ;

·        Le circuit 170 qui dessert la rue Fable offre un service satisfaisant, tel que décrit plus loin dans le présent rapport ;

·        Dans le secteur de la rue Fable, le nombre de passengers du transport en commun a augmenté d’environ 34% depuis que le service a été modifié ;

·        On recommande qu’aucun changement ne soit apporté au service actuel du circuit 170.

BACKGROUND

At its meeting of May 24, 2000, the former Transit Commission approved a plan for revised service in South Nepean, in connection with the construction of the new Transitway station and park and ride lot at Fallowfield Road. Part of the approved plan was the expansion of Route 170, to provide connections between schools, recreation facilities, shopping centres, and Fallowfield Station. The revised route network was introduced on December 24, 2000. The present Route 170 is shown in Exhibit 1.

During the period of public consultation on the revised service for South Nepean, residents of Fable Street in Barrhaven spoke in opposition to the proposals, as new service by Routes 170 and 181 would have been introduced on their street. The residents said that bus operation along Fable Street would add to their concerns about traffic levels and about road safety. OC Transpo received 12 comments in opposition to the change to Route 170, including one petition with 59 names, and 14 comments in opposition to the change to Route 181.

The City of Nepean conducted a study of traffic and safety concerns in the older parts of Barrhaven. The consultants who carried out that study found that there were no traffic safety concerns with bus operations on Fable Street.

In response to the residents’ concerns, OC Transpo staff revised the plan so that Route 181 would serve streets further west, and so that only Route 170 would be introduced on Fable Street. Route 170 is a typical community circulator route providing service every 30 minutes in each direction, seven days a week.

The Transit Services Committee of the former Regional Transit Commission considered the staff recommendations at its meeting of May 24, 2000, and received deputations at that time from four residents of Fable Street, who spoke in opposition to the recommendations. The Committee recommended, and the Commission approved, that the change to Route 170 be made as a one-year trial, and directed that staff prepare a report to review the results of the trial. This report presents the results of that trial period.

DISCUSSION

Effects on customers

The introduction of Route 170 as a community circulator service throughout South Nepean provided a new connection between residential areas, schools, recreation facilities, shopping centres, and the new Fallowfield Station. In particular, the new service on Fable Street allowed service to be provided directly to John McCrae High School on Fable Street and the Walter Baker Sports Centre on Malvern Drive.

Passenger counts taken during between September and November 2001 show that approximately 180 customers each day from Monday to Friday are using the service to travel to or from the stops on Fable Street and on Malvern Drive. Ridership to these stops on weekends is lower, with approximately 70 customers using the service each Saturday and approximately 30 each Sunday. Total ridership to and from these stops is thus approximately 50,500 customer-trips per year.

Ridership in the summer is approximately half of the ridership during the rest of the year, mostly because John McCrae High School is not in class through the summer, but also because the weather is more favourable for walking and cycling and because more people take vacation at that time of year. Through the summer of 2001, the stops on Fable Street and on Malvern Drive were used by approximately 80 customers each weekday, 60 each Saturday, and 45 each Sunday.

Without service on Fable Street, these customers would have a longer walk to reach their nearest bus stop. Before the service change, the nearest service to John McCrae High School was at bus stops on Larkin Drive, 370 metres away, and the nearest service to the Walter Baker Sports Centre was at bus stops on Sherway Drive, 300 metres away. Now, the nearest service to the high school is at bus stops on Fable Street, 130 metres away, and the nearest service to the sports centre is at bus stops on Malvern Drive, 60 metres away.

Since Route 170 was changed to bring transit service closer to John McCrae High School and the Walter Baker Sports Centre, ridership in the area has increased. Before the service was changed, approximately 72,000 customer-trips each year were made to or from bus stops in the area. Since the change, approximately 99,000 customer-trips are being made each year. Thus, approximately 27,000 more trips are being made each year on transit in this area than were being made before the change. This increase of approximately 34 percent is well above the system-wide ridership increase of seven percent over the last year.

The ridership increase that has occurred since the service was changed indicates that the improved transit access to these destinations has led to increased transit ridership in South Nepean.

Operations

With the introduction of all-day service on Fable Street, the number of special school trips to John McCrae High School could be reduced. The resources made available by the removal of these trips allowed service to be increased on other busy routes in the system.

Transit staff have found no operating or safety problems with the service on Fable Street

Comments from customers

Transit staff have received no comments from customers about the service on Fable Street.

Comments from residents

Residents of Fable Street have continued to raise objections to the transit service on their street, and have communicated these concerns to transit staff and to the ward councillor.

Alternatives

Staff have examined alternatives to the present service, and have found none that would provide better service to customers than Route 170 now does.

·        Route 170 could be changed to operate on Sherway Drive rather than on Fable Street and Malvern Drive. This change would increase service on Sherway Drive, which is already served by Route 173, but would require customers travelling to or from John McCrae High School or the Walter Baker Sports Centre to walk between 230 and 250 metres further to or from their nearest bus stop.

·        Route 170 could be changed to operate on the section of Fable Street north of Malvern Drive, and on Larkin Drive, Laming Street, and Jockvale Road rather than on the section of Fable Street south of Malvern Drive. This change would increase service on Larkin Drive, which is already served by another part of the large loop of Route 170. It would also bring new service to the northern part of Fable Street and to Laming Street, and would bring new all-day service to the section of Jockvale Road between the two arms of Weybridge Drive. This would require customers travelling to or from John McCrae High School to walk approximately 230 metres to or from their nearest bus stop, about 100 metres further than they walk now.

The present service serves customers travelling to or from John McCrae High School and the Walter Baker Sport Centre more conveniently than would either of these alternatives. Neither of the alternatives is recommended.

CONSULTATION

The service change on Route 170 was made after a full process of public consultation. A description of the proposed change was circulated to customers on board buses and to residents of streets that would receive new service, and public open houses were held to discuss the proposals. The Transit Commission approved the service change after considering the comments in opposition from some residents of Fable Street.

TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN

The City’s Transportation Master Plan establishes the principle that travellers will be encouraged to use transit in preference to individual automobiles. To be an attractive travel choice, the transit network must be able to carry customers to their intended destinations as conveniently as possible. The service change to Route 170 promoted the aims of the Transportation Master Plan by improving the ability of travellers in South Nepean to use transit to reach schools, sports facilities, and shopping centres, and in particular John McCrae High School on Fable Street and the Walter Baker Sports Centre on Malvern Drive.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no financial implications associated with this report.

ATTACHMENTS

Exhibit 1 – Route 170

DISPOSITION

No changes are recommended to the present service provided on Route 170.