Report to / Rapport au:

Transit Committee /

Comité du transport en commun

And Council / et au Conseil

6 March 2009 / le 6 mars 2009

Submitted by / Soumis par: Councillor / Conseiller Steve Desroches

Contact / Personne-ressource : Councillor S. Desroches

(613) 580-2751, Steve.Desroches@ottawa.ca

SUBJECT: PROVIDING GREATER OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY TO TRANSIT ROUTES

OBJET:          Offrir une plus grande souplesse opérationnelle aux circuits du transport en commun

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That the Transit Committee recommend Council approve that staff bring forward options and potential amendments to the policy which sets the base transit route networks, in order to provide greater operational flexibility to serve the City’s varying geography and densities, so that service changes resulting from any approved policy changes could be implemented in 2009.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité du transport en commun recommande au Conseil d’approuver la demande faite au personnel visant à présenter des options et des modifications possibles de la politique qui régit les réseaux de base des circuits du transport en commun, en vue d’offrir une plus grande souplesse opérationnelle pour répondre à l’évolution constante de la densité et de la géographie de la ville, et que les changements au service à la suite de l’acceptation des modifications proposées de la politique puissent être apportés en 2009.

BACKGROUND

At the Transit Committee meeting on 4 March 2009, Councillor Desroches put forward the following Notice of Motion:

WHEREAS feedback from residents can range from too many buses to not enough buses in some communities;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT staff bring forward options and potential amendments to the policy which sets the base transit route networks, in order to provide greater operational flexibility to serve the City’s varying geography and densities, so that service changes resulting from any approved policy changes could be implemented in 2009.

DISCUSSION

OC Transpo has developed standards for serving the residents throughout Ottawa's rural, suburban and core areas.  In the suburban growth areas, and under the current policy, local population thresholds determine the timing of the introduction of new transit service and the service frequency for peak and off-peak times.

Observational feedback from some communities is that there are often low-ridership buses outside the peak hour.  The perception can be one of inefficiency in the context of rising transit fares as well as negative environmental impacts.  OC Transpo has received this type of feedback from the Stonebridge Community in South Nepean (Route 171).  While OC Transpo reviews route performance on a regular basis, this review is based on a measure that factors the cumulative ridership of the route, often spanning several wide geography and population densities.  By the same token, Ottawa has seen some new and developing communities that would benefit from more frequent transit in advance of the City policy because of demographic characteristics that favour transit use.

While residents want a strong transit system, there is a need to have an efficient system and which targets areas where there is a reasonable demand.  This is particularly the case during peak hours when some routes (especially 90 series) are often at high demand and over-capacity.

Under the current policy, there is limited means to adjust bus frequency.  Although the annual Transplan process invites public input to geographical route changes, the process does not entail or consider changes that run counter to the City-wide policy.

Currently, the OC Transpo policy does not provide flexibility to address:

• concerns over historical low ridership for some areas that fall within high service level criteria
• areas with high modal split potential which are not yet eligible for frequent off-peak service
• the ability to adjust minor - off peak - frequency changes
• service to neighbourhoods which, because of demographics and geography, favour park and ride service over feeder bus service
• targeting scarce transit resources to areas of highest demand.

Lastly, because of the growing size of the OC Transpo fleet, the service is part of the "face" of the City of Ottawa in the community.  As such, it is important to have a service that it responsive to local needs and which recognizes that one size does not fit all.

The Motion calls upon OC Transpo to explore policy options that would allow greater local flexibility and the possibility of a pilot program to “test” community feedback.

CONSULTATION

Transit Services

Council, and before amalgamation the Regional Transit Commission, has had long-standing policy standards that govern the introduction of transit service into new areas as they are built, to ensure that minimum standards of service are available, so that transit is an attractive and convenient transportation choice.  The current version of those standards provides:

• First, that service will be operated at least every 30 minutes in peak periods in areas which are beyond a five-minute walk of other bus routes and which have 250 or more housing units built and occupied, and,
• Second, that service will be operated at least every 30 minutes, all day long, seven days a week, in areas which are beyond a 10-minute walk of other bus routes and which have 500 or more housing units built and occupied.

The Stonebridge area of Barrhaven has progressed through the first of these standards and is now governed by the second.

The current standard can generate opposition from residents in two ways.  First, residents who support the introduction of transit service can be disappointed by decisions to not introduce or extend service until construction reaches the threshold of 500 units.  Second, residents who would not use transit service themselves and who see it as an intrusion in their neighbourhood can be disappointed when the service is introduced at that threshold.  Staff have received comments of both types in recent years:  for example, the first type from residents in the Avalon area of Orléans south of Innes, and the second type from residents of the Stonebridge area.  Both groups of residents would see the current standard as being inflexible and inappropriate to their own circumstance.

It is the position of staff that there should be a clear standard for the introduction of transit service into new areas and that there should be a clear definition of the minimum service level that is operated when the service is introduced.  If there were to be differences in the threshold or its application between areas, those differences should be based on actual quantitative differences of transportation need and not on the opinion of staff, residents, or Councillors.

If this motion and report is passed, staff would develop for the consideration of Committee and Council a proposed new standard to replace the current standard, which would incorporate more demographic and geographic considerations into the warrant for the introduction of all-day service. Such a new standard could, if desired, give higher priority to areas where higher transit ridership is projected.

If Committee and Council determine that there should be a pilot trial of reduced service in off-peak periods in the Stonebridge area as an exception to the current standard, staff have no objection, given the current low transit ridership in the area at those times.  Staff would work with Councillors Desroches and Harder to develop a new schedule for introduction in September 2009.

A change to the standard would have no effect on the 2009 operating budget nor on subsequent years, unless the change were dramatic.  The intent of staff would be to present a revised standard that is generally cost-neutral, in that if services were introduced earlier in some areas, it would be introduced later in other areas.  The introduction of new all-day service in new areas is just a small component of each year’s operating budget pressures.

The actions described here would have no effect on the standard for the introduction of peak-period service into new areas.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

This report has no effect on operating or capital budgets.

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

There are no Legal/Risk Management impediments to the implementation of this report's recommendation.

DISPOSITION

The recommendations of the Committee will rise to Council on 13 May.  Any resulting follow-up by staff will be undertaken as directed by Council.