Week 7 - GTA West Corridor, Autonomous Vehicles, & Transit

Question 1

What is the GTA West Corridor?

Answer 1

• planning for new transit corridor began in early 2000s and EA began in 2008
• planning for 400-series highway, transit, and potential goods movement priority features
• motivation: greater connectivity b/w urban growth centres, enhanced people/goods movement, improved commuting, greater economic vitality
• EA paused in 2015

Question 2

Why were people opposed to highway 413 (GTA West Corridor)?

Answer 2

• not viewed as necessary even with proposed growth (parallel to 407)
• negative impacts on sensitive watershed
• loss of agricultural land
• opportunity cost (less money left for transit if built)

Question 3

What were the review panel’s concerns over highway 413?

Answer 3

• concerns that corridor was being planned in isolation rather than as part of broader integrated plan
• uncertainty with significant trends (e-commerce, shared mobility, labour mobility, freight activity, consumer demands)
• modelling highway impacts showed it would only save 30 seconds per trip
• transportation demand management (TDM) benefits difficult to identify

Question 4

What did the review panel explore as alts?

Answer 4

• congestion pricing (similar travel time saving)
• truck lanes on 407 (reducing truck tolls to bring similar time saving)
• land use management (slower growth & more compact land use scenario modelled showed shorter travel times)
• contradictory to climate change mitigation act
• autonomous vehicles
• recommended signle transp plan for GGH

Question 5

What have been revolutions in transp?

Answer 5

1. railways and telegraph: provided explosive productivity and economic growth
2. car and phone: mobility, economy, urban form
   - PEI originally banned cars b/c concerned with accidents and there was public opposition
3. containerization and internet: global economy, e-commerce
4. today: internet of things, robotics, AI, machine learning (4th industrial revolution)

Question 6

What does autonomy look like right now?

Answer 6

• already introduced in variety of realms: ships, drones, tractors, sidewalk robots
• testing and continually improving in California currently
• Tesla introducing semi trucks
• goal is to be entirely autonomous

Question 7

How do autonomous vehicles work?

Answer 7

• tons of data

- uses lidar to sense environment and make decisions

Question 8

What are influences on when AV will become the next big thing?

Answer 8

1. technology (connected and electric
2. policy (regulation and liability)
   - ethical concerns: what do you program it to do in collision scenarios?
3. economy (consumers, markets, business models)
   - will it be shared or not? (post-private auto?)
   - how will shared autonomy be regulated?
   - will there be a ripple effect across other modes (ex. reduction in cycling)?

Question 9

What is mobility as a service (MAAS)?

Answer 9

Integration of various forms of transport services into a single mobility service accessible on demand

• key is moving away from personally owned modes of transport to consuming mobility as a service
• MAAS operator facilitates diverse menu of transport option
• most people using car share services are millenials

Question 10

What are the pros/cons of AV?

Answer 10

Pros:
- sharing (reduced ownership)
- land use (less space needed for parking)
- safe streets
- nigher efficiency transit
Cons:
- more driving (increased VMT)
- sprawl and congestion
- security (hacking)
- decline in transit use and inequity

Question 11

Why is UBER so controversial?

Answer 11

• destructive competition to taxis

- oversupply of competitors in marketplace that drives prices down

Question 12

What are the biggest challenges facing transit systems across Canada?

Answer 12

• funding: operational costs
• public attitude: materialism
• built form: dispersed environment
• aging infrastructure: maintenance costs
• under utilized areas: excess capacity

Question 13

What defines public transportation?

Answer 13

Shared passenger service available to all who can pay the fare

• discrete departure/arrival times (fixed schedule)
• limited stops
• fixed route
• greater vehicle capacity

Question 14

What makes public transp public?

Answer 14

Consider function, goals, operators financing

• community service or viable transp option?
• private operator or public or combo? (most cities public)
• cost recovery or subsidy?

Question 15

Why is public transp subsidized?

Answer 15

It would be too expensive otherwise

- clear gap b/w cost and revenue, so subsidy needed

Question 16

Where does the subsidy funding come from?

Answer 16

• far box
• municipal taxes
• provincial gas tax

Question 17

What does OPPI say the roles of public transit are?

Answer 17

Fundamental purpose in communities is to provide mobility for those who do not use personal automobiles and/or who otherwise cannot travel by other means

Secondary roles:

• reduce energy consumption
• decrease auto dependence
• enhance mobility in congested areas
• create more viable option for mobility
• part of AT agenda
• enhance economic competitiveness/livability

Question 18

What activities come with transit planning?

Answer 18

a. Determining demand: spatial and temporal concerns
- captive vs. choice riders
- car ownership
- trip making activity
- where/when?
b. Determining paths/stop locations
- where to go and how often to stop
- balance of ridership vs. speed, frequency, etc.
c. Determining terminals, hubs
- size, locations, surrounding land uses
d. Transp relationships with land use
- core to challenge of transit planning (TOD)
- traditional auto focus protects low density
- transit focus linked to intensification
e. Does transit shape or respond to development?
- ex. Toronto subway vs. Waterloo LRT