‘CREATING A NEW TRANSIT VISION FOR CALGARY AND REGION’

1. ‘CREATING A NEW TRANSIT VISION FOR CALGARY AND REGION’ Creating a new Transit Vision for Calgary and Region Calgary Regional Partnership Regional Transit Symposium February 27, 2009 Bill Lambert, AECOM Dave Colquhoun, City of Calgary

2. KEY QUESTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES WHERE AND HOW DO WE GROW FROM HERE? • KEY FOCUS: • How can we accommodate, in a sustainable way, an additional 1.7 million people and 800,000 jobs over the next 60 to 70 years? • Where will they live? • Where will they work? • How can we enhance travel? • What are the implications and opportunities?

3. YESTERDAY & TODAY CALGARY TRANSIT: 1909 – 2009 “Celebrating a Century of Service to the Community” The CTrain - 2009 Calgary Electric Street Car Railway Circa 1909

4. THE PRESENT • Integrated multi-modal transit system. • 1,000+ vehicles. • Highest per capita ridership west of Toronto and highest North American LRT ridership. • Very limited regional transit options - not integrated and accessible. • Regional specialized transit services lacking required resources to meet demands.

5. CHALLENGES DISPERSED DEVELOPMENT AND HIGH AUTO DEPENDENCY CULTURE • Strong Calgary Centre City with modest nodal development in city and regional communities. • Low density development in regional communities. • Auto dominated travel patterns and mindsets. • Substantial transit expansion, transit-oriented land use, and transportation demand management policies required to make transit a more appealing travel option and change auto culture.

6. ‘TRANSIT IS ABOUT LAND USE’ THE FOUR D’S Density Variety and integrated BENEFITS • Reduced travel distance • Increased walking, cycling and public transit use • Reduced road building and use • Complete and enriched communities • Social, environmental, economic benefits Diversity Mixed Land Use Design Walkability, & Cycling Access Distance Homes, Jobs, Retail, Amenities

7. DEVELOPING A SHARED VISION • 18 communities in the Calgary Regional Partnership have collaboratively developed a draft Calgary Metropolitan Plan. • Plan it Calgary has concurrently produced a new Municipal Development Plan and Transportation Plan for The City of Calgary. • Both plans provide an integrated land use and mobility plan and a shared regional vision which includes: • significant intensification and mixed land use so that transit expansion can be successful. • focused growth in specific nodes and corridors. • creation of an integrated, customer focused, time competitive and accessible regional transit system.

8. DEVELOPING A SHARED VISION • Communities/neighbourhoods are built for transit access. • Growth does not occur simultaneously in all directions. • Roadway improvements are strategic only, addressing congestion points, providing transit priority or improved goods movement. • Much smaller environmental footprint. 8

9. A NEW TRANSIT VISION • Develop a Primary Transit Network to connect compact, urban nodes and corridors in Calgary and the Region. • Integrate transit service across the Region to enable convenient transit travel between and within CRP communities. 8

10. PRIMARY TRANSIT NETWORK DEFINITION A permanent network of high-frequency and accessible transit services that will include LRT, BRT, streetcars/trams and regular bus service. The Primary Transit Network will be seamlessly connected with a supporting network of lower frequency city, regional and inter-city transit services and an enhanced specialized transportation system.

11. PRIMARY TRANSIT NETWORK CORE ELEMENTS ‘The Big Moves’ Integrate transit with civic life Make those connections more frequent Make those connections faster Connect more places more directly ASAP Improve transit’s competitive position ‘Show up and go’ Centrality Accessible, safe, clean & comfortable Adapted from the Mission Group

12. A NEW TRANSIT VISION • Provide customer focused and seamless service. • Convenient, easy to use, frequent, reliable and time competitive. • Make it possible and convenient for people to live close to transit without needing a car.

13. LAND USE AND PRIMARY TRANSIT CONCEPT LEGEND Primary Transit Corridor Commuter Rail High Speed Rail 13

14. Regional Transit System FUTURE REGIONAL TRANSIT PLAN LEGEND LRT Bus Rapid Transit Commuter Rail High Speed Rail 14

15. AN INTEGRATED, MULTI-MODAL REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM Commuter Rail Transit Hubs, Local Transit Services, Active Modes and TOD’s LRT Capacity Enhancement , New Lines and Extensions BRT and Express Bus Services

16. SHORT TERM TRANSIT STRATEGY

17. SHORT TERM TRANSIT STRATEGY • Create regional transit hubs/stations in communities to support regional BRT services and future LRT and commuter rail service. • Identify and protect key lands for future commuter rail and LRT corridor and facilities for connections to regional communities. • Undertake local transit service feasibility plans in regional communities and initiate service. • Conduct and implement TOD plans at transit hubs linked to regional transit. • Make improvements to specialized transportation system to satisfy regional needs.

18. MEDIUM TOLONG TERM TRANSIT STRATEGY • Calgary North LRT Line extension to Airdrie. • Commuter Rail Line to Northwest – Cochrane. • Commuter Rail Line to South - DeWinton, Aldersyde, Okotoks, High River & Nanton. • Commuter Rail – peak periods first with Train-Buses in off-peak periods. • Rapid Transit (Bus or LRT) to Chestermere with BRT connection to Strathmore. • New regional transit express routes between communities outside of Calgary. • A specialized transportation system which is better able to meet needs with sustainable provincial funding. 18

19. TRANSIT GOVERNANCE 19 Need to manage development of transit service and related functions across the Region in an integrated and seamless network for the customer. Short Term • Service planning and coordination: Calgary Transit leads. • Service delivery: City of Calgary and private service operators. Medium to long Term as transit system and resources and population/employment increase: • Regional Services Commission, Transit Board or Authority. • Multi-modal Transportation Authority.

20. SUSTAINABLE TRANSIT FUNDING 20 Need Sustainable Funding Sources for Enhancing Primary and Regional Transit Networks. Current Provincial capital grant programs, local property taxes and transit fares are not able to provide sustainable and long term transit capital and operational funding sources.

21. SUSTAINABLE TRANSIT FUNDING 21 Request additional funding directly from Provincial Government and legislative authority for other funding sources: • Make Green Trip Transit Capital Program permanent and enhance funding. • Provide additional gas tax funding to Edmonton and Calgary and other smaller communities. • Give local municipalities the authority to use vehicle levies, parking taxes, value capture taxes at BRT/LRT stations and other measures for funding transit costs and encouraging more transit usage. Establish transit expertise within Alberta Transportation and develop a Provincial transit strategy and policies which can be applied to Provincial and Municipal transportation investments.

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23. Our Vision Is Clear! 38