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Lisa Salsberg Manager – Strategic Policy & Systems Planning

Metrolinx’s GTHA Urban Freight Action

Plan Peel Goods Movement Task Force

May 4th, 2012

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Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Today

6 million people today

8.62 million people by 2031

30 municipalities

4 levels of government

10 transit agencies

8,242 km2

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Metrolinx

Vision: To Champion and Deliver

Mobility Solutions for the GTHA

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A Bold Plan

• Double transit mode share

• Transit lines would triple in length

• Despite growth, commuting times would not increase

• 75% of people living within 2 km of rapid transit

• GHGs per capita decline significantly

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Growing Congestion in the GTHA

• Congestion costs the GTHA $6 billion a year to commuters and the

regional economy

• 1 in 3 people in the GTHA region commute more than 15km a day

vs. 1 in 4 in Montreal, 1 in 5 in Calgary

• 17% decrease in peak period traffic speeds 2001 to 2006

• 16% increase in commuting times from 2001 to 2006

• Supply of roads increased 56% between 1986 and 2006, transit

increased by only 18%

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Perspectives from GTHA Business Executives

• Transportation infrastructure rates as number two, after rents for attracting new business to the Toronto region (Colliers International, September 2010)

• 2/3rds of business executives indicated that:

• existing transportation infrastructure increases their operating costs

• improving public transit and roads should be the main priority for the city’s political leaders (KPMG November 2009/The Economist Intelligence Union January 2011)

• Toronto’s transportation infrastructure rated low with other similar global cities and considered the city’s biggest impediment to global competitiveness (PWC 2010)

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Moving People and Freight

• Movement of people and movement goods are

interdependent. Shared rail and road infrastructure.

• Shifting drivers to transit will free up road space for

moving goods

• The Airport Rail Link – is expected to reduce 1.2

million car trips of the current 5 million car trips a

year between that travel between downtown

Toronto and Pearson International Airport, ARL

(opening 2015)

• The Big Move is a multi-modal plan with actions,

policies and investments to move people and freight

more efficiently and effectively together

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A Big Move Key Objective: Goods Movement

1 A fast, frequent and expanded regional rapid transit network

2 High-order transit connectivity to the Pearson Airport District from all

directions 3 An expanded Union Station - the heart of the GTHA’s transportation

system 4 A complete walking and cycling network with bike-sharing programs

5 An information system for travellers, where and when they need it

6 A region-wide integrated transit fare system

8 A comprehensive strategy for goods movement

9 An Investment Strategy to provide stable and predictable funding

7 A system of interconnected mobility hubs

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Consultation with stakeholders to identify issues • Dec ‘09– Oct ‘10 Metrolinx led consultation groups to develop a goods movement strategy

• Goods Movement Industry Roundtable; and

• Technical Working group

Key Issues:

• Generally poor government understanding of goods movement and industry issues

• Lack of adequate planning for growth in the freight industry

• Industry is impacted by changes in global conditions but governments react to local/provincial/national issues

• Need for a broad national strategy to guide provincial and local strategies

• Ability to divert from truck mode is limited

• Multi-modal strategies are required

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The GTHA Urban Freight Study (2011)

Five strategic directions and 17 actions focused on:

• increasing the capacity for and efficiency of freight movement within the GTHA

• road freight, but also considers inter-modal connections to rail, air and marine freight

• Urban shorter haul, the last mile. Not been comprehensively studied in the GTHA

• Trips that begin and / or end in the GTHA

• Complements ongoing Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor initiative of the federal, Ontario and Quebec governments and the Peel Region Goods Movement Task Force agenda

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Urban Freight Action Plan

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1: Building Collaboration & Support

- initiating a forum for exchange and innovation

New GTHA Urban Freight Forum

• Forum to exchange information and generate action and

inspire innovation

• Track collective progress against the Urban Freight Action

Plan

• April & October meetings + Intergovernmental Committee

meetings

• Includes government and industry members

• Collaboration with the Peel Goods Movement Task Force

• At the Fall meeting, we will present an annual progress

report against the GTHA Urban Freight Action Plan

On-going Collaboration

• Action trading with Peel Region Task Force, Transport

Canada, MTO and Southern Ontario Gateway Council

Action 1: Strengthen and

collaborate with multi-sectoral

forums

Action 2: Establish an inter-

governmental freight committee

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2. Improving urban freight information – building a

baseline

GTHA Urban Data Collection Study

• Addresses the need for coordinated Urban Goods Movement (UGM) data collection and

data management to support policy and planning, modelling, analysis and benchmarking for

goods movement in the GTHA

• Extending best practice from the regions to a GTHA wide survey, that could be used as an

on–going data capture tool

• Survey due to start May 2012, with results early 2013

• Consultation with stakeholders:

• Steering group to ensure linked up to other relevant studies

• Presented at the GTHA Freight Forum, April 2012

• Workshops, Fall 2011 and Fall 2012

Action 4: Improve data sharing on

freight vehicles, routes and activities

Action 5: Establish a GTHA urban

freight data collection program

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3. Increasing transportation network efficiency –

researching network opportunities

GTHA Truck Route Map

• Developing scope with stakeholders

Investigating the Potential for Truck Lanes in Urban Areas

• Partnering with the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) and 10 other Canadian municipal, regional and provincial agencies to explore the opportunities for increased efficiencies in the transportation network

Freight on Transit

• Research Fellowship student to explore the potential and feasibility for moving freight on transit

Action 6: Develop and protect a

strategic GTHA truck network

Action 7: Harmonize truck route

standards and mapping

Action 8: Investigate intelligent lane

utilization and truck-only lanes

Action 9: Explore opportunities for

moving freight on transit

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4. Enhance development & planning – a proactive

planning approach

MTO – Freight Supportive Land Use Guidelines

• Provides direction for long-term, local implementation of freight-supportive policies and practices across Ontario. Includes best practices, examples and implementation tools

Consolidation centre research

• Researching the feasibility for a consolidation centre amongst downtown Toronto hospitals

Action 10 :Develop freight-supportive land use guidelines

Action 11: Support development of innovative freight hubs

Action 12: Improve access to existing intermodal facilities

Action 13: Plan and protect complementary land uses near

major freight hubs

Action 10 :Develop freight-supportive land use guidelines

Action 11: Support development of innovative freight hubs

Action 12: Improve access to existing intermodal facilities

Action 13: Plan and protect complementary land uses near

major freight hubs

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5. Improving operational practices- leading by

example

Transit Inventory Management Services (TIMS)

• Metrolinx is leading the development of Transit Inventory Management Services (TIMS) to improve the efficiency of the supply chain for transit vehicle parts.

• Objectives:

• improving operational practices

• reducing costs of inventory, costs of parts, obsolescence

• reducing carbon footprint

• improve parts availability

• streamline ordering for all partner transit agencies

Action 14 : Use

technology to optimise

and manage the

movement of goods

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Progressing the Urban Freight Action Plan

• Creating a forum for implementation:

• Inaugural GTHA Urban Freight Forum, April 11th 2012

• Developing sub-committees for specific topics

• First inter-governmental committee (including Peel) June 27th, 2012

• Annual progress report, Fall 2012 to incorporate all Forum member project updates

• Developing a baseline of information:

• GTHA data collection project to improve our understanding of freight movements

• Workshop and report due in early 2013

• Understanding opportunities:

• TAC truck-lane study, report due late 2012

• Feasibility of small scale consolidation centre

• Exploring opportunities for moving freight on/at transit

• Improving our own operational practices:

• TIMs

• Continue to learn from best practices and engage with key stakeholders – we want to learn from Peel’s extensive experience in this field and explore joint GTHA initiatives we can implement together

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Thank you