ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES

In addition to delivering The Big Move, Metrolinx has put in place a number of other initiatives to improve transportation systems across the region.

Smart Commute

Smart Commute is a joint venture of Metrolinx, area municipalities and employers that aims to reduce traffic congestion and take action on climate change through transportation efficiency. Employees are provided with services and assistance to explore different commuting options, such as carpooling, cycling, walking, telework and flexible work hours.

The program is delivered through a network of local transportation management associations (TMAs) in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. In 2008–09, Smart Commute welcomed its tenth TMA with the November 7th launch of Smart Commute Toronto-Central.

The Smart Commute network now has more than 100 employers and 275,000 commuters – a 50 per cent increase over last year. New organizations that have signed on include AMD, City of Brampton, Co-operators, Exhibition Place, Hubbell Canada, McCarthy Tetrault, Manulife Financial, State Farm, University Health Network, Upper Canada Mall, Vaughan Mills, Wal-Mart and Winners. In November 2008, Smart Commute Northeast Toronto’s partner Direct Energy was selected as the "2008 Regional Employer of the Year."

In the last year, Smart Commute has helped commuters save more than $3.9 million and prevent more than 5,450 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Roughly 450,000 single-occupant vehicle trips were eliminated, as workers chose to walk, cycle, take transit, carpool or work from home.

CarpoolZone.ca, an online ride-matching service, is a direct service operated by Metrolinx, and forms a cornerstone of the Smart Commute program. Over 18,000 users have signed up, forming more than 2,000 carpools – almost half of which were created in 2008–2009.

The Smart Commute network and its municipal partners were recognized with three awards in 2008–2009: the Federation of Canadian Municipalities-CH2M Hill Sustainable Community Award for Transportation, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute Excellence in Planning Award for Communications/Public Education and a Healthy Communities Award presented jointly by the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

Georgetown South Service Expansion Project

On December 15, 2008, Metrolinx announced it was the new proponent of the Georgetown South Service Expansion Project including the Union-Pearson Rail Link. Using Ontario’s Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP), Metrolinx is evaluating the environmental impact of the proposed expansion of GO service between Bathurst Street in Toronto and Highway 427 in Peel Region. The project will involve new tracks and station platforms, as well as bridges and underpasses to enhance service and provide a safe separation between trains, motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. In addition to meeting rising demand along a busy corridor, the project will also accomodate a new rail service between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

Metrolinx organized a series of stakeholder meetings along the rail corridor in January 2009. In February 2009 a series of open houses was hosted to present revised project proposals. In all, we communicated with 700 open house attendees, as well as countless more through our 24/7 Virtual Open House. We also received 267 comment forms, an additional 116 online submissions and 60 enquiries about the project.

BikeLinx Program

The $5 million BikeLinx Program is a signature Metrolinx green initiative. It is designed to accommodate and encourage commuters to combine cycling and public transit. The combination helps cyclists cross barriers that they might not otherwise be able to cross, such as highway interchanges and bridges, and is an efficient alternative to single occupant vehicles, easing congestion and reducing emissions.

Under the BikeLinx program, Metrolinx has funded municipalities in the GTHA to equip their buses with bicycle carrying racks and to purchase and install permanent, secure bicycle storage facilities in strategic locations throughout the region. Municipalities are already planning and installing over 2,300 new racks and numerous secure bike parking facilities across the region.

Transit Procurement Initiative

The Transit Procurement Initiative (TPI) was created to improve the buying power of municipal transit systems. Through purchasing under one umbrella, the TPI seeks to improve supply chain management and to reduce the unit cost of buses. The TPI also reduces uncertainty for manufacturers by guaranteeing longer and more predictable production runs.

In keeping with our legislation, Metrolinx took on responsibility for the TPI from the Ministry of Transportation in June 2008. In December 2008, we announced the winning contracts for the 2009–2010 joint transit bus procurements for 12 metre diesel and hybrid transit buses and 9 metre diesel transit buses. Contracts for up to 126 buses in 2009 alone – valued at up to $53 million – were awarded to New Flyer Industries Canada, ULC and City View Bus Sales. These fully accessible, low-floor buses will be used to provide expanded transit services and to replace aging transit buses. As of March 2009, 12 GTHA municipalities are participating in this, the largest collective bus purchase in Ontario’s history. This is the first municipal bus purchase to comply with the province’s 25 per cent Canadian content policy, and it has resulted in approximately $10 million in universal taxpayer savings over two years.

Findtheway.ca

The best transit system is only as good as the information that is available about it. Findtheway.ca is our online information source about the ways to get around in the GTHA.

The website has links to information about transit in every region of the GTHA. It includes links to GO Transit maps, local transit maps, municipal cycling maps, regional airports and other websites that might be of interest. There is also information about specialized transit, like TTC Wheel-Trans and York Region Transit Mobility Plus, as well as ferry, train and highway information.