Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit – Oshawa LIVE – June 3, 2021

When it comes to building transit, we know that every decision matters for our communities and our future customers.

The Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit (DSBRT) project will allow for seamless connections with local transit networks, providing the residents of Durham Region and the City of Oshawa more flexibility and choice to get where they need to go, faster and more reliably.

On June 3rd, 2021 Metrolinx and the DSBRT project team hosted a virtual open house for the Oshawa community to overview the most recent preliminary design plans for the City of Oshawa. We will be posting answers to the questions we were unable to get to during the event on this page within 14 business days. If you were unable to join us, a recording of the event is available for viewing below.

To keep informed on upcoming public engagements, please subscribe to the Metrolinx Durham regional e-newsletter, and to the project mailing list by e-mailing the team at DSBRT@metrolinx.com. For more information on the DSBRT project and previous public engagements, please visit Metrolinx Engage.  

Virtual Open House – June 3, 2021 Outstanding Questions

Active Transportation / Cycling

Will the planned cycle facilities in Oshawa be for learning to cycle & families or for experienced cyclists to make utility trips such as to GO rail stations?

When cyclists are using a bus lane, will there be room for the cyclists to pass a bus stopped at the curb without swerving out into the adjoining traffic lanes?

A multi-use path is proposed with the DSBRT project along the north side of King Street, west of Thornton Road, connecting west to the Town of Whitby and to the facility along Thornton Road. Alternative cycling routes are being planned by the City of Oshawa.

For safety reasons, it is not recommended that cyclists ride in the designated curbside bus lanes. This can be reviewed during the detailed design stage, before the lanes are implemented.

Buses

How will these buses be powered?

Durham Region Transit (DRT) is moving forward with piloting electric buses, with up to eight electric buses operating on the PULSE network within the next few years. DRT will also be preparing a transition plan to achieve a zero-emissions fleet and meet the goals set out in Durham Region’s Corporate Climate Change Action Plan.

Municipal and Regional Planning

Is Oshawa planning on allowing greater densities along Hwy 2 to take advantage of better transit?

All municipalities along the corridor have Official Plan objectives to improve the efficiency of the Highway 2 corridor by supporting development with appropriate measures for managing growth. The intent is to encourage transit-oriented development, compatible with the adjacent communities, to meet the objectives of municipal, regional and provincial growth plans. Better transit supports this growth by providing a reliable alternative to private automobile use.

Will the City of Oshawa be able to continue public events on King St for parades & Kars on King when the street traditionally is closed to traffic?

The City of Oshawa could continue to work with Durham Region Transit (DRT) to coordinate alternate bus routings around special events on King Street, as is done today. With adequate advance planning, these events should be able to continue as they have in the past.

Preliminary Design

Will the new King Street & Bond Street bridges at the Oshawa Creek accommodate the grade separation of the Joseph Kolodzie Trail?

Will the reconstruction of the bridges on Bond and King, have cycling lanes, and be built with an overpass for the Joseph Kolodzie to go under?

The new bridges over Oshawa Creek for King Street and Bond Street will include fully accessible sidewalks at street level. Due to existing conditions along the creek, the bridge design does not include a grade separation for the Joseph Kolodzie Trail. Opportunities to enhance the north-south trail crossings can be reviewed during the detailed design stage.

Will the new structure under the widen King Street at the Whitby/Oshawa Boundary accommodate pedestrians and cyclists?

The design for the culvert at Corbett Creek, west of Thornton Road, includes a multi-use path for walking and cycling along the north side of King Street, and a new wider sidewalk along the south side of King Street.

I would anticipate William street will be come even more of a cycling route, will the bus layover be built as to not interfere with this?

How will William Street remain safe for cycling with a bus layover being installed along the curb where cyclists ride?

Buses are expected to use the William Street layover location until the opening of the Lakeshore East train extension. Durham Region Transit (DRT) will work with the City of Oshawa to ensure any cycling facilities here are designed to accommodate both buses and cyclists.

Has the City of Oshawa agreed to maintain the one way couplet on King and Bond going forward?

The City of Oshawa does not plan to change the one-way operation of King Street and Bond Street.

Planning and Studies

Question, if metrolinks goes through the #hwy 2 area from Scarborough to Oshawa, your missing out on a bigger opportunities of being north

The Big Move and the2041 Regional Transportation Planreviewed and assessed the transportation needs of various corridors, in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) including Durham Region, which included Taunton Road and Bayly/Victoria Street. Taunton Road and Bayly/Victoria Street were identified in the 2041 Regional Transportation Plan for priority bus service.

Highway 2 was identified and selected for bus rapid transit as it provides unparalleled connectivity to existing downtowns and future urban growth centres, major post-secondary institutions, and builds on the investments by Durham Region to date in the PULSE service. The corridor is expected to attract approximately 215,000 more residents and 66,000 more jobs by 2041. Higher capacity transit is needed to link communities and employment across the Toronto and Durham boundary. The Durham Region Transit PULSE 900 route has the highest transit ridership in Durham Region, with 10,000 daily riders in 2019. Current forecasts project 38,400 daily riders on this corridor by 2041, as shown on slide 7 of the June 3 presentation.

I haven't heard one number for ridership. I have never seen a bike on these lanes. I see no need for dedicated U-turns for the section Thornton to Waverly.

There are a number of homes and businesses along both the north and south side of the street that require access. Providing U-turns at the signalized intersections of Waverly and Thornton will provide access to those properties for both eastbound and westbound travel. Each signalized intersection will have a dedicated left-turn lane and fully protected left-turn “green arrow”. This means left turn and U-turn movements can be made while all other traffic is stopped, improving safety for the travelling public.

Safety

Right hand turn lanes are considered not safe for pedestrians and cyclists. Why are you proposing them at almost all intersections in Oshawa?

The project team considered the best way to manage right-turn operations, access, safety, and transit operations. Right turn lanes have been added where high right-turn volumes are expected, to separate the right turning traffic from the BRT lanes, where feasible.

During detail design, safety measures such as leading pedestrian intervals, or cycling signals for signalized intersections, implementing right-turn-on-red restrictions, or reducing corner radii to slow right-turning traffic will be considered.

If the pick up points are in the middle of the 4 lanes what precautions will be integrated to protect passengers?

All proposed centre-median BRT stops will be located at signalized intersections. This will provide pedestrians with protected crossing opportunities using the crosswalk during the pedestrian signal. The project will upgrade sidewalks and crosswalks to be accessible, and the centre platforms will be raised, and barrier protected for transit users.

Service Levels and Connections

Can we not have a UP metro line like transportation from the university of Ontario campus to downtown that will link Durham to core GTA?

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is the preferred technology for the Durham-Scarborough corridor, confirmed through the Initial Business Case (2018). Light Rail Transit and Bus Rapid Transit were evaluated as part of the Initial Business Case. Bus Rapid Transit was preferred for its cost effectiveness to 2041 the projects horizon year. The technology is also preferred for its flexibility for transit vehicles to turn on and off the corridor and provide a “one seat ride”, which is not possible with Light Rail Transit. The project will make use of the PULSE buses that Durham Region Transit already operates.

Durham Region’s Transportation Master Plan identifies Simcoe Street as an important transit corridor and a future rapid transit route. Work will commence in 2021 to study technology and routing options including connections to the Durham-Scarborough BRT and the future Bowmanville rail extension.

Where will the number 9 bus both short and long trip swing around and park in Oshawa before heading Westbound again?

PULSE 900

The primary Durham Region Transit (DRT) service will operate on the proposed Durham-Scarborough BRT corridor, which will end at Ritson Road and park on William Street between Ritson Road and Division Street, while they wait to begin their next westbound trip.

DRT plans to extend the route to the future Ritson Road station once the Bowmanville extension is operational.

Timelines

The Eglington LRT has taken much longer than anticipated and caused chaos for residents and businesses. What is the likelihood of this project doing the same?

The Eglinton Crosstown project is implementing LRT rather than BRT technology, which has a portion that is tunneled underground in addition to the at-grade infrastructure.

Constructing LRT infrastructure is complex and requires more utility relocation work. Building BRT is very similar to typical road reconstruction, or road widening projects, which are much shorter in duration and are done frequently by the Region and the City.

The Durham-Scarborough BRT is more than just a bus route. Improved bus stop amenities, such as offboard fare collection and next bus arrival signage, will help ensure a smooth, pleasant travel experience. Frequent service along dedicated lanes will improve the reliability of the bus, not only saving you time, but also attracting more transit riders. Additionally, as ridership and demand increase, BRT service can easily adapt to customer needs, which will ensure the quality of the service is maintained.

Website and Event Format

Will we be able to see the slideshow again. It’s very small on my ipad

FYI At least the first two live questions had no audio but, audio only for the answers. Are you able to add the audio?

A live recording of the event and the presentation can be found on Metrolinx Engage.

I've been asking for two years at these meetings: Why doesn't the GO website have the station maps? these maps are available in-person for most stations already

Thank you for your comment.

Metrolinx has been piloting station maps at select GO Station locations. We are planning to have station maps available online in the future, to better serve our customers.

Should you have any questions about one of our existing GO Stations, please contact our Customer Relations team.

Format&Accessibility

Questions will be answered based on popularity (total votes). We aim to answer all questions. Answers to questions not addressed will be posted after the event here www.metrolinxengage.com/dsbrt. Please review and note that conduct inconsistent with our policieswill result in removal.

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