Durham-Scarborough BRT

A transit and pedestrian mall reallocates road space from cars and traffic to pedestrians, public space and transit vehicles. General traffic is restricted from using the mall. Emergency services and other specific vehicles can use the mall for garbage collection, snow clearing, and deliveries to local businesses.

This allows the business community to expand and use the space. Transit and pedestrian malls have been used in other cities across North America to increase economic activity by encouraging more people to visit the area. Transit and pedestrian malls allow people to use the public space and could include space for restaurant patios and events like markets to create a more active place for people.

In Downtown Whitby, the pedestrian mall would convert the curb lanes into sidewalks and a pedestrian plaza on Dundas Street from Brock Street west to Byron, and from Brock Street east to Green/Perry. Currently the sidewalk is 1.2 to 2.0 m wide. By converting the existing curb lanes to sidewalks, approximately 4 metres (16 feet) can be added to the public realm along both the north and south sides of Dundas Street between Byron and Green/Perry. Brock Street would remain open to all north-south traffic.

The proposed transit and pedestrian mall would improve the public realm with wider sidewalks for pedestrians and public events in Downtown Whitby, while also improving transit priority and connections across Whitby.

Analysis of 12 months of trip data (February 2019 to January 2020) found:

• 20% of trips begin and end outside Whitby. These longer distance trips could take other regional roads instead of Dundas Street.
• 46% of trips are medium distance trips within Whitby. These medium distance trips can take other regional and local roads within Whitby. Planned road network connections, including Manning to Adelaide at Garrard Road, and the recent Consumers Drive extension to Thornton Road, provide new route choices for drivers.
• 34% of trips begin or end in Downtown Whitby. These local trips can take other local roads within Whitby. Planned road network connections, including the Dunlop Street extension, provide new route choices for drivers.

• Lack of improvement to the public realm in Downtown Whitby, particularly the lack of opportunity to widen sidewalks, with concerns for accessibility, pedestrian safety, and walkability,
• Loss of parking along Dundas Street is a major concern to local businesses,
• Restrictions to curbside loading and unloading,
• Reduced road capacity for cars and goods movement, and
• Delays to transit from right-turning traffic and curbside operations (waste removal, deliveries) reduces the overall benefit of transit investments through all of Whitby.

The introduction of PULSE saw an immediate increase in transit ridership, demonstrating that higher order transit will be successful in encouraging more people to choose public transit for more of their trips. While no transit service will suit every trip for every person, the planned improvements will build on existing successes and help reduce the pressure on the corridor to carry more trips. The Durham-Scarborough BRT is not a new project, it builds on the existing Durham Region Transit (DRT) PULSE service and existing bus lanes. This transit service currently connects major destinations and communities across Durham Region and into the City of Toronto.

As Durham Region continues to grow over the next 20 years, dedicated bus lanes are required to maintain reliability of transit services and reduce conflicts and congestion with motor vehicles across the corridor. Today traffic congestion delays all road users but affects transit riders disproportionately.Transit trips are two to three times longer than equivalent car trips. Transit trips are also subject to much greater variability as minor delays become magnified by the very nature how public transit operates and often results in “bus bunching”.

DRT and other transit agencies use various techniques to minimize these delays but cannot eliminate them unless the buses run on dedicated lanes where the impacts of traffic congestion can be removed.

The project is currently in the preliminary design stage. There will be more opportunities for consultation and design refinements before the preliminary design is completed, as well as during the detail design phase prior to construction. Metrolinx will continue to consult with stakeholders, including residents and business owners, to understand their needs and concerns.

When a bus is delayed, more people arrive at the downstream bus stops, increasing the amount of time needed to board those passengers. As the number of people on the bus increases, additional time is also needed for passengers to get to the doors to get off the bus, further increasing the delay. The delayed bus also slows down but the bus behind it does not. The reduced interval, or headway, between buses means that the second bus sees fewer passengers and has fewer delays from crowding on the bus. This variability causes buses to bunch together and requires that transit riders plan extra time into their schedules to account for the potential delays along the corridor.