1

Planning for Transit in the World‟s Most Livable City:

What Portland and the Rest of North America Can Learn

From Vancouver

Alan Jones – Director

Steer Davies Gleave

Suite 970, 355 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6C 2G8

Canada

October 2010

www.steerdaviesgleave.com

Our Rail~Volution Session

Ι Transportation and Land Use in the 21st Century and Beyond

Ι What will our cities and regions look like 20 years from now?

Ι Fifty years from now?

Ι The decisions we make today about shaping our communities toward

more walkable, sustainable, economically viable design will be

important in the future.

Ι This overview session focuses on new projects, modes and ways of

thinking for dealing with urban realities and challenges around the

world.

Ι Take a close look at the innovative planning efforts being undertaken

in three progressive areas and see how those efforts can be translated

to your region.

2

An Urban World

3

4

5

Sustainable Land Use ?

6

A Future for Suburbia ?

7

“Ladies and

gentlemen, the

situation is not

good…

The world’s

climates are

changing, the

mammals are taking

over, and we all

have a

brain about the

size of a golf ball”

8

A Warm Globe Future ?

Livability and a Healthy Lifestyle

9

11

12

Vancouver, the Worlds Most Livable City

The Economist - 2010

Ι Economist scoring of 98 out of

100 potential points

Ι Ranked highly for:

■ Quality of life

■ Economic stability

■ Quality health care

■ Strong education system

■ Livable communities

13

Vancouver, British Columbia –

The World‟s Most Livable City

Ι City includes 1/3 of the region‟s

total employment

Ι Primary growth in commute

choices has been by transit,

biking, or walking

Ι Local, regional, & national focus

on:

■ Creating convenient

transportation options

■ Greater use of transit

■ Transit-friendly land use

■ Reducing reliance on the car

14

Vancouver in Context

Vancouver in Context

Ι Significant urban centre for Western Canada

Ι Consistent population growth currently at approximately 600,000

(within city limits) & 1.5 million in the metro area

Ι Population is projected to increase by 137,000 (23%) within the City

and by 54% to 3.39 million within the region (2041)

Ι Existing transit network of bus, SkyTrain, Canada Line, seabus, etc.

15

Metro Vancouver Population and Employment Projections 2040

16

Vancouver and Greater Vancouver –Long Term Targets

Ι TransLink‟s Transport 2040- Long term Plan

Ι Targets: 50% sustainable modes share (walk, bike, transit)

Ι Currently 30%, fourfold increase with growing population

Ι BC Provincial Transit Plan

Ι 22% Transit Mode Share by 2020

Ι GHG reduction target: 33% by 2020, 80% by 2040

Ι City of Vancouver

Ι 28% Transit Mode Share by 2020

17

Extensive Trolleybus and bus network

18

SkyTrain System

19

Canada Line- opened 2009

20

Canada Line- underground in Downtown

21

22

University of British Columbia (UBC) Corridor

Ι Significant transit corridor crossing the Canada Line and SkyTrain

Ι Major activity centres at City Hall, health care facilities, & UBC

Ι Mix of commercial & residential densities

23

UBC

Downtown

Broadway

Skytrain

Canada

Line

N

Commercial/Broadway

24

25

Derrick Ulian photo

MirandaNelsonphoto

B Line at Commercial/Broadway

26

VCC Clark SkyTrain Station- Millennium Line

27

Broadway Corridor- East Vancouver

28

Broadway and Main Street- “Uptown Vancouver”

29

Broadway and Trafalgar (east of Arbutus)

30

Kitsilano- Residential Neighbourhood

31

Broadway and Mac Donald -Kitsilano

32

33

Kitsilano- local neighbourhood

Point Grey

34

University Boulevard (University Endowment Lands)

35

University of British Columbia- Campus Site

36

University of British Columbia Campus

37

Ι Lead: TransLink, BC Province

Ι Partners:

■ City of Vancouver

■ Metro Vancouver

■ University of British

Columbia

■ University Endowment Lands

Ι Problem/Vision/Objectives

Ι MAE assessment

Ι Alignment Designs

Ι Technology Review

Ι BRT, LRT & Rail Rapid Transit

Ι Ridership & traffic modelling

Ι Stakeholder inputs

38

UBC Rapid Transit Project

39

UBC Line Rapid Transit Project – Problem Statements

Ι The problem statement defines the „purpose and need‟ for the study

Ι Agreed UBC Line Rapid Transit Project problem statements developed:

■ Existing transit services do not provide sufficient capacity or reliable

enough service to the major regional destinations and economic hubs

within the Broadway Corridor

■ Transit trips and mode share need to increase to reduce vehicle

kilometres traveled (VKT) and GHG emissions, both directly

and by supporting the Regional Growth Strategy and other

regional objectives

■ Regional funding for transit is limited and needs to balance a range

of rapid transit investment priorities

40

UBC Line Rapid Transit Project – Vision and Mission

Ι The Vision explains the overall aim or purpose of the UBC Line

Rapid Transit Project

■ A rapid transit service that serves and shapes a great region and

communities and strengthens its livability and sustainability by

providing a viable alternative to the private car

Ι The Mission defines how the planning will be done and what

outcomes the UBC Line should achieve/deliver

■ To plan a rapid transit service that is accessible, convenient, safe,

reliable and environmentally and financially sustainable that

integrates with the regional transportation system and contributes

to the achievement of transportation, environmental and land use

objectives and targets

Vancouver Embraces a New Approach for the UBC Corridor

MAE

Deliverability

Economic Development

Environment

FinancialSocial

Community

Transportation

Urban Development

41

Ι Multiple account evaluation (MAE)

Ι MAE analysis & prioritization process successfully used throughout the

UK & continental Europe

42

UBC Line Rapid Transit project:

Design Work Books- 1:1,000 Drawings and Design Stage 1 (DF1)

Ι Early start on 1:1000 plans – surface and grade-separated

Ι Maximising segregated operation and junction priority

Ι Identifying key issues

■ Station and stop locations

■ Pedestrian and bike amenities

■ Land-use, property impacts and development opportunities

■ On-street parking, servicing and deliveries

■ Area-wide traffic and bus circulation issues- “Complete Communities”

Ι Subsequent Design Stages will

develop the design(s) and

address the issues/opportunities

43

The “Complete Community” Approach

Ι Vancouver- Street Hierarchy

44

University

45

Commercial

Stakeholder Engagement & Workshops

Ι Design charrettes (decision accelerator)

Ι Designing complete streets (design a cross section)

Ι 100 participants

Ι A “game changer”

46

“Best Bus” Option

47

Transit Integration & Complete Streets- BRT Option

48

UBC Simulation UBC Simulation

Transit Integration & Complete Streets- LRT Option

49

UBC Simulation UBC Simulation

Rail Rapid Transit- Underground Station Entrance Granville/City

Centre

50

Rail Rapid Transit- Canada Line Broadway/City Hall Station

Entrance

51

Rail Rapid Transit- Entrance- Information & Ticketing

52

Rail Rapid Transit- typical underground station platform

53

Transit Technology Review- Olympic Line- Streetcar

Demonstration

54

Sacramento

Ι Streetcar

Ι Light Rail Transit…

Ι or European Street Tram ?

55

56

Alstom Citadis – Vehicle Options & Examples

Vehicle Arrangement Options

Vehicle Cab Options

Ι Lyon, France – 32.4m long (full low floor access)

Ι 56 seated, 145 standing – 201 passengers total

(4 passengers/m2)

Ι Dublin, Ireland – 40.8m long (partial low floor with

full low floor access)

Ι 80 seated, 230 standing – 310 passengers total

(5 passengers/m2)* Images & information supplied courtesy of Alstom

57

Station Area Planning: European Style

Dublin LRT- Urban Style LRT and related TOD

58

All r

oute

opti

ons

Single

Preferred

Option

High level assessment

against objectives

(200+ options) (Pre-Sift)

Assessment against

MAE criteria

(30 to 10 options)

Detailed assessment

(6 to 1 options)

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

MAE Process of Applying Accounts & Narrowing Options

59

60

Phase 1 Pre-Sift Process – Corridor Identification

Ι Identified around 200 corridors wholly within the study area

Ι Initial assessment completed using high level criteria

Ι Technologies applied to corridors that passed the first screening

61

Phase 1 Sift Process – Summary Conclusions

Ι 30 Options passed the pre-sift evaluation

■ 2 BRT option

■ 12 LRT options

■ 8 RRT options

■ 8 technology combination options

62

62

Phase 2 Multiple Account Evaluation

Preliminary ResultsUBC Line Rapid Transit Study

63

64

Bus Rapid Transit Alternative (BRT)

Ι 13.3km, 13 stops, 33.4mins, 2 min headway, 3,000 capacity (phpd)

65

Light Rail Transit Alternative 1 (LRT1A and LRT1B)

Ι 13.5/14.3km, 13/13 stops, 26.5/28.7 mins, 4 min headway, 7,200 capacity (phpd)

66

Light Rail Transit Alternative 2 (LRT2)

Ι 13.5/12.0km, 13/13 stops, 26.5/24.7 mins, 5+7.5/3 min headway, 5,760+1,920/ 7,680 capacity (phpd)

67

Rail Rapid Transit Alternative 1 (RRT1A and RRT1B)

Ι 13.5/12.4km, 13/12 stops, 20.1/18.5 mins, 3 min headway, 7,800 capacity (phpd)

68

Combination Alternative 1 (Combo1)

Ι 12.0/5.5km, 13/7 stops, 24.7/10.3 mins, 3 min headway, 4,800/7,800 capacity (phpd)

69

Illustration of MAE results- summary presentation material

Ι Partnership Approach is essential

Ι Multiple Account Evaluation

ensures balanced assessment

Ι Consider wide range of technology

options

Ι Complete Corridor approach is key

Ι Transit, land use, and demand

management to meet the targets

Ι “Integration isn‟t easy..but it‟s

worth it !”

70

UBC Project: Lessons Learned

71

Thank you

MAE Accounts

Ι Social Community - major community impacts

■ Fit with the existing community; pedestrian and cycle links and

connections; impacts on First Nations; ability to improve accessibility to

transit and mobility for low-income households (equity); impacts to

quality of life; noise; health benefits; security and safety implications;

visual intrusion and community cohesion/severance; and, effects on

heritage and archeology.

Ι Transportation - impacts on transit users and non-transit users affected by the

project.

■ Value of the change in travel time for transit and road users; automobile

operating cost savings for road users; safety benefits; travel time

reliability and system crowding.

Ι Urban Development - impact on land value and land use

■ Value uplift at/between station areas; potential property tax increases;

general impacts on land use.

72

MAE Accounts

Ι Deliverability - implementation and feasibility issues

■ Constructability; acceptability (public and political); funding; and policy

support.

Ι Economic Development - direct and indirect income and employment

impacts: short-term (during construction) and long-term (ongoing

operations)

■ Incremental employment, income and GDP during construction;

incremental annual employment, income and GDP during the operational

phase; incremental taxes (provincial and federal); impact on goods

movement.

73

MAE Accounts

Ι Environment - a high level assessment to identify the likely

environmental impacts of the options:

■ impacts of the construction and operation; effects on reductions in GHG

emissions over the life of the project; nature and magnitude of other

environmental impacts.

Ι Financial – all fiscal measures, expressed as a net present value (NPV)

of costs.

■ Includes: direct costs of building and operating the service; direct

revenues from the operation of the service; and, indirect costs and

revenues that are either incurred or avoided due to the rapid transit

service.

74