POLICY REPORT
Urban Structure
Date: May 13, 1997
Dept. File No. PJ
CC File No.: 5560-1
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Transportation Planning Team
SUBJECT: Vancouver Transportation Plan
RECOMMENDATIONS
A. THAT Council adopt the Transportation Plan (Appendix B), as
amended, including the mode split targets which emphasise the
need for increased provision and use of transit; limiting
overall road capacity to the present level; maintaining an
efficient goods movement network; traffic calming in
neighbourhoods; and providing more comfortable biking and
walking environments.
B. THAT Council instruct the General Manager of Engineering
Services and the Director of City Plans to report back by
September on a joint Engineering/Planning implementation
program based on action items scheduled for completion "within
3 years", as outlined in Chapter 3 of the Transportation Plan
(Appendix B); and to include priorities, resources, and
timing.
C. THAT Council instruct the General Manager of Engineering
Services and the Director of City Plans to monitor
implementation of the Transportation Plan and report to
Council, prior to the next Capital Plan budget preparation, on
initiatives to further the Transportation Plan.
D. THAT Council instruct staff to reference the Transportation
Plan policies when reporting on transportation initiatives and
the General Manager of Engineering Services and the Director
of City Plans to report back, as required, with suggested
amendments to the Transportation Plan to address new issues or
reflect new Council policies.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Engineering Services RECOMMENDS approval of A, B,
C and D, and provides the following comments.
The Transportation Plan is a document which moves the City significantly
along the path of new transportation policy. It follows the same path
by reinforcing a number of current Council policies and programs. On
the other hand, the Plan establishes new transportation policy in a
number of areas.
Most notable areas of change include:
A strong reliance on transit to respond to the growth in travel
demand brought about by increasing population and employment. A
number of new programs are suggested to create a transit friendly
environment. There is also a recognition that in the absence of a
responsive governance and financing structure, the City must become
more aggressive in the demands for transit service improvements.
An expanded neighbourhood traffic calming program which includes
local collector streets.
The establishment of transportation targets which provides a
measuring stick to evaluate the effectiveness of policies and
plans.
The most debated element of the plan was the scale and scope of roadway
improvements, most notably left-turn bays. The policies permit the
consideration of roadway improvements, but in the broader context of
other transportation system impacts.
The Transportation Plan also lays out a large work plan which cannot be
achieved within current resources. As a result, Engineering and
Planning will need to report back to establish Council s priorities for
implementing the Plan.
Finally, there is a concern that the transportation system may not
provide sufficient overall capability to meet the expected growth in the
City under CityPlan and the Livable Region Strategy. The evolving
travel needs of City residents and businesses and the ability of other
agencies to provide the required transportation elements will have to be
carefully monitored over the duration of the Plan. The importance of
monitoring and the potential need to adapt to changing needs is
reflected in the Transportation Plan.
The General Manager of Community Services and the Director of City Plans
RECOMMEND approval of A, B, C, and D, and provide the following
comments.
The General Manager of Community Services and the Director of City Plans
commend the Transportation Plan to Council as a key component of the
City s strategy for managing growth and change. It supports both the
Livable Region Strategy and is a significant step in implementing
CityPlan. While building upon the City s many past successes in managing
traffic and transportation demand, it also leads us into new directions
which challenge tradition and conventional wisdom. Implementing the plan
will require assertive action and careful monitoring. Engineering and
Planning staff will need to work together on implementation with even
more energy than that with which they co-operated on plan development.
It will be difficult to stay the course; following through will be full
of challenges; but there are no realistic options. Pursuing the plan
with vigour is the only choice we have to accommodate transportation
demands while at the same time maintaining all the other qualities which
this City values.
COUNCIL POLICY
Existing transportation policy is extensive. Key policies include:
i) No freeways within the city;
ii) No further significant investment to expand motor vehicle crossings
into Vancouver in terms of adding additional capacity;
iii) A hierarchy of mode priorities of pedestrians first, then cycling,
transit, goods movement and vehicles to provide a balanced
transportation system;
iv) Clouds of Change directions;
v) Livable Region Strategy and BC/GVRD Transport 2021 Plan;
vi) CityPlan transportation directions;
vii) Downtown Parking Policies, ie Parking By-law.
Most recently, on April 8, 1997, Council approved recommendations on
regional Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies that
stipulate that revenues raised from tolls and road pricing be spent
directly on transit and transportation improvements to the
transportation system.
PURPOSE
This report proposes a Transportation Plan for the City of Vancouver.
Input from the public and City staff have been considered in preparing
the final plan. For details on the public consultation program, please
see the accompanying Council report, titled "Public Consultation Report
on the Draft Transportation Plan".
SUMMARY
The Transportation Plan is the product of a Council initiative to
provide the City with an overall framework to guide day-to-day
decision-making on transportation issues. A public program engaged
citizens throughout plan preparation in a discussion of the various
transportation choices facing the city and region.
The most pressing challenge for the City s Transportation Plan
is to provide for the diverse travel needs of residents and businesses
in the city and the region while protecting the vitality of the Downtown
and the livability of residential neighbourhoods. The Plan balances
these competing objectives by "thinking regionally and acting locally."
The regional plans already approved, known as the Livable Region
Strategy and the BC/GVRD Transport 2021, have set the scene for
concentrating residential growth, arranging land use more conveniently
and curbing the growth of vehicle use through travel demand management.
The City s Transportation Plan presents a vision to accommodate growth
in travel demand in Vancouver primarily through transit improvements
without increasing the capacity for vehicle movement. Target mode splits
to achieve this vision are given for various parts of the city and for
UBC. Means of protecting neighbourhoods through expanded traffic calming
programs are also proposed. A variety of policies and actions are
proposed to work toward these targets and a monitoring program is
recommended to ensure we are moving toward the targets and to take
further actions if necessary.
The draft Plan was circulated in September, 1996. Following public
input, the Plan has been amended. The main change is a re-writing of
Chapter 3 to respond to criticisms that policies and implementation
measures were not specific enough. The revised Plan outlines overall
policies, followed by policies for a number of plan topics. For each
plan topic there are proposals for action. It is recommended that an
Implementation Program now be prepared for Council approval that
identifies resources and timing for each of the actions proposed to be
completed within three years.
The City s Transportation Plan will be the amended "Red Book" only. The
"Blue Book" of Action Plans will be a resource book to assist in
implementing the Transportation Plan objectives.
BACKGROUND
In May 1995, Council instructed the Engineering and Planning Departments
to prepare a Transportation Plan for the city. The Transportation Plan
was to be based on the strategic directions established in the Livable
Region Strategy and Transport 2021, and was to continue and expand on
the work done on transportation directions in CityPlan.
Council wanted to build on the various transportation policies and
programs already in place by setting an overall framework for dealing
with the many transportation issues facing the city. Some of these
issues include how to respond to pressure to provide more road space
for commuters, how to improve public transit, how to provide for
efficient goods movement, and how to protect city neighbourhoods from
increasing traffic.
Council decided that a full public program was needed to help prepare
the plan. The public program would engage citizens in a discussion of
the various choices facing the city and region.
The Transportation Plan Team has considered major transportation issues
and choices which might form the basis of a comprehensive transportation
plan for the future. Ideas were canvassed at a public symposium,
consisting of four public seminars held in January 1996. Meetings were
also held with established organizations during the first few months of
the planning process.
A Transportation Choices Survey was prepared identifying 23 key
transportation choices which together could represent an overall
framework for the draft Transportation Plan. The Choices Survey was
widely circulated in May and June 1996. About 35,000 copies were
distributed, through the mailing list (7,000); in community centers,
libraries, stores, etc. (14,000); through community groups (7,000); and
through the mail for a special sample of randomly selected households
(7,000). About 2,700 replies were received.
In general, the responses supported the choices/proposals outlined in
the Transportation Choices Survey. What emerged from the results of the
Choices Survey was a willingness to accept less convenient car travel in
the future in exchange for an improved transit system and for more
pleasant neighbourhoods.
On the basis of the positive response to the choices/proposals, and
additional input from public meetings and letters submitted, the
Transportation Plan Team prepared a draft Transportation Plan. The draft
Plan was reviewed by the public in a series of meetings held in the fall
of 1996. Those responding at the meetings and in writing were generally
supportive. The public comment received at this stage is included in an
accompanying report. In early 1997 a series of special Council meetings
was held to provide an opportunity for the public to speak directly to
Council on the draft Plan.
Input from the public and from City staff is reflected in changes to the
Plan (Appendix B). The changes are underlined in the accompanying Plan.
The main change is a re-writing of Chapter 3 to respond to two
weaknesses : 1) to make a clear policy statement to guide future
decision-making; and 2) to be specific about actions and timing needed
to implement policies. The thrust of the Plan remains consistent with
the Livable Region Strategy and CityPlan.
DISCUSSION
1. Overview of The Plan
The Livable Region Strategy recognizes that for economic and
environmental reasons, the creation of a more concentrated metropolitan
region is necessary to prevent continuing urban sprawl. According to the
Strategy, Vancouver is expected to accommodate an additional 160,000
people and 100,000 jobs by the year 2021. The street system in the city
is near capacity at peak periods now, and even in the off-peak, areas
such as the Downtown are congested.
The Transportation Plan presents a vision to accommodate growth in
travel demand in Vancouver through primarily transit improvements
without increasing the overall capacity for vehicle movement. Target
mode splits to achieve this vision are given for various parts of the
city and for UBC. A variety of policies and actions are proposed to work
toward these targets and a monitoring program is recommended to ensure
we are moving toward the targets and to take further actions if
necessary.
It is clear that growth in Vancouver cannot be accommodated with the
current reliance on the automobile. Even if the streets could be
expanded to deliver so many automobiles, the urban environment would
become very unpleasant. This would be detrimental for city businesses as
well as for residential neighborhoods.
Throughout the Transportation Plan process city residents have said that
increasing auto trips are having a detrimental effect on their
neighborhoods, whether on arterial or residential streets. This has been
recognized in numerous other studies from the Clouds of Change report to
the recent work of the Vancouver Urban Noise Task Force.
While growth in auto trips may seem the inevitable result of population
and employment growth, it does not have to be. Auto use is a function of
land use, public policy, personal habits, and the alternatives
available. Many cities with similar densities to Vancouver function very
effectively with much lower auto use. Businesses continue to be
successful. Goods continue to move.
In Vancouver many of the necessary land use policies are in place.
Transit development unfortunately has lagged behind growth and demand.
The resulting pressure to improve traffic conditions has led to policy
decisions which continue to incrementally devote more street space to
moving traffic of all types but especially automobiles.
Continuing in this fashion would be detrimental to promoting a balanced
transportation system and ultimately the City still would not be able to
accommodate the demand for trips. As the street system continues to
develop with small but expensive changes, resources are consumed that
potentially could have been used more effectively in targeting
alternative modes more directly.
The policies and actions proposed in the Transportation Plan would:
- Cap the growth of automobile trips and thereby preserve the ability
to move goods effectively and to preserve the ability to serve auto
trips that are best made by that mode.
- Move toward more specialization of some streets, primarily to serve
transit and to serve neighborhoods.
- Improve transit through better on-street facilities, more dedicated
street space for transit, more frequent service and more express
service including LRT.
- Improve livability and thereby improve conditions for transit cycling
and walking.
- Focus existing budgets onto priority modes.
- Monitor progress toward achieving Transportation Plan , Livable
Region Strategy and Clouds of Change goals.
The Livable Region Strategy growth expectations can be accommodated
without increasing vehicle traffic in the city if the appropriate steps
are taken to achieve this. Even without growth in traffic the majority
of trips will still be made by automobile 25 years from now. The Plan s
2021 targets for transit use are lower than many cities achieve today.
Many existing Council policies are moving in the direction suggested in
the Plan. Real changes are needed, however, in the practical application
of some policies and in achieving the necessary transit system. 2. The Modal Split Targets
Overall the Transportation Plan vision is to accommodate growth in trips
through transit improvement and improvement of walking and cycling while
keeping traffic in the city at or below 1996 levels. Council s existing
mode split target for the Downtown will accomplish this in the Downtown
if achieved. However, there are no existing targets for other areas of
the city. It is important to set some targets for the city and to
monitor movement toward those targets so that actions can be adjusted
and strengthened if necessary.
At a general level, Transport 2021, the regional study, projected trip
volumes and types for Vancouver. These projections were based on a
series of recommended measures such as transit improvement and road
pricing being in place. These projections were used to develop mode
targets for Vancouver. Different areas of the city have different needs
and characteristics and will benefit differently from initiatives such
as LRT. Accordingly targets for specific areas are proposed in the Plan.
These targets are more specific about the distribution of trips between
modes within the city than Transport 2021 was. In particular we have
made some estimates of walking and biking trips which Transport 2021 did
not attempt to model.
As part of the OCP process for UBC, Council has already recommended that
the GVRD adopt the Transportation Plan targets for access to UBC. These
targets set a relatively high level of transit use for UBC which is
consistent with the nature of the university and proven programs which
can be implemented in the environment of a large educational
institution.
The Transportation Plan also sets mode split targets for Central
Broadway. This is an emerging office area that will have the advantage
ultimately of two light rail lines as well as numerous bus routes and
relatively dense multi-family neighbourhoods surrounding it. Actions
dealing with parking and street environment issues need to begin to
reflect the high transit potential of this area in order to help play a
role in relieving traffic pressure in the city as a whole.
3. Amendments To The Draft Plan
Through the consultation process on the Draft Transportation Plan some
amendments have been made by the Transportation Planning Team. These
amendments are underlined in the accompanying Transportation Plan.
Appendix A outlines the key concerns raised during the consultation
process. The main changes are outlined below:
a) Revised Targets
During the public consultation process, many people expressed the view
that the walking and biking targets were too modest given the likely
land use changes over coming decades, such as the capacity to increase
housing near the downtown, and the new community near UBC. Accordingly
walking and biking targets have been revised slightly upwards, as shown
in Chapter 2.
b) Revamping of Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of the Transportation Plan has been revised to include a
condensed list of policies and supporting actions. These changes have
been made in response to the public identifying the need for a clear
statement of policies and an implementation program. The actions in
this section are also accompanied by proposed implementation time
frames. Adoption of the Transportation Plan as recommended in this
report includes adoption of the policies listed in Chapter 3 and the
associated actions subject to report back as required.
The draft Plan consisted of a "Red Book" and a "Blue Book". The City s
Transportation Plan will be the amended "Red Book" only. Some of the
actions listed in the Blue Book have been moved to Chapter 3 of the "Red
Book". While the Blue Book will not be part of the approved Plan, it
will continue to be a valuable resource in guiding day-to day
transportation decisions.
4. Implementation
A great deal has already been accomplished in Vancouver to help move
toward some of the Transportation Plan goals. Greenway and Bikeway
programs have been underway for some time. A new Neighbourhood
Transportation Branch has recently been established, and will design and
implement an improved traffic calming process.
The Transportation Plan takes further steps forward with respect to
traffic calming and making alternatives to car travel for some trips
more practical. To achieve the Transportation Plan goals does mean doing
things differently and refocusing some programs and funding. The
Transportation Plan team believes that many elements of the Plan can be
achieved with existing resources.
For example constructing better bus shelters in place of inadequate
shelters is relatively inexpensive. Only $90,000 is allocated to new
City bus shelters in the 1997 capital budget. Increasing this program by
reallocating funding from other areas would have little impact on those
other areas but could make a big difference to improve the comfort of
passengers at transit stops. Other elements such as improved data
gathering to help monitor the plan may well require additional operating
budget resources. These requirements will need to be reported back to
Council by Engineering and Planning. Where this is required it is noted
in the summary of implementation actions in Chapter 3 of the
Transportation Plan.
It is recommended that the Departments of Engineering and Planning
report back by September, 1997 on an implementation program based on
actions scheduled for completion "within three years" in the
Transportation Plan. This report would include priorities, resources
and timing.
5. Monitoring
For many years Council has had a policy of working toward achieving a
higher transit mode split in the Downtown. However in the last 20 years
we have not moved any closer to reaching the existing target for
transit. The measures included in the Transportation Plan are intended
to start moving us toward a higher level of transit use but the measures
may need revisiting and strengthening as we move ahead. We need a better
way to monitor progress and readjust on a more frequent basis than we
have in the past. For this reason the Transportation Plan includes a
section on monitoring. It is recommended that the Departments of
Engineering and Planning undertake regular monitoring and review of
transportation services and use to establish how transportation patterns
are developing and to recommend additional policies and measures needed
to achieve the Transportation Plan policies and targets.
Implementation should also be monitored at a project level by doing a
more comprehensive analysis of costs and benefits. This analysis would
show how individual projects contribute to improved transit, walking and
cycling conditions, how individual projects fit into the overall
transportation network and how each project will contribute to moving
toward the transportation mode split targets.
Monitoring will require the collection of data that is not currently
available on a regular basis. However, movement toward the
Transportation Plan goals will occur on an incremental basis as
individual projects are approved and constructed. In order to get the
best value out of the money being spent on transportation it is
important to be able to monitor progress.
It is also recommended that to keep the Transportation Plan current as a
statement of Council policy, that staff should report back to Council
with suggested amendments as required, to address new issues or reflect
new Council policies.
CONCLUSION
Following on from the Livable Region Strategy, Vancouver s CityPlan set
the direction for greater emphasis on public transit and discouraging
the growth in the number and use of cars. A Choices Survey and numerous
public meetings and discussions were held throughout the Transportation
Plan process to gauge public support and shape a number of proposals
which would help implement CityPlan objectives. These proposals were
then developed into the Draft Transportation Plan.
Many of Council s existing policies and programs are consistent with the
Transportation Plan. The Transportation Plan is not a radical departure
from past directions. Instead it builds on past work and proposes
policies and actions that take many existing programs a few steps
further in order to meet the objectives of CityPlan and regional
policies. These few steps, however, are important steps to ensure that
as the city and the region grow, the livability of the city is enhanced,
and a diverse and vibrant economy is supported.
* * * * *
KEY ISSUES EXPRESSED ABOUT THE DRAFT PLAN
No plan can satisfy all the competing demands, and this one does not
come without concerns. Many issues have been addressed already in the
process and are reflected in the final Plan. The purpose of this
appendix is to document the main concerns raised about the Plan. For
each concern expressed, this appendix also explains the rationale behind
the course of action recommended in the Plan.
a) Need for Better Transit Services
Concern: The Plan is too reliant on transit and if transit is not
provided then the Plan will fail.
Response: The Plan is reliant on major improvements to transit. However,
transit is the only option for accommodating the level of growth
anticipated. The choices are either to provide transit or accept less
concentrated growth in the Region and increased congestion for longer
periods of the day. Lack of transit will be a problem for City residents
even if no roadway capacity is added entering Vancouver because growth
in population and jobs will create more demand for trips within the
city.
The biggest problem, however, is for suburban residents coming into the
city by car. Roadway capacity to handle the suburban commute will cost
much more than providing transit.
b) The City Transportation Plan in the Regional Context
Concern: The Plan ignores the needs of the Region and focuses on City
neighbourhoods.
Response: The Plan is consistent with the Livable Region Strategy and
Transport 2021 and is supported by GVRD Strategic Planning staff. The
economy of the Downtown, Port and other regional destinations and
businesses are served through the goods movement network, an enhanced
transit system, and adequate road capacity to meet regional trips needs.
The Plan seeks to serve people living at higher densities by providing a
better transit system. It also seeks to protect these neighborhoods from
commuter traffic. Creating livable, complete communities which are
served by transit is at the heart of the Livable Region Strategy.
Conversely, serving people who live in low density suburbs by providing
more auto capacity and scarce transit services would work against the
objectives of the Strategy.
c) Equity Issues in the Allocation of Transportation
Concern: Some have argued that the Plan is inequitable because it
punishes people who move out of the city for more affordable housing.
Response: Many of those who buy a suburban property do so out of a
desire for affordable low density houses, rather than general
affordability. The intention of the regional plans is to help prevent
urban sprawl by making car commuting form the suburbs less attractive
and to ensure that new communities develop at a density that is viable
for public transit.
The city still houses the highest concentration of low income residents
in the region. The city has a higher proportion of people who cannot
afford automobiles and who are already dependent on transit. About 20%
of households in the city do not own a car, compared to about 5% in
suburban municipalities.
d) Implications for automobile capacity
Concern: There is concern that the Plan will reduce automobile capacity.
Response: Overall, some loss in capacity is likely. However the current
volumes of traffic can still be handled with some increase in trip time
in peak periods. This is necessary in order to give other modes a bigger
share of the network.
Some elements of the Plan such as dedicated lanes for LRT on Broadway
and bus only lanes would decrease auto capacity on a few routes during
peak periods. Computer modeling did not indicate that this would have a
large travel time penalty (3 to 5 minutes might be added for example on
a trip from Richmond to the Downtown). Bus only lanes are not
recommended in the Plan in the short-term.
Bus bulges are recommended on some streets where parking is not stripped
in peak periods. These would result in buses stopping in one of the
traveled lanes but the impact on traffic is not expected to be
significant.
Some secondary arterial streets are proposed to be downgraded to
neighbourhood collectors. These streets are identified because they
currently do not carry high volumes of traffic and these neighbourhoods
can be served by the arterial system. The intent is that they continue
to serve their current neighbourhood function but that the speed of
traffic be controlled by traffic calming measures and that the streets
not be widened to accommodate more traffic.
Bike lanes are recommended particularly in the downtown where other
options are not available. It is generally not the intent to take away
automobile capacity to do this or to accommodate them by expensive
street widening. Opportunities exist to provide some lanes in place of
parking, by narrowing the traveled lanes or by providing marked hybrid
lanes. In most cases this should not reduce capacity.
Improved pedestrian crossing opportunities are proposed with shorter
waiting times. These are proposed on streets that are primarily city and
neighbourhood serving so any loss in capacity is expected to be minor.
e) Assessment of Left Turn Bay Proposals
Concern: The Plan is against left turn bays which can improve traffic
safety and flow of traffic.
Response: Left turn bays are often used as a way to improve safety. The
Plan supports enhanced safety for all street users where that is
achievable within the overall transportation objectives. However, there
are many ways to achieve safety and left turn bays are sometimes not the
most cost-effective ways of solving safety problems. They can result in
speed and capacity increases which in turn can create further safety
problems.
Many factors should be considered in evaluating the costs and benefits
of street changes whether the changes are simple curb and paving
projects or widening for a left turn bay. The Plan recommends a fuller
analysis and accounting of these costs and benefits.
f) The Role of Walking and Biking in a Balanced Transportation System
Concern: The Plan gives too much emphasis to walking and bikes when for
the majority these do not represent practical alternatives.
Response: While a number of people expressed this concern, many others
expressed concern that the targets for walking and biking were too
modest. The final Plan adjusts biking and walking slightly upwards to
reflect the likely land use changes that would makes these modes more
favorable, i.e., the new community at UBC and population growth near the
downtown.
Walking and cycling will never be realistic options for most people
commuting long distances into the city. However they can be very good
options for traveling within the neighborhood, traveling within the
Downtown and traveling to work from nearby neighborhoods. In this role
they can reduce the demand placed on the street system by city residents
for whom walking and cycling are an option.
The Plan does discuss walking, and cycling as well as transit in some
depth because these modes are underdeveloped in Vancouver given the role
that they could serve and they have been identified by Council as high
priorities. The improvements proposed for walking and cycling, however,
are generally not high-cost items. Pedestrian signals are low cost items
for example and re-timing existing pedestrian signals is virtually a
no-cost item.
For the implementation of bike lanes, the intention is not that curbs
are moved at high cost but that bike lanes be accommodated within the
existing street width either by narrowing lanes, replacing parking,
using a hybrid lane or simply painting a lane where the width already
exists. Installing more bike racks in the city, painting bike logos on
existing bikeways and installing bike racks on buses are also low-cost
options. g) Ensuring efficient goods movement
Concern: Some fear that future congestion will damage the economic
efficiency of the city and that the Plan does not provide for the
economic growth of the city.
Response: In general, movement of goods around the city is served in the
Plan by making sure that there are viable alternatives for automobile
trips so that the number of competing trips taken by automobile need not
grow. Even on a heavily used truck route such as Knight Street, there
are about 40,000 vehicles a day competing with only about 1,000 trucks.
A bigger issue for goods movement is the time lost at the end of truck
trips in accessing loading bays, getting in and out of downtown lanes
and in accessing the Port itself. In terms of time lost this is much
more significant to the industry than delays experienced traveling on a
street such as Knight Street. Additional effort invested in parking
enforcement in lanes and in ensuring appropriate loading facilities is
recommended in the Plan and would provide a better return on investment
to the industry than attempting to shorten street travel time for goods
by a few minutes.
h) Taking A Long Term Perspective
Concern: The Plan is not visionary enough, a network of subways or light
rail is needed, and more bridges and freeways to cope with regional
traffic.
Response: The Plan meets the objectives of the Livable Region Strategy
and CityPlan. The goals of these initiatives can be achieved over the
next 25 years with the measures proposed in the Transportation Plan.
More ambitious steps could be taken to build subways and reduce
automobile use. However the measures proposed were chosen because they
seem achievable from a cost perspective and because they do not require
a radical change in travel
behaviour overall. It is recommended that progress on the Transportation
Plan implementation be monitored so that as conditions change over the
next 25 years the Plan can be modified if necessary.