Staff Report #4
March 27, 2019
To All Commissioners
Re: 2019 Service Plan – Conventional Transit
Recommendation
That the Commission:
I. APPROVE the additional 2019 Conventional Transit Service Plan recommendations as set out below for implementation in September 2019.
- Route 1
- Modify north end routing to operate on Colborne between Oxford and Cheapside
- Remove service along Bond, Raywood, Fairview and Trevithen to instead operate along Wellington and Baseline north of Victoria Hospital
- Modify routing to operate on Horton and Colborne when travelling southbound toward Grey St.
- Adjust frequencies in the weekday PM peak and early evening periods, Saturday early AM and Sunday base and peak periods to right-size the service based on productivity
- Route 9
- Modify route to operate along Limberlost and Blackacres to the Fanshawe and Wonderland intersection, removing service along Aldersbrook
- Modify frequency during most time periods
- Route 27/29
- Modify routes to interline at Western University
- Route 27
- Increase frequency during all time periods
- Modify route to operate along Barker St. removing service from Briarhill
- Route 29
- Introduce summer and holiday service
- Improve weekday frequency between 12 pm and 6 pm
- Improve weekend frequency during all time periods
- Route 31
- operate along Aldersbrook to the Hyde Park Power Centre, removing service along Limberlost and Blackacres
- Modify frequency during all time periods
- Operate as a standalone route (removing interlines with Routes 19 and 32), terminating at Western University
- Route 32
- Eliminate Route
- Route 38/39
- Maintain service along Fanshawe Park Road, no longer serving the Masonville Place terminal
Background
The majority of the 2019 Conventional Service Plan was approved by the Commission at the January 30, 2019 meeting. Decisions on routing modifications for seven routes (1, 9, 27, 29, 31, 32 and 38/39) were deferred until the March 27, 2019 meeting and staff was directed to hold further public engagement sessions to gather additional feedback on the proposed modifications.
Public Consultation
A public information session was held on February 19, 2019 at Central Library from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm to gather further public feedback on the seven outstanding routing modifications. Approximately 40 people attended the sessions. Members of the public attending these sessions also had the opportunity to complete a comment sheet outlining their perspectives, 11 comment sheets were completed. The sentiments at the public meetings were mixed with attendees both in favour and opposed to the proposed changes. The largest opposition to the changes involved the proposed routing modifications to remove Route 1 service from the Rowntree neighbourhood as well as changes in the north end that would remove direct service to University Hospital from residents in the Kipps Lane area. Residents in the Woodfield neighbourhood also raised concern with the proposed routing modifications noting the potential loss of service to Richmond and Oxford to access banks, the grocery store and pharmacies if Route 1 was modified as proposed.
In addition to those who attended the drop-in sessions, approximately 430 online surveys were completed. Again the comments received through these methods were mixed with respondents both in favour and opposed to the proposed routing modifications.
Detailed assessment of each routing change, including public feedback is set out below.
Route 1
The proposed changes to operate Route 1 along Regent and Colborne received the largest amount of feedback related to the 2019 Draft Service Plan proposals during the public engagement process in November and December 2018. In total there were 778 responses received to the proposed changes for Route 1 in Old North through the online survey, emails and two petitions started by area residents. There was both support and opposition for the changes through this area with 28% of respondents supporting the changes as presented and 72% of respondents opposing the draft plan. The significant feedback on this proposed change resulted in a more extensive assessment of the area. The detailed analysis indicated a greater opportunity to capture ridership by amending the route to travel on Colborne to Cheapside to Adelaide. The modified routing in the north end was recommended to the Commission at the January 30, 2019 meeting.
In addition to concerns raised regarding the proposed modifications to operate through Old North, concerns were also raised by residents in the Rowntree neighbourhood on the south end of Route 1 with respect to the proposed elimination of service through the neighbourhood to instead realign Route 1 to operate along Wellington and Baseline.
A decision on the recommended routing modifications along Route 1 was deferred by the Commission at the January 30 meeting and staff were directed to gather additional public feedback and bring back an update report to the March 27, 2019 meeting.
Public Feedback – February 19, 2019:
The second round of feedback on the changes was again mixed, with 44.5% of respondents supporting all recommended changes along the route, 18.7% supporting the proposal with modifications and 36.8% not supporting the changes. This is an increase in overall support for the proposed changes on Route 1 as compared to the first round of public consultations.
The question was further broken down in the online survey to ask specifically about each area along the route with proposed routing modifications. The results are set out in the chart below.
Feedback on the Proposed Modifications on Route 1
Overall the majority of respondents were neutral with respect to the proposed routing modifications in all three of the areas.
With respect to the north end changes, 16% of respondents were in favour of the changes, indicating either agree or strongly agree, with 10% of respondents disagreeing with the changes, indicating disagree or strongly disagree. The remaining 74% of respondents indicated they were neutral regarding the changes in this area. Of those that were opposed to the changes in the north end, many respondents were from the Woodfield neighbourhood (Colborne south of Oxford) that currently have Route 1 service and are concerned with the proposed changes as they would no longer have direct service to St Joseph’s Hospital, and specific grocery stores, banks and pharmacies on Richmond between Oxford and Huron. In addition, concern from residents along Colborne north of Oxford was raised with regard to increased traffic along the street and the impacts of bus traffic competing with the fire station.
Response to the proposed changes in the Rowntree neighbourhood were similar to the north end with 14% of respondents indicating either strongly agree or agree and 13.8% of respondents indicating strongly disagree or disagree. Of those that were opposed to the proposed routing modifications to remove service from the Rowntree neighbourhood, the main concern was the increased travel distance to a transit stop, particularly for seniors in the area.
A stakeholder meeting was also held with King’s University College and Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre on March 11, 2019, with regard to the potential impacts of the Route 1 modifications. Both King’s and Merrymount were supportive of the changes noting that there will be an increased level of service with the proposed re-routing of Route 27 and the relatively low number of students and clients that would be negatively impacted by the loss of direct service from the south end of the route.
Recommendations and Impacts:
After assessing the comments received as well as further assessment of service in the area, it is recommended that the proposed routing as outlined in the January 30, 2019 Staff Report be implemented for September 2019.
The recommended routing modifications would see changes to Route 1 in three areas along the route. In the north end the recommended routing would have Route 1 travelling along Adelaide, Cheapside and Colborne, instead of Huron, Regent, Richmond and Oxford (see Figure I in Enclosure I). While riders will be affected by the removal of Route 1 service from Huron and Richmond Street, routing options to the east provide a greater benefit to total passenger travel time and ridership productivity. This is particularly true with the recommended interline of Routes 27 and 29 (see below) that would maintain a strong connection to Richmond Street and significantly improve access to King’s University College and Merrymount.
As part of the assessment process, an onboard audit was conducted to determine passenger origin and destinations on Route 1. The audit was conducted between 7 am and 3 pm Monday through Friday between February 11 and March 7, 2019. The results indicated that the majority of passengers on Route 1 are destined to downtown. For those destined to King’s College or Merrymount, most were boarding the bus north of downtown or in the Kipps Lane area. Both of these locations will continue to have direct service to King’s College, noting passengers boarding north of downtown will have to travel from University Drive and Richmond instead of Huron and Waterloo. For those boarding north of downtown and travelling to Merrymount, transfers to Route 27 will provide access to the centre.
Through the South Street area, it is recommended to modify the route to create distinctive northbound and southbound routing. Currently the route serves South Street, Colborne and Grey in the same direction both northbound and southbound causing confusion to passengers as well as operational concerns. The recommended modification would maintain the current northbound routing and modify the southbound routing to operate along Horton, Colborne and Grey (see Figure I in Enclosure I).
The final modification recommended for Route 1 is to remove service from the Rowntree neighbourhood in the south end and realign the route to operate along Wellington and Baseline (see Figure I in Enclosure I). The recommended modification will improve safety by eliminating an uncontrolled left turn from Wellington to Raywood and improve operational efficiency while continuing to provide transit service to the majority of residents in the Rowntree neighboughood within a 400 meter travel distance to a transit stop, as set out in the London Transit Service Guidelines.
In addition to the recommended routing modifications, frequency changes as set out below are also recommended for Route 1
Frequency (proposed changes are shown in bold)
| Weekday Time Period | Early AM | AM Peak | Base | PM Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 20 | 15 | 20 | 16 | 25 | 30 |
| Existing Headway | 20 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 30 | 30 |
| Saturday Time Period | Early AM | Base | Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 40 | 30 | 20 | 30 | 30 |
| Existing Headway | 30 | 30 | 20 | 30 | 30 |
| Sunday Time Period | Early AM | Base | Peak | Evening |
| Recommended Headway | – | 32 | 25 | 30 |
| Existing Headway | – | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Routes 9 and 31
Through the initial public consultation period held in November and December 2018 with respect to the Draft 2019 Service Plan, concerns were raised with regard to the proposed changes on Routes 9 and 31 through the Whitehills area. The main concerns were related to Route 9 operating along Limberlost and Route 31 operating along Aldersbrook. From the feedback received the majority of residents living along Limberlost indicated they are destined to Western University and conversely the majority of residents living along Aldersbrook indicated they are destined to downtown.
Based on this feedback it was recommended at the January 30, 2019 meeting that an additional public consultation session be held to present two possible routing options through the Whitehills area. Option I presented the routing modification as set out in the draft 2019 Service Plan with Route 9 operating along Limberlost and Blackacres to serve the Wonderland and Fanshawe intersection and Route 31 operating along Aldersbrook to the Hyde Park Power Centre. Option II presented the alternative routing based on public feedback with Route 31 operating along Limberlost and Blackacres to the Wonderland and Fanshawe intersection and Route 9 operating along Aldersbrook and extended to serve the Hyde Park Power Centre.
Public Feedback
Through the second public consultation period, both at the information session and through the online survey, residents in the area were almost evenly split with 51% of respondents in favour of option I and 49% of respondents in favour of option 2.
Recommendations and Impacts
As the results of the public consultation did not indicate a clear preference for either option, it is recommended that option I, as presented in the Draft 2019 Service Plan report be implemented in September as part of the 2019 Service Plan changes (see Figure II in Enclosure I). This option provides the most direct routing for Route 31 and maintains service with the route to the Hyde Park Power Centre, resulting in the least impact on other passengers along the route that are destined there. Passengers along Limberlost or Aldersbrook that are destined to Western University or downtown respectively will have transfer opportunities along Sarnia Road with many routes offering service to either location at the Sarnia and Western intersection. As was approved at the January 30 meeting, neither Route 9 nor Route 31 will provide service into the Orchard Park neighbourhood and will instead maintain service along Wonderland and Sarnia during all time periods.
In addition to the routing modifications, frequency changes are also recommended for Routes 9 and 31, which are set out in the tables below.
Route 9 (recommended changes shown in bold)
| Weekday Time Period | Early AM | AM Peak | Base | PM Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 22 | 32 |
| Existing Headway | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 30 |
| Saturday Time Period | Early AM | Base | AM Peak | PM Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 60 | 32 | 23 | 25 | 32 | 30 |
| Existing Headway | 60 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Sunday Time Period | Early AM | Base | Peak | Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 60 | 33 | 23 | 30 |
| Existing Headway | 60 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Route 31 (recommended changes shown in bold)
| Weekday Time Period | Early AM | AM Peak | Base | PM Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 48 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 55 | 48 |
| Existing Headway | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 60 |
| Saturday Time Period | Early AM | Base | Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 50 | 25 | 27 | 52 | 48 |
| Existing Headway | 35 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 60 |
| Sunday Time Period | Early AM | Base | Peak | Evening |
| Recommended Headway | – | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Existing Headway | – | 60 | 60 | 60 |
Routes 27, 29 and 32
The Draft 2019 Service Plan set out a number of routing modifications in the Kipps Lane area including removing Route 32 along Kipps Lane to provide two way service along Huron and modifying Route 14 to operate northbound on Briarhill, to provide westbound service along Kipps Lane which currently only has eastbound service.
Through initial public consultation a number of concerns regarding the loss of direct service to Western University from Kipps Lane were raised as were requests received to extend Route 32 to service Fanshawe College.
In order to address the concerns raised and enhance direct service between major origins and destinations, it was recommended at the January, 2019 meeting that further public consultation be held with regard to modifying Route 27 and 29 and eliminating Route 32. The January report set out proposed routing options that would interline Routes 27 and 29 to provide a direct east/west connection between Fanshawe College and Western University. In addition to interlining Routes 27 and 29 it was also proposed that Route 32 be eliminated as much of the route would be duplicated with the proposed routing modifications mentioned above. Route 14 was also proposed to be maintained along the existing alignment along Melsandra and Barker as the proposed routing modifications on Route 27 would provide westbound service along Kipps Lane.
Public Feedback
Through the second public consultation period, 156 responses were received with respect to the proposed routings for Routes 27, 29 and 32. 53% of respondents were in favour of the changes as set out, 17.3% of respondents supported the proposal with modifications and 28.8% of respondents did not support the changes.
Respondents that were in favour of the changes especially liked the direct connection between Fanshawe College and Western University as there is an increasing number of students taking courses at both institutions. The increased frequency in the Kipps Lane area was also supported.
Comments from those that supported the proposal with changes were focused on the loss of eastbound service from the Capulet Lane area to Western’s Natural Science building, noting the proposal would only serve Natural Science in the westbound direction. There was also concern with the elimination of Route 32 and the direct service to the Hyde Park Power Centre from Kipps Lane.
Those that did not support the proposed changes were mostly concerned with the loss of direct connections to University Hospital, the removal of service along Huron between Barker and Adelaide, loss of service along Windermere and Doon and concerns regarding the proposed frequency reductions on Route 29.
Recommendations and Impacts
After assessing the comments received as well as further assessment of service in the area, it is recommended that the proposed routing outlined in the January 30, 2019 report to have Routes 27 and 29 interlined and eliminate Route 32 be implemented (see Figure III in Enclosure I). This routing option provides a direct connection between Western University and Fanshawe College and also maintains the direct service from Kipps Lane to Western University and King’s College.
Concerns with the elimination of Route 32 are mostly addressed through other modifications already approved as part of the 2019 Service Plan. Service along Windermere and Doon Drive will be maintained by Route 40 which will continue to provide direct service to Western University as well as add direct service for residents in this area to Masonville Place. While Route 27 will not provide service directly to University Hospital it will serve Natural Science and allow for transfers to many routes that serve the hospital.
With respect to concerns about the frequency on Route 29 being reduced, the impacts will be minimal during most time periods. There will also be frequency improvements along the route during the weekday PM Peak period, Saturday Peak, Early Evening and Late evening as well as all day on Sunday.
The recommended frequency changes are set out in the tables below.
Route 27/29
| Weekday Time Period | Early AM | AM Peak | Base | PM Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 40 | 13 (18) | 13 (18) | 11 (17) | 17 (23) | 27 |
| Existing 27 Headway | – | 15 (20) | 15 (20) | 15 (20) | 20 | – |
| Existing 29 Headway | – | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Existing 32 Headway | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Saturday Time Period | Early AM | Base | Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening |
| Recommended Headway | 43 | 47 | 25 (30) | 28 | 40 |
| Existing 27 Headway | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | – |
| Existing 29 Headway | – | 35 | 35 | 35 | – |
| Existing 32 Headway | 30 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 60 |
| Sunday Time Period | Early AM | Base | Peak | Evening |
| Recommended Headway | – | 43 | 32 | 28 |
| Existing 27 Headway | – | – | – | – |
| Existing 29 Headway | – | – | 35 | 35 |
| Existing 32 Headway | 60 | 60 | 60 |
Route 38/39
With the approved routing changes to implement Route 93 operating to Masonville Place via Western/Wharncliffe, there are capacity concerns with the current space available within the Masonville Place Terminal. As a result it was recommended at the January 30, 2019 meeting to gather additional public feedback with respect to removing Route 38/39 from the terminal and instead remain on Fanshawe Park Road.
Public Feedback
There were a number of respondents (42.2%) that were not in favour of the proposed changes due to the additional walk distance for those making connections with other routes at the terminal. 47.6% of respondents were in favour of the change as set out.
Recommendations and Impacts
With the other approved changes as part of the 2019 Service Plan, there is not enough space within the current Masonville Place terminal to accommodate all routes. As a result it is recommended that Route 38/39 be removed from the terminal and remain on Fanshawe Park Road (see Figure IV). Travel time for passengers on Route 38/39 will be reduced by having the route remain on Fanshawe Park Road and also increase ridership productivity. Although there is a large percentage of the ridership on this route that uses the terminal to transfer, it is the only route that can be removed from the terminal as all other routes use the location as a turn-around point. To mitigate the impact of the routing modification, new stops will be located as close to the Fanshawe and Richmond intersection as possible. It is anticipated that the additional travel distance to access the terminal will be approximately 150 meters. Additionally, the additional travel distance will be taken into consideration during the scheduling process to allow additional time for transfer connections.
Next Steps
Subject to Commission approval of the outstanding 2019 Conventional Transit Service Plan modifications, the next steps associated with the implementation of the service changes include:
- preparation/production of new schedules, layovers/time points, public timetables and Operator sign-up;
- arranging for new bus stop locations approval and installation, including concrete landing pads, info posts, and advanced notification signage;
- updating the AVL system including GPS locates of new stops and routes, voice announcements, electronic destination signs and on-street signs;
- updating routing and schedule information for Google Maps; and
- undertaking a marketing program including printed Ride Guide maps and route timetables, Transit Talk, on-board and stop level notices, website updates and social media, pop-up information sessions throughout the summer and first two weeks of September, as well as internal info screen postings, Operator information sessions and internal newsletter.
Enclosure
I – 2019 Service Plan – Conventional Transit Figures
Recommended by:
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager