Summary of Industrial Transit Surveys
Two transit related surveys of industrial area employers in London were conducted over the course of the Fall of 2017 and the winter of 2018. In total, 336 employers responded out of approximately 750 companies in the designated study area. The responding companies represent 10,961 employees.
Two surveys were conducted, one by London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) and the other by London Transit. The London Transit survey was a follow-up to the LEDC survey and aimed to diversify and expand respondents from the study area. It also added open-ended questions to better capture transit needs and barriers in the industrial areas.
Key Take-Aways:
Recruitment Issues
The impact of transit service in London’s industrial areas on hiring was repeatedly identified as a concern among employers. Numerous companies commented that poor transit service made it difficult to find and retain employees. Several firms also commented that they did not hire employees if they relied on transit due to concerns over reliability.
Lack of Transit Service to White Oak and Exeter Roads
Similar to the LEDC survey, engagement amongst companies along White Oak and Exeter Rds. was high in the LTC survey. The desire for the introduction of a transit service was strongest is this area.
Span of Service on Route 30
An insufficient span of transit service was a common barrier identified by Route 30 area businesses. Requests were made for earlier and later service as well as mid-day service. The introduction of a mid-day service was the most common followed by earlier service.
Connections to the first Route 30
The lack of connections to the first Route 30 was repeatedly identified as a transit barrier. Currently, only Route 13, starting downtown and Route 26, starting in the White Oaks neighbourhood, connect to the first Route 30. The majority of the city is then unable to reach the Route 30 area by 700 AM. This is particularly problematic as 42 of the respondents (42%) had shifts that started at 700 AM or earlier.
The connection from Route 10/14 was specifically mentioned as an opportunity for improvement. Currently, the first Route 14 to arrive at White Oaks Mall misses the first Route 30 by several minutes. This issue has been addressed through earlier Route 10/14 start times in the 2018 service plan.
Shift start and end times were reviewed for every business in the 5 industrial areas for all time periods to get a better understanding of when commuters would travel to the area. Bar graphs have been developed to show the trends of how many businesses have start and end times in a specific time band for Weekday and Weekends.
Survey Sub Area Results
Airport/Skyway
Employment: 5,338
3-Year Projected Growth Rate: 25%
Average Employment Size 78
Companies with Transit-using Employees: 63%
The Airport/Skyway sub-area had the largest employment size and highest rate of transit usage. This corresponds to ridership data with Route 36 being London Transit’s most productive industrial routes. The area also has a high percentage of service related employment which is indicative of more non-employment traffic and travel needs that are more dispersed throughout the daytime.
Sovereign/River Roads
Employment: 1,944
3-Year Projected Growth Rate: 26%
Average Employment Size 69
Companies with Transit-using Employees: 45%
The Sovereign/River Roads sub-area had the lowest rate of transit usage among currently served industrial areas. Manufacturing/Processing and Transportation/Warehouse/Logistics were prominent in the area indicating shift work and more peaked travel needs that occur throughout the day and night.
Innovation Park
Employment: 749
3-Year Projected Growth Rate: 48%
Average Employment Size 125
Companies with Transit-using Employees: 0%
No Seasonal Employment Fluctutation
Innovation Park had the lowest employment size but with the highest projected employment growth. Rapid development in the area would also swell this projected growth. Manufacturing/Processing and Transportation/Warehouse/Logistics are dominant indicating shift work and more peaked travel needs that occur throughout the day and night. The average size of business is the largest in the industrial areas, which would accentuate the peaked travel needs around shift times and suggests a greater probability for corporate collaboration.
Wilton Grove
Employment: 4,076
3-Year Projected Growth Rate: 18%
Average Employment Size: 75
Companies with Transit-using Employees: 51%
Exeter/White Oaks
Employment: 1,242
3-Year Projected Growth Rate: 16%
Average Employment Size: 22
Companies with Transit-using Employees: 29%
The Exeter/White Oaks sub-area had the second lowest employment rate and the lowest projected employment growth rate. The area also stands out for its small company sizes and high proportion of service employment, indicating there may be more customer traffic to this area than other industrial sites.