Transport 2050 | Phase 2

Phase 2 public engagement for Transport 2050 concluded on May 14, 2021. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide us with feedback.

• What'd We Learn in Phase 2? Read the Report

  To everyone who participated in Transport 2050 Phase 2 – either by completing a survey or attending an online event – thank you for sharing your voice!

  This phase of engagement took place between April 19 and May 14, 2021. We asked people for input on draft goals and three actions that could transform how the region moves.

  We’re sharing the “What We Heard” Phase 2 Summary Report so you can learn about what the region told us.

  The draft goals

  To guide the region’s transportation future, we proposed five goals to help get us to where we need to go. Your future transportation choices should be convenient, reliable, affordable, safe & comfortable, and carbon-free. Across the region – and backgrounds – the people of the region strongly supported these goals.

  Action 1: People-first streets that invite walking, biking, and rolling

  This action envisions a future where the streets are designed to make it easy to travel by foot, wheelchair, bike, scooter, and more. This action was strongly supported as people generally agreed with the aspiration of reducing the region’s dependence on automobiles. But we learned that careful attention needs to be paid towards how accessibility, goods movement, and parking is addressed in implementation.

  Action 2: Fast and frequent rapid transit that’s a competitive choice for most longer trips

  In Phase 2, we proposed two different approaches to greatly expanding rapid transit in the region. Network A relies more on service built above or below street level. Network B relies more on service running at street level. Both would get you where you need to go, quickly and reliably, but each approach comes with different trade-offs.

  We learned that the region liked different things about the two networks and that both were supported. While more people supported Network B than Network A, the margins were slim, with younger people tending to support Network A and older people more likely to support Network B.

  Action 3: Automated vehicles that provide convenient access to car trips, without adding to congestion

  This action is all about leveraging automated vehicle (AV) technology to make car trips much more efficient – and accessible. People agreed with the vision for managing the introduction of automated vehicles, but with more people saying they were “neutral” compared to other actions.

  People said they liked the safety and accessibility benefits of AVs, but they were also skeptical that they would work. They also thought that AVs could make existing issues in the region – like congestion or inequality – worse. The proposal to use fees to manage empty vehicles or pick-ups and drop-offs in congested zones saw less support than other measures in the engagement, however a majority agreed with the fees.

  We are thankful for this input and acknowledge that we can do more work to do. We’ll be thinking about what we heard over the coming months as we work to a draft Transport 2050 strategy, with a comprehensive list of actions. Later this fall, we’ll share this draft with you for input. The final Regional Transportation Strategy is expected to be adopted early in 2022.

• Join Us for Transport 2050 Phase 2 Engagement!

  We’re designing a strategy to shape the future of how we move and live. And we need your help!

  Transport 2050 will be our new regional transportation strategy. It will lay out transportation improvements for the next 30 years – no matter how you move.

  In summer of 2019, we launched our largest-ever public engagement to help create Transport 2050. We visited every part of the region and beyond to hear from the people who live, work, and play here.

  You told us about your values, concerns, and priorities. We learned that you greatly value our region’s natural areas and parks, and neighbourhood access to shops and amenities. Your greatest concerns are housing affordability, road congestion, and climate change. And we learned that your top priority is transit expansion and improvement. What else did we learn? Check out the Phase 1 report or video.

  From this input, we’ve envisioned a future where you have convenient, reliable, affordable, safe & comfortable, and carbon-free choices. These are the draft goals that we’re proposing in Phase 2 engagement. We want to know – are we on the right track?

  And you also shared your bold and creative ideas for the future of transportation. Over 4,000 of them to be exact! We’re in the process of building a comprehensive strategy, with a full set of actions to improve transportation.

  The focus of Phase 2 is to get your input on three actions, that could help transform the region. Together, they would support a better way of moving, and make big progress to reaching our goals. If you’d like more information on what we’re proposing, check out our discussion guide.

  
  

  People-first streets that invite walking, biking, and rolling
  

  Through the pandemic we’ve really come to value our space, and more cities are exploring how to make the streets safer for active transportation. What do you think about changing the way we use space in the region? Read the People-First Streets backgrounder!

  
  

  Fast and frequent rapid transit that’s a competitive choice for most longer trips

  

  Rapid transit gets you to where to want to go. Fast! We need your help in considering how to expand the region’s rapid transit network by several hundred kilometres. Read the Rapid Transit backgrounder!

  
  

  Automated vehicles that provide convenient access to car trips, without adding to congestion.Yep, cars driven by computers. They’re coming. And they could make transportation safer, more efficient, and accessible. But if we don’t manage automated vehicles, we could clog up the streets. We need you to tell us if you support our vision for automated vehicles. Read the Automated Vehicles backgrounder!

  Help shape the future of how we move and live. Take the survey.

  Later on this year, we’ll show you the draft strategy, with a full list of actions. To ensure it reflects everything you’ve told us.