Showcase Proposals - Proposal Summaries

Region of Waterloo

Central Transit Corridor Express Project

The Region of Waterloo is implementing several strategies to improve transit service in its central transit corridor, to increase ridership and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

Background Central Transit Corridor Express  Transit technology Intermodal integration  Marketing and outreach  Expected benefits  Impact assessment Partners  Cost  Contact person

• Link to detailed proposal and showcase map(s)            
• Link to CTC Express Project home page                            

Background

Waterloo Region is a rapidly growing mid-sized metropolitan area, with a population of 480,000 people for whom automobiles are the dominant mode of transportation. Significant gains in transit ridership will require overcoming the challenges of low-density land uses, high auto ownership, moderate congestion and inexpensive parking.

The Region of Waterloo, comprised of three cities and four townships, is responsible for operating Grand River Transit. Its showcase will establish a high-quality express bus service to attract new transit riders. The express service will link major regional destinations and will be complemented by customer service improvements, technological enhancements, intermodal integration, and concentrated marketing and outreach.

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Central Transit Corridor (CTC) Express

The CTC Express bus route will extend from Conestoga Mall in north Waterloo to the Ainslie Street Bus Terminal in Cambridge. It will connect four downtowns, major university facilities, as well as office complexes, major hospitals and regional shopping centres, with greater bus stop spacing than local routes. The frequency of service will be every 15 minutes in peak periods and every 30 minutes at other times, Monday through Friday. CTC Express stations will offer real-time customer information and other passenger amenities.

The CTC Express will complement, rather than replace, several conventional bus routes that run parallel to it. It will initially reduce corridor-length transit trip times by 25 percent, benefiting long-distance travelers and thereby making transit more attractive to commuters who have a choice between driving and taking the bus. The speed and reliability of the CTC Express bus service will be further improved through transit priority measures.

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Transit technology

Advanced technologies will play an important role in several aspects of the showcase:

• A GPS-based vehicle locating system will be installed on CTC Express buses, enabling the real-time display of bus departure times at all stations 
• An automatic passenger counting system will enable more accurate monitoring and evaluation 
• Transit priority measures such as queue-jump lanes or special transit-only phases will be installed at traffic signals 
• A Web-based trip planning system will permit passengers to develop an optimized itinerary 

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Intermodal integration

CTC Express stations will encourage passenger access by all modes, with an emphasis on local transit, walking, and cycling. Stations at major transit terminals will provide for maximum integration with other local transit routes, Mobility Plus services, as well as intercity bus routes at two locations. The need for pedestrian connections and amenities will be determined through an accessibility audit. Bicycle access will be encouraged through the provision of bicycle racks on buses, bicycle storage at stations, and key cycling links between stations and surrounding areas.

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Marketing and outreach

A marketing and outreach program with two major elements will raise awareness of new transit options, change attitudes towards them, and encourage their use: 

• An umbrella marketing campaign will use media and other traditional avenues to raise the profile of a distinct “brand” for the CTC Express 
• A community-based social marketing campaign will emphasize direct personal contact with community members, and the removal of specific barriers to more sustainable transportation choices. These barriers will be identified through means including attitude surveys and focus groups. 

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Expected benefits 

This showcase will result in an estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1,010 tonnes annually by 2006. Other benefits include reductions in other air emissions, and improvements to public safety and quality of life.

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Impact assessment 

Showcase impacts will be determined through analysis of information collected by multimodal traffic counts, automatic passenger counters, transit operating statistics, and revealed preference surveys. Computer models will be used to estimate greenhouse gas reductions achieved, as well as those that could result from expanding showcase strategies across the region.

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Partners 

The contributing partners in this showcase include:

• Region of Waterloo 
• University of Waterloo 
• Province of Ontario 

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Cost

The proposed showcase cost of $9.3 million is divided as follows:

• CTC Express — $3.9 million 
• Transit technology — $3.0 million 
• Intermodal integration — $1.5 million 
• Marketing and outreach — $0.5 million 
• Impact assessment and reporting — $0.4 million 

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Contact person

John Cicuttin 
Manager, Transit Development 
Regional Municipality of Waterloo 
150 Frederick Street 
Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3 
Tel: (519) 575-4023
Fax: 519-575-4449 
Email: CiJohn@region.waterloo.on.ca

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Note: This information reflects the proposal as submitted by the applicant, and does not reflect the views of Transport Canada.

To access the Region of Waterloo's detailed proposal, please link to their web site (PDF, 8.61MB)	View a map of the proposed showcase (PDF, 176.94KB)