Item - 2017.EX26.1

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council give authority to proceed with implementation of the proposed King Street Transit Pilot between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street.

2.  City Council enact the traffic and parking regulation amendments associated with the above Recommendations as described in Attachment 1 - Amendments to Traffic and Parking Regulations, attached to the report (June 9, 2017) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

3.  City Council delegate, despite any City of Toronto By-law to the contrary, to the General Manager, Transportation Services, until December 31, 2018, for the purposes of implementing and then addressing operational and safety issues that may arise in relation to the King Street Transit Pilot project, the authority to implement changes and process and submit directly to Council any necessary bills for by-law amendments to the schedules to City of Toronto Code Chapters, as identified in Attachment 2 to the report  (June 9, 2017) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, on the streets and within the parameters identified in Attachment 3 to the report (June 9, 2017) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, such regulation changes to be in effect no longer than December 31, 2018.

4.  City Council authorize the appropriate City officials to submit directly to Council at the appropriate time any necessary bills to amend the appropriate City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter, and any Schedules thereto, to reinstate the traffic and parking regulations to what they were immediately prior to the by-law amendments made in connection with the report (June 9, 2017) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

5.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to negotiate and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Toronto Transit Commission to define roles and responsibilities and cost-sharing between the City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission, to complete the design and implementation of the proposed King Street Transit Pilot as described in the report  (June 9, 2017) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

6.  City Council request that the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning report back to Executive Committee and the Toronto Transit Commission Board in the fourth quarter of 2018 on the interim findings of the King Street Transit Pilot evaluation and monitoring program.

7.  City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to report in 2017 on the increase in congestion in the downtown core over the past 10 and 5 years, including the changes to roadways in the downtown core such as the Gardiner Expressway and arterial roads, that have contributed to the increase in congestion.

8.  City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to report on any increase in congestion on roads in the downtown core as a result of the Pilot Project.

9.  City Council authorize and direct the appropriate City officials to take the necessary action to give effect to Council's decision, including the introduction in Council of any and all bills that may be required.

The Executive Committee:

1.  Requested the President of the Toronto Parking Authority to report directly to City Council at its meeting on July 4, 5 and 6, 2017  with an analysis of the impact of removing the on-street parking on King Street and recommendations with respect to providing additional on-street parking including on the north-south streets in the pilot project area.

2.  Directed the General Manager, Transportation Services to consult further with the taxi industry and report directly to City Council at its meeting on July 4, 5 and 6, 2017 on options to address taxi industry concerns with the King Street Transit Pilot, including potential full-time or time of day exemption from no through movement restrictions, and/or additional spaces for cab stands or other measures to assist taxis in carrying out their role in the transportation system which are consistent with the mandate of the proposed pilot project.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Toronto Transit Commission gave a presentation on King Street Pilot Study.

This report has been prepared in collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

This report seeks Council authority to proceed with implementation and monitoring of a proposed King Street Transit Pilot between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street in the Downtown.

King Street is the busiest surface transit route in the entire city, moving more than 65,000 riders on an average weekday, compared to only 20,000 vehicles. Only the Yonge-University and Bloor-Danforth subway lines carry more people on transit.

But King Street is not currently working well for transit. Streetcar service can be slow, unreliable, and erratic, with unpredictable travel times, especially during rush hours, but also during some late evening and weekend times. People end up having to plan for their slowest trip. Along some parts of King Street, walking is sometimes faster, especially between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street, where we see the most traffic congestion. When streetcars do arrive, they are often overcrowded, especially in rush hours. The Toronto Transit Commission estimates that the line is currently about 20 percent overcapacity.

The King Street Transit Pilot is about moving people more efficiently on transit, improving public space, and supporting business and economic prosperity along King Street. Primarily, the transit pilot is about improving transit reliability, speed, and capacity on the busiest surface transit route in the entire city.

Subject to Council approval, the pilot project would be implemented in late fall 2017. It is proposed that the pilot be undertaken for a minimum of 12 months.

At its meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2017 the Toronto Transit Commission Board considered the attached report entitled "Proposed King Street Transit Pilot:  Bathurst Street to Jarvis Street".

The Board adopted the recommendations in the Toronto Transit Commission staff report, as follows:

It is recommended that the Toronto Transit Commission Board:

1.  Endorse the City report and recommendations;

2.  Further to recommendation 1 of the City report, authorize the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission to negotiate and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Toronto to define roles and responsibilities and the cost-sharing agreement between, the City of Toronto, and Toronto Transit Commission, as described in this report, to complete the design and implementation of the proposed King Street Transit Pilot;

3.  Further to recommendation 4 of the City report, authorize the Chief Executive Officer to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Toronto to define roles and responsibilities and the cost-sharing agreement between the City of Toronto, and Toronto Transit Commission, to modify the pilot project installation as appropriate during the pilot to address any safety and operational issues that may arise; and

4.  Note that the Toronto Transit Commission capital budget is for $600,000 for 2017-2018.  Toronto Transit Commission staff will not undertake any work beyond what can be accommodated within the approved budget.

The Toronto Transit Commission Board also adopted the following motions:

i)  Request Toronto Transit Commission and City staff to consider, as part of the evaluation of the King Street pilot, extending the transit corridor eastward and/or westward.

ii)  Staff consider the cost and benefits of undertaking a similar transit corridor on the central portion of other downtown major arterials.

iii)  Staff report to the Toronto Transit Commission Board on benchmarks of success of the pilot project in the fourth quarter.

The foregoing is submitted for the information of the City of Toronto Executive Committee in consideration of Item EX26.1 - Proposed King Street Transit Pilot: Bathurst Street to Jarvis Street.