Item - 2019.EX4.2

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council authorize that King Street continue to operate as a Transit Priority Corridor between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street, along with the incorporation of improvements to the public realm in the near-term through the durability and quality of public realm materials, and in the longer-term through streetscaping improvements in coordination with private development and the capital program.

2.  City Council remove the regulation effective end date of July 31, 2019 from any traffic and parking regulation amendments processed and submitted on or before July 31, 2019 by the General Manager, Transportation Services directly to City Council pursuant to the General Manager, Transportation Services delegated authority as adopted by City Council in Item 2017.EX26.1 such authority as amended by City Council in Item CC1.5. 

3.  City Council amend Section 937-3.6 of Municipal Code Chapter 937, Temporary Closing of Highways, by deleting the phrase "but ending no later than July 31, 2019" and replacing it with the phrase "but ending no later than April 14, 2020" such that the General Manager, Transportation Services, may until July 31, 2019 be delegated the authority to temporarily close to vehicular traffic portions of the curb lanes on King Street West and East for any length of time but ending no later than April 14, 2020 for the King Street Transit Pilot - Outdoor Cafes and Public Installations in the Curb Lane Public Spaces and to exempt the General Manager, Transportation Services in carrying out this delegation from Section 937-5 of Chapter 937.

4.  City Council authorize the continuation until April 14, 2020, inclusive, of outdoor cafes and public installations and the temporary closure, to vehicular traffic, of the required sections of the curb lanes, including any by-law amendments required to do so, as adopted by City Council in Item 2018.TE30.50.

5.  City Council amend, despite any provision to the contrary in the new Municipal Code chapter for sidewalk cafes, parklets and marketing displays, as adopted by City Council in Item EC2.3, the various delegated authorities of the General Manager, Transportation Services, as well as the delegated authorities of the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, respectively, as adopted by City Council in Item 2017.EX26.1, Item 2017.TE30.50 and Item CC1.5, as such delegated authorities relate to their authority to issue permits and enter into agreements for the operation of an outdoor cafe or public installations on a curb lane on King Street West and East between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street, which authorities are currently in effect until July 31, 2019 to take effect until April 14, 2020.

6.  City Council request the Acting President, Toronto Parking Authority to end the parking promotion currently being offered for the King Street Transit Priority Corridor area.

7.  City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to further monitor and assess the late-night performance of the King Street Transit Priority Corridor, particularly within the Entertainment District and King West, to inform the consideration of changes that could improve transit performance while ensuring for the safe and effective dissipation of people from nightlife activity on King Street West.

Following an evaluation of the King Street Transit Pilot, this report recommends that King Street continue to operate as a Transit Priority Corridor between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street, along with some recommendations for improvement. This report provides a summary of the outcomes of the pilot in support of these recommendations.

King Street is a significant east-west corridor in the Downtown, serving the largest concentration of jobs in the entire country. The neighbourhoods along King Street have experienced tremendous growth in the past ten years, and will continue to grow in the future. King Street is also a key destination for culture, heritage, entertainment, and retail. The 504 King streetcar is the busiest surface transit corridor in the entire city and now moves more than 84,000 riders on an average weekday. Only the Yonge-University and Bloor-Danforth subway lines carry more people on transit.

The King Street Transit Pilot originated as part of TOcore, a comprehensive planning study recently undertaken by the City to create a new Secondary Plan and a series of supporting 'infrastructure strategies' for the rapidly growing Downtown in order to provide a long-term blueprint to guide growth and intensification and align it with the provision of infrastructure. King Street was identified as one of Downtown's 'Great Streets', with important transportation and public realm roles.

The pilot was approved by Council on July 4, 2017 and became operational on November 12, 2017. The pilot was about moving people more efficiently on transit, improving public space, and supporting business and economic prosperity.

The King Street Transit Pilot has resulted in many benefits to transit, especially given its relatively cost-effective investment and short implementation timeframe. Key transit benefits include:

- Faster and more predictable transit travel times: On average, streetcars now travel faster during all periods of the day and times are more predictable, making the service more attractive. Approximately 30,000 minutes of travel time are saved by King streetcar customers daily. 

- More people taking transit along the King Street corridor: With more predictable travel, more people are taking King streetcars than ever, with daily weekday ridership growing by 16 percent from 72,000 to 84,000 boardings per day. Capacity grew on King Street through the pilot project to meet unprecedented increases in demand.

- Greater customer satisfaction with King streetcar service: Prior to the pilot, overall customer satisfaction with King streetcar service was low on key measures such as travel time, comfort, and wait time. Through the pilot period, customer satisfaction on all these measures have significantly improved.

- Improved efficiency and reliability of streetcar operations: Streetcar service on King Street is now more productive, with 25 percent more customers per hour of service operated. Overall reliability has improved with reduced variability in the busiest portion of the route.

While a key objective of the pilot was to move people more efficiently on transit, benefits realized on King Street were considered alongside the outcomes for the overall mobility of people and goods on the surrounding road network. Key outcomes for mobility include:

- More people moving through downtown by all modes: The total number of people moving east-west through the downtown core has increased by 3 percent during the morning and afternoon commutes, primarily as a result of increases in transit ridership.

- Motor vehicle volumes significantly reduced on King Street: As the design intended, the volume of motor vehicles travelling along King Street within the pilot area has decreased significantly. Nearby streets have experienced some increases in motor vehicle traffic volumes as a result of dispersal.

- Car travel times are generally the same: even with traffic dispersal on adjacent routes, there has been minimal impact on travel times for drivers. Average motor vehicle travel times on nearby streets vary +/- less than one minute, compared to before the pilot.

- The number of pedestrians is generally the same: total pedestrian volumes have remained stable on King Street as a result of the pilot, relative to comparable east-west streets, including Queen Street.

- More people are cycling on King Street: There has been an increase in the number of people cycling along King Street, likely because reduced motor vehicle volumes made it more comfortable to cycle.

The pilot sought to improve public space and support business and economic prosperity along King Street. Key outcomes for this area include:

- More spaces for people to linger: Forty-five unique amenities were introduced across 18 new public realm spaces in the curb lane, including cafes, art installations, public seating areas, and parklets. These spaces created opportunities for people to linger, and provided extra space for pedestrians to walk when sidewalks are crowded. Public realm interventions and programs were undertaken to help activate and animate King Street during the pilot, reinforcing King Street's vibrancy as a major cultural and entertainment destination.

- Growth in customer spending has marginally decreased: Point-of-sale customer spending data suggests that year-over-year growth in total spending on King Street has decreased slightly (0.8 percent) after the pilot was installed, with reductions primarily to spending in the restaurant sector. This was in keeping with trends that existed before the pilot was installed.

- Business license turnover is lower than the surrounding area: While business license cancellation rates within the King Street pilot area increased marginally in 2018, the rate of cancelled business licenses within the King Street pilot area is consistently lower than the rate for the surrounding area and City-wide over the last three years.

A comprehensive community and stakeholder engagement process was undertaken that informed the pilot's design and key priorities. A robust monitoring and evaluation program was established to assess the project's benefits and impacts. A data dashboard was published regularly on the project website: www.toronto.ca/kingstreetpilot.

In summary, the King Street Transit Pilot has demonstrated, relatively quickly and cost-effectively, its ability to move people more efficiently on transit without compromising the broader transportation road network.

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