One of the reasons people buy cars
is the perception that other options are less convenient. How about
making it easier to use a combination of transit, taxis, bicycles
and short-term car rentals? The move toward one-stop shopping for
commuters has already begun in Europe, and now Toronto is home to
its first such transportation “hub.”
Nestled between Exhibition Place
and the innovative Liberty Village neighbourhood, a single location
brings together multiple transport options. The City of Toronto,
with assistance from Transport Canada, will officially unveil its
first “New Mobility HUB” this morning. The idea is to fill the gaps
in urban travel.
It’s a natural location for
one-top transport shopping, where TTC streetcars connect with a GO
Train station. Add in BikeShare, a service that allows you to pick
up and drop off shared bicycles, as well as commuter bike lockers
and a wireless internet hot-spot to access transit information.
Within a few blocks is a pick-up point for AutoShare, which allows
members to rent cars by the hour, and the 29 Dufferin bus which is
equipped with bike racks.
The intent is to develop these
multi-use hubs across Toronto, and with the advent of the Greater
Toronto Transportation Authority, perhaps across the entire region.
Hubs can be developed incrementally, becoming more convenient with
each added service. Future amenities could include cafes and
newsstands, tourist info, bike or rollerblade repair and rental,
taxi stands, plus monitors that give real-time arrival details for
the next train and bus or streetcar.
The next phase could be the
introduction of a single electronic card to access all of these
services. The first hub at Exhibition Place will be officially
unveiled this morning.
Bringing various forms of
transport together has proved very popular elsewhere. A prime
example is York University where the TTC, York Region and GO Transit
have been adding more and more bus service to the main campus on
Keele Street. Now more than 1000 buses travel through the busy
University Common.
If you haven’t visited York
recently, this might be a good weekend to see the many changes
occurring there -- new academic buildings have risen in the centre
of campus, and homes are popping up nearby.
On Saturday, Transport 2000
Ontario is presenting a public forum on how to make transit work in
suburban areas. York University is the appropriate location for the
discussion, called “Tackling Gridlock”, as the campus could become a
major destination for a new transit network in northwest Toronto and
the City of Vaughan.
The forum starts at 1:30 p.m. in
the Accolade West Building. Details can be found at
http://www.transport2000.ca/ -- click on the Ontario
link.
Also coming up is Spacing
magazine's release party for its Public Transit issue next Tuesday,
May 2 at the Gladstone Hotel. Entry is $10, which gets you a copy of
magazine and a rare chance to hear transit-themed music like "Spadina
Bus" by the Shuffle Demons. For details, visit the
http://spacing.ca/ website.