Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business A Study of Bloor Street in Torontos Annex Neighbourhood

February 2009

ExecutiveDirectorEvaLigeti,CleanAirPartnershipResearcherandAuthor:FredSztabinski,ActiveTransportationResearcher,CleanAirPartnershipSurveyTeam:DepartmentofHealthSciences,FacultyofMedicine,UniversityofTorontoParkingData:PlanningDepartment,TorontoParkingAuthorityAdvisoryCommittee:MichaelCanzi,TransportationPolicyandPlanningAdvisor,MetrolinxAlanFilipuzzi,SeniorTransportationPlanner,CityofTorontoPaulHess,AssociateProfessor,DepartmentofGeography&PrograminPlanning,UniversityofTorontoJenniferPenney,DirectorofResearch,CleanAirPartnershipSupporthasbeenprovidedbyagrantfromtheTorontoCommunityFoundation.CAPwouldalsoliketothankTransportCanadaandtheCityofTorontofortheirgeneroussupportofthiswork,andthefollowingpeoplefortheirhelpinreviewingthereport:GordBrown,DanielEgan,JenniferHyland,JanaNeumann,LukaszPawlowski,NancySmithLeaandStephanieTencer.

CleanAirPartnership,2009Formoreinformation,contact:CleanAirPartnership75ElizabethStreetToronto,Ontario,M5G1P4,Canada4163926672 cap@cleanairpartnership.orgAdditionalcopiesofthispublicationmaybedownloadedatwww.cleanairpartnership.orgTheCleanAirPartnership(CAP)isaregisteredcharitythatworksinpartnershiptopromoteandcoordinateactionstoimprovelocalairqualityandreducegreenhousegasesforhealthycommunities.Ourappliedresearchonmunicipalpoliciesstrivestobroadenandimproveaccesstopublicpolicydebateonairpollutionandclimatechangeissues.Oursocialmarketingprogramsfocusonenergyconservationactivitiesthatmotivateindividuals,government,schools,utilities,businessesandcommunitiestotakeactiontocleantheair.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLEOFCONTENTS ...................................................................................................iListofTables.....................................................................................................................iiListofMaps ......................................................................................................................iiListofFigures ...................................................................................................................iiExecutiveSummary.........................................................................................................11.Introduction ..................................................................................................................21.1StudyPurpose ........................................................................................................21.2StudyDescription ..................................................................................................2

2.Context...........................................................................................................................42.1Background.............................................................................................................42.2CyclingInfrastructureandtheBikePlan ...........................................................52.3TheBloorAnnexNeighbourhood .......................................................................6

3.Methodology.................................................................................................................93.1ExistingPrecedent..................................................................................................93.2Surveys ....................................................................................................................93.2.1MerchantSurvey .............................................................................................93.2.2.PedestrianSurvey ........................................................................................11

3.3ParkingData .........................................................................................................123.4DataAnalysis........................................................................................................133.5StudyLimitations.................................................................................................13

4.Findings.......................................................................................................................154.1MerchantsPerceivedCustomerTravelHabits ...............................................154.2MerchantsPerceivedEffectofPotentialStreetChanges...............................154.3PedestrianSurveyRespondents ........................................................................164.4VisitorHabitsandConsumption.......................................................................184.5OnStreetParkingUsage.....................................................................................194.6OffStreetParking ................................................................................................22

5.Discussion ...................................................................................................................236.Conclusions&Recommendations...........................................................................25References .......................................................................................................................26AppendixAMerchantSurvey ..................................................................................27AppendixBPedestrianSurvey .................................................................................28

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LIST OF TABLES Table1.Distributionofsurveyrespondentsbysurveylocation ............................11 Table2.Distributionofsurveyrespondentsbysurveydayoftheweek ..............12 Table3.Merchantestimateofcustomersthatdriveandparkinthearea.............15 Table4.NumberofdayspermonthvisitingtheBloorAnnex ...............................17 Table5.Moneyspentintheareapermonth..............................................................17 Table6.Preferredchangetothestreet........................................................................18 Table7.BloorStreetandSpadinaRoadaverageonstreetparkingusage ............20 Table8.BloorStreetandSpadinaRoadaveragehourlyonstreetparkingusage21 Table9.TorontoParkingAuthorityaverageparkinglotusage..............................22

LIST OF MAPS Map1.TheBloorAnnexneighbourhoodwithinthelargerTorontocontext .........3 Map2.SuggestedBloorDanforthBikeway.................................................................5 Map3.TheAnnexLandUse ..........................................................................................8 Map4.TheAnnexbuiltformandtransportationnetwork .......................................9 Map5.MunicipalpaidparkingoptionsintheAnnex ...............................................8 Map6.Pedestrianinterceptlocations .........................................................................11 Map7.Studyareaboundary ........................................................................................16 Map8.PedestriansurveyrespondentsplacesofresidenceScale:GreaterTorontoArea..................................................................................................................17 Map9.PedestriansurveyrespondentsplacesofresidenceScale:Toronto.......17

LIST OF FIGURES Figure1.Samplestreetconfiguration,includingbikelaneandstreetcar................4 Figure2.TypicalBloorAnnexcrosssectionfacingeast.............................................7 Figure3.BloorStreetfacingeastatBathurstStreet ....................................................7 Figure4.Northsideparkingrestrictions......................................................................8 Figure5.Typicalsidestreetparkingrestrictions ........................................................8 Figure6.Northsidestreetparking ...............................................................................8 Figure7.Payanddisplaymachine...............................................................................8 Figure8.Lippincottparkinglot .....................................................................................8 Figure9.TypesofbusinessesonBloor .......................................................................10 Figure10.Typesofbusinessesthatrespondedtothesurvey .................................10 Figure11.Responseratebytypeofbusiness.............................................................10 Figure12.Merchantsperceptionoftheimpactonbusinessofreducedparking 16 Figure13.Transportationmodeshareliveorworkinthearea ...........................18 Figure14.Transportationmodesharedonotliveorworkinthearea...............18 Figure15.TransportationmodeshareTotal ...........................................................18 Figure16.BloorStreetaverageonstreetparkingusage..........................................19 Figure17.Palmerstonparkinglot ...............................................................................22 Figure18.TorontoParkingAuthorityaverageparkinglotusage..........................21

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Proposalstoinstallbikelanesonmajorstreetsareoftenmetwithoppositionfrommerchantswhofearthatthereallocationofroadspacefromonstreetparkingtoonstreetbikelaneswouldhurtbusiness.ThepurposeofthisstudyistounderstandandestimatetheimportanceofonstreetparkingtobusinessonBloorStreetintheAnnexneighbourhoodofToronto.

ToencouragemoreCanadianstousebicyclesforutilitariantripsmoreoften,itisessentialthattheimplementationofbikelanesonmajorstreetsbeaccelerated.TheBloorDanforthcorridorisaparticularlyattractiveoptionforacitywideeastwestbikelaneinTorontobecauseitisoneoftheonlylong,straight,relativelyflatroutesthatconnectsthecityfromendtoend;therearenostreetcartracks;andithasoneofthehighestincidencesofbicyclecollisionsinthecity.

Thisreportisaboutthedevelopmentandtestingofnewanalytictoolstodeterminethepublicacceptabilityandeconomi