Project Background
About Durham Region Long-Term Transit Strategy:
The Long-Term Transit Strategy will be a 50 year planning blueprint for transit services in Durham Region, with the ultimate goal of creating and maintaining efficient and effective services for our residents. The study will develop a comprehensive plan for advancing rapid transit in Durham within the context of the broader mobility goals of the Region. This Transit Strategy will consider multi-modal transportation alternatives as they relate to and impact transit, road networks and goods movement. To this end, Durham Region is committed to providing our residents with accurate, on-going information throughout the process.
Rapid Transit:
The strategy will emphasize rapid transit and its integral place within sustainable transportation options that will help the Region address anticipated transportation demands to 2031 and beyond (to 2056). The Long Term Transit Strategy is undertaken with the financial support from Transport Canada and Province of Ontario.
Public Consultation:
A key component of the study will be consultation with stakeholders, regulatory agencies and the general public. Anyone with an interest in this study has the opportunity to get involved and provide input. Three rounds of Public Open Houses will be held during the study to receive public input and present findings. Notices providing the time and location of these meetings will be published in local newspapers. Please visit the Get Involved section of this website for more information.
Background Reports:
- Transportation Master Plan
- Business Case Analysis
- Durham Region Transit Services Strategy- Connecting Communities
Current documents, notices and presentations, can be found here
Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Process
The LTTS falls under the Master Planning Process of the Municipal Environmental Assessment Act and as such is subject to the Municipal Class EA planning process, Phase 1 and 2.
What is a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment?
The planning and design of municipal infrastructure projects must meet the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act, which is a provincially legislated document that governs all public undertakings that have the potential to affect the environment. In this sense, the term “environment” is broadly applied to include the natural, social, cultural, constructed and economic environments. The Environmental Assessment Act essentially defines a planning and design process that proponents of projects must follow to ensure that all environmental impacts are considered, and any effects appropriately mitigated, before their project is implemented.
Many projects related to municipal water supply, sanitary sewerage and transportation systems are similar in nature, are carried out routinely, and have predictable and mitigable environmental effects. In order to facilitate the undertaking of such routine municipal projects, the Municipal Engineers Association (MEA) has defined a simplified planning and design process known as a “Municipal Class Environmental Assessment”.
For more information on the Class EA process please visit Durham Region’s web-site.
Master Planning Process
What is a Master Plan?
A Master Plan is a long range plan that ties together the various needs of an overall system. Typically, a Master Plan is comprised of a set of separate projects that are dispersed geographically over a broad study area and are to be individually implemented over an extended period of time.
Why Undertake a Master Plan?
In many cases it is beneficial to begin the planning process by developing a Master Plan because such a planning approach allows the individual needs of a system to be defined in the broader context. A Master Plan will develop an overall strategy for implementing all requirements, which will likely entail a number of individual (yet related) projects. Thus the LTTS is a Master Plan intended to look broadly at long term transit needs.
How is a Master Plan Developed?
Master Plans integrate infrastructure needs with environmental assessment planning principals. For the LTTS proposed infrastructure would include, high occupancy vehicle lanes, road improvements for Bus Rapid Transit or Rapid Transit facilities. When preparing a Master Plan the principals of the Municipal Class EA process are applied, including the requirement that an effective stakeholder consultation program be undertaken. At a minimum, a Master Plan addresses Phases 1 and 2 of the Municipal Class EA process.
A Master Plan is typically subject to the approval of the municipality for which it was prepared. Prior to being approved, a clear and concise Master Plan report is made available for public comment. Following consideration of any public comment and subsequent approval of the Master Plan, the report is reviewed periodically to determine whether there is a need for formal updating of the Master Plan. Details on how and when a specific Master Plan will be reviewed are generally documented in that Master Plan.
How are the Recommended Projects in a Master Plan Implemented?
The individual projects recommended under a Master Plan may be categorized as Schedule ‘A', Schedule ‘B' or Schedule ‘C' under the Municipal Class EA process. At the time that the individual projects included in the Master Plan are to be implemented, they are subject to the requirements of the Municipal Class EA process. For Schedule ‘B' and Schedule ‘C' projects identified within a Master Plan, the work undertaken during the development of the Master Plan can be used in support of the requirements of Phases 1 and 2 of the Municipal Class EA.
For example, if an individual project is to be implemented and it is a Schedule ‘C' project under the Municipal Class EA process, the work undertaken during the development of the Master Plan can be used in support of the requirements of Phases 1 and 2 of the Municipal Class EA. It would be necessary to fulfill the additional requirements of Phases 3 and 4 in order to consider the project specific issues that were beyond the scope of the Master Planning process. Similarly, for Schedule ‘B' projects it would be necessary to fulfill the consultation and documentation requirements.
For more information on the Master Planning process please visit Durham Region’s web-site
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