History
Since the early 1970s, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has made commitments to protect a transportation corridor to accommodate a fully grade separated Transitway facility in a separate right-of-way in the Parkway Belt West Plan area. This facility has been further defined by later studies in terms of location within the Parkway Belt West (from Hamilton to Highway 48 in Markham), its extent, type of technology and service.
Policy Context
Provincial Policy Statement
Ontario's Provincial Policy Statement (2014) promotes the efficient use of existing and planned infrastructure and connectivity within and among transportation systems and modes which cross jurisdictional boundaries. In addition, it states that the land use pattern, density and mix of uses should be promoted that minimize the length and number of vehicle trips and support the development of viable choices and plans for public transit and other alternative transportation modes, including commuter rail and bus.
"Places to Grow" - Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horses
Ontario's Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (The Growth Plan) (2006, Office Consolidation 2013) under the Places to Grow Act, 2005 presents a vision for managing growth in the region to the year 2031. The Plan provides the framework investment in the GGH so that existing infrastructure and future investment are optimized to serve growth. The policy directions for intensification and compact urban form identify public transit as a first priority for transportation infrastructure planning and to reduce reliance on any single mode by encouraging the most financially and environmentally appropriate mode for trip-making; multi-modal access to job, housing, schools, cultural and recreation opportunities, and goods and services; and provision for the safety of system users.
MoveOntario 2020
In 2007, the Province of Ontario announced MoveOntario 2020, a provincial plan to fund 52 transit projects in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Hamilton over a 12-year period starting in 2008.
Its primary goal is to create a modern rapid transit system that moves people and goods quickly and efficiently by improving the transit services of Southern Ontario's largest transit providers. The province identified Highway 407 as one of its priority corridors for new rapid transit initiatives in the GTA.
The Big Move: Transforming Transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA)
On November 28, 2008, the Metrolinx Board of Directors adopted this Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).
The Big Move recommends the construction of over 1,200 km of rapid transit, more than triple what exists now, so that over 80 percent of residents in the region will live within two kilometres of rapid transit, with an emphasis on areas with large senior and low-income populations who rely on transit to get around daily.
It has identified the 407 Transitway from Pearson Airport to Kennedy Road in Phase Three of its investment plan to be completed between 2023 and 2033.
Ontario Transit Project Assessment Process Guide
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