news
fall 2013
now open
The first section of Highway 7 east rapidway, from
Bayview Avenue to Highway 404, is officially open and
it looks wonderful! Residents, riders and drivers alike,
are impressed with the finished corridor.
People are getting where they need to go, a little easier
and in considerably more comfort than ever before.
This section of Highway 7 east is more efficient for
pedestrians, cyclists, riders and motorists.
The new dedicated centre lanes for viva vehicles allow
riders to enjoy faster and more consistent travel
times. Vivastations are designed for safety, comfort
and accessibility for all via crosswalks at signalized
intersections. The area landscape has been transformed
with new trees, shrubbery and other greenery.
With all the exciting changes that are taking place please
remember to be aware of your surroundings and obey all
posted traffic and pedestrian signs.
While we’re all proud of what’s been done so far, this is
just one step in the transformation taking place
around York Region. These changes in this
urban corridor will help support future
growth, manage congestion, and keep
York Region as the most inviting place
to live, work, shop and play
for generations to come. Take a ride on viva’s new rapidway
and enjoy the experience for yourself.
Tweet and let us know what you think!
vivanext.com
why making civic infrastructure both beautiful and efficient is a good investment
To make a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system function properly in terms of moving people
quickly and reducing congestion, a series of well-understood components need to be in
place. Your new rapidway along Highway 7 has all of these components: dedicated lanes,
close-to-level boarding, advanced traffic signals, and off-board fare collection.
The vivaNext rapidway projects offer more
than just those basic BRT components and
embraces the entire street level experience.
The vivastation, roadway, sidewalk design,
and use of Intelligent Transportation Systems
adhere to the “complete street” concept
by respecting and balancing the needs of
all travellers, whether they’re on transit,
foot, bike or car. All streetscape elements,
including the lighting, boulevards and planters
filled with greenery, have been designed to
create a visually cohesive presence along
the entire corridor.
VivaNext was never intended to be a
standalone rapid transit plan, but a key
lever to help the Regional Municipality of
York capitalize on its more populous, and
significantly more urban future. VivaNext
will help transform our important traffic
thoroughfares from busy highways and
congested streets into gracious, dynamic
main corridors that are welcoming to
pedestrians, cyclists and cars. Those
corridors will connect to our urban centres
that have more places to live, work, shop
and play. Anchoring the corridors will be
these vibrant downtowns filled with new
destinations that will be magnets
for people from around the Region.
Creating this sense of place and vitality requires
the presence of civic infrastructure that is
confident, welcoming and pleasant for people.
Developers are more likely to want to build new
condominiums in attractive areas. Employers
are more likely to want to locate new offices
near well-designed transit and amenities.
New services such as restaurants and retail
require a steady flow of potential customers.
All of this will work together to shape the future
in a positive way as York Region continues to
grow – provided the infrastructure is there in
the first place.
Our mandate is to plan, design and
deliver an exceptional rapid transit system
attracting, moving and connecting people to
York Region’s urban centres and destinations.
We have embarked on an exciting journey to
York Region’s future, intentionally creating a
challenge to all those who want to be a part
of that future in shaping our key corridors
for generations to come.
What a great investment for York Region!
Follow us on twitter. Find us on facebook.
Read our blog. Go to vivanext.com.
welcoming growth in a way
that works
People love living in York Region and dearly
value the high quality of life provided by our
friendly communities, our open spaces and the
convenience of living near all the amenities
needed for daily living. It is important to all of us
that our quality of life is continually enhanced.*
The Regional Municipality of York made a
commitment several years ago to put improved
rapid transit in place. We’re well on our way
to keeping that promise. Not only are the
transformational elements of the rapid transit
system and boulevard visible along Highway 7
in the Town of Richmond Hill, but significant
new investments are being made in transitoriented development along all our major
corridors in York Region.
New housing options are being built in the
emerging downtowns in the Cities of Markham
and Vaughan, and Towns of Newmarket
and Richmond Hill. Many of those new
developments are being marketed to buyers
with the benefit that they’re located near transit.
And other new developments – which will offer
new jobs, new restaurants and new shopping
destinations – are being built or are in the
planning stages along the corridors as well.
This influx of development is exactly what
York Region’s long-term plan anticipated and
was designed to support. Growth is inevitable
for the Region, as it is all across the GTA.
The challenge for York Region is to create
opportunities out of growth, rather than letting
it affect our quality of life. The vivaNext plan
is a key part of that strategy.
The vivaNext plan, supported by land use
policies that encourage Transit-Oriented
Development, is to create complete
communities within walking distances of
transit. With housing, employment, retail,
dining, services and recreation all located
within a walkable distance, more people will
be able to live more of their lives without
needing to get in their car. And, when they do
want to move around, people will have travel
options to match their purpose and destination.
The vivaNext plan will benefit everyone,
whether or not they live in the downtown area
and whether or not they want to take transit.
With every full bus taking the equivalent of
70 cars off the road, more people taking
rapid transit means less traffic congestion
on the roads for everyone.
* Environics Survey,
York Region
Summary, Fall 2012
94%
of respondents
said the quality of
life in York Region
is good or excellent.
vivanext.com
how millennials get around
co m m un i t y l i a i s o n s
Markham / Richmond Hill
A number of recent studies cite statistics
from countries around the world,
including the US and Canada, to show
that Millennials – people currently in
their twenties – are less likely to get
their driver’s licence than in previous
generations. Young people are more likely
to take transit or cycle, and overall, the
number of car trips taken on a per
capita basis has been declining for the
last several years. In the US, people
in their twenties drive about 20% less
than their parents did when they were
in their twenties.**
Although increasing gas prices and
weak economic climates in some
countries may have contributed to this
trend, researchers feel other longerterm dynamics are the real reason
young people are increasingly turning
away from the car and finding other
ways to get around.
One key theory is that increasing
urbanization is a critical factor. In this
theory, when people live within walking
distance (defined as roughly 500 metres)
from transit, it’s easier to leave the keys
at home and let transit do the driving.
Nimisha Raja
Tel: 905.886.6767 Ext. 1023
Cell: 416.712.8938
Email: nimisha.raja@york.ca
N e w m a r ke t
Michelle Dudzik
Tel: 905.886.6767 Ext. 1096
Cell: 905.716.7663
Email: michelle.dudzik@york.ca
Va u g h a n
Carrie Slattery
Tel: 905.886.6767 Ext. 1129
Cell: 289.716.0091
Email: carrie.slattery@york.ca
next stop... VMC station
Mark it on your maps! The Vaughan
Metropolitan Centre [VMC] Station
will be a destination of choice.
This is where the Toronto-York Spadina
Subway Extension [TYSSE] will end
after extending north from Downsview
Station to Highway 7. Once complete,
this subway line will include six stops,
8.6 kilometres of track and stressfree transit service at every stop and
kilometre along the way.
For residents and visitors alike, the
subway extension will help create a
seamless transit network across the
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Brought to you by
printed on post-consumer recycled paper
How is it built you
asked? Rain or
shine, tunnel boring
machines “Yorkie” and
“Torkie” have been hard at work, boring
the twin subway tunnels north of Finch
Station. On average, they bore at a rate
of approximately 15 metres a day and to
date, Yorkie and Torkie are 85% complete.
Vaughan’s VMC subway station will be
the northernmost station, connecting
to a variety of other transit services.
TYSSE is scheduled to be in service
in 2016 along with vivaNext rapidways
on Highway 7 West.
** University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
Covering a large geographic
area, York Region residents
do a lot of driving. Even with
the launch of vivaNext rapid
transit, there’s no doubt
that pattern isn’t going to
change overnight. But there
are some interesting trends
starting to appear that
suggest a gradual evolution is taking place
– that young people are increasingly less
likely to drive than ever before.