Uptown Waterloo Auto & Parking Transit Plan

UPTOWN WATERLOO AUTO & PARKING REVIEW

CONTENTS 02 INTRODUCTION 03 CURRENT STATE 05 MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS 07 ALTERNATIVE 1 11 ALTERNATIVE 2 15 ALTERNATIVE 3 19 RECOMMENDATIONS

Page 1 | Contents

INTRODUCTION Uptown waterloo is considered the main core within the City of Waterloo, an unparalleled pedestrian activity generator in the area. Successfully retrofitted in 2008, it underwent a transformation from an auto dependant area, not unlike most others in Waterloo, to a prime spot for community interaction.

For example, Waterloo Square was converted from a parking lot to a pedestrian square which serves a number of uses throughout the year ranging from a skating rink in winter to a gathering spot for community events in the summer.

The current Uptown corridor (along King Street South) contains two northbound and southbound lanes with active street frontage; however, there is an abundance of parking located behind these facades which continues to encourage a level of auto usage consistent with those of the past. With the development of the LRT and a population forecasted to experience significant growth in the near future, it will become important for the Region to ensure the effective utilization of alternative modes of travel in Uptown in order to avoid a return to its previously auto dominated state.

In order for Waterloo to become a competitive urban area, efforts must continue to be made to increase the attractiveness of uptown to all. The main issue with the Region’s current efforts to achieve this is the North American reliance on the automobile. Despite the exceedance of land already dedicated to parking in Uptown, many still campaign for increased parking in the areas immediately adjacent to this highly walkable corridor. It is unsurprising then, that proposed alternative uses for the parking areas in Uptown have failed to come to fruition – including a luxury Westin Hotel which was being planned for the corner of Willis & Caroline as recently as 2008. As the city grows, the high availability of unpaid parking spaces will attract even more auto usage, and potentially congestion, to the area. Further, as the land in Uptown Waterloo already has an extremely high value, it is a curiosity not only that so much of it is dedicated to parking, but that this parking is almost all free.

The purpose of this report is to analyze the current state of the transportation network in Uptown Waterloo, specifically with regards to automobile usage and parking, so as to allow for the creation of meaningful alternatives for the area. Much of this will be done through the reduction of parking and the institution of paid parking to be utilized as a deterrent for auto use in the area, as opposed to explicit means of auto reduction such as decreased speed limits. Through the deterrence of automobile usage, the aim of the suggestions made in this report will be to increase active transit usage in the study area.

Adam Lee 20458480

Brandon Almeida 20462085

Hadi El-Shayeb 20472448

Harrison Rong 20474715

Page 2 | Introduction

CURRENT STATE Erb St.

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UNDERUTILIZED PARKING ABSENCE OF BIKE LANES RELATIVE MODAL SHARE FUTURE ACCESS TO LRT The study area is defined by the barriers of King St., Erb St., Caroline St., and Regina St. In its current incarnation, it is defined by an unproportionately large amount of land devoted to parking and a high number of pedestrian facilities including a public square and many commercial spaces directly adjacent to King Street South. While the pedestrian facilities present create a pedestrian oriented area, as most uptown or downtown areas try to be, the large, free parking areas dispersed throughout the site continue to encourage many to drive to the area before becoming pedestrians.

With the new light rail transit system planned to be operational by 2017, an opportunity presents itself to divert large quantities of automobile users towards public transit as a means of reaching their destination.

As such, the planning for this area must revolve around the LRT so as to stay relevant in the context of a future that will be dramatically different than present conditions alone might indicate. If not, the rapidly increasing population within the region will soon render Uptown obsolete as a pedestrian destination.

The site also suffers from an unfortunate lack of bike lanes, which could incredibly improve the pedestrian friendliness of the area. With a lack of the necessary space for such facilities, most cyclists are, and will likely continue to be, forced to access Uptown via Caroline. While this is not the worst solution, it would be ideal to find a way to incorporate some semblance of a cycling network with the main King St. corridor of the site.

Despite the lack of bike lanes, Uptown Waterloo still features a modal share which is far more balanced than most other areas within the region. While this may be more of an indictment of modern North American society than a shining accomplishment of the study area, it is certainly a step in the right direction for an area that was not nearly as significant of a pedestrian destination just a few years ago.

Page 4 | Current State

MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS In order to evaluate Uptown Waterloo’s transportation system, specifically relative to auto travel and parking, several methodologies were undertaken. The data collected allowed for an in depth analysis of transportation performance and outlined specific points in the area for further improvements.

Consequently, these results allowed for the development of several strategic urban intervention plans which will ensure that system performance continues to meet regional standards in the future.

Site visits of Uptown Waterloo allowed an immediate understanding of auto system performance, specifically related to the utilization of parking. On the site there are a wide range of parking alternatives including on-street, structural, and parking lots. This abundance of parking not only encourages driving, but is also severely underutilized between peak periods. Measures of parking utilization were conducted on the afternoon of Sunday, March 30, 2014 (See Table 1).

Table 1: Parking utilization observed in Uptown Waterloo.

North Parking Lot South Parking Lot Parkade On-Street

Parked Spots 278 186 3 41

Free Spots 8 206 401 10

Total Parking Spaces 285 392 404 51

While on-street and the North parking lot were utilized almost to capacity there was a significant underutilization of the South parking lot and almost no cars parked at the Parkade. Further research regarding Parkade parking identified that the majority of the spaces were reserved for those with monthly passes - a strategy which, while providing some level of revenue certainty, could be a large detriment to utilization if it were not the only paid parking in the area.

While lower than normal parking utilization could be expected on a Sunday, underutilization to the extremes found in this report most likely point to an overabundance of the service. If levels of service applied to parking, the level of service provided by the study area within Uptown would almost certainly be in the range of a high B or even an A. Thus, portions of the parking in Uptown could feasibly be strategically removed in hopes of deterring auto use to create a stronger balance within the modal share of the area. While Uptown does exhibit a more balanced modal share than the rest of the region, it can be argued that this area should be held to higher standards of active transit usage due to its pedestrian orientation.

Among other measures of effectiveness, the overall transportation system performance at uptown Waterloo was assessed through measurement of transportation redundancy. While King St. and the surrounding road networks are auto dominated, there are seven bus routes which service the corridor.

This high number of routes contributes to a more redundant transportation network in which multiple competitive options have created better reliability for users.

Analyses of pedestrian crossings at King & Willis indicated that active transportation including walking and cycling could be deemed a significant travel option which also created higher redundancy. 212 individuals using active modes, about a quarter of the number of vehicles (1030), were observed during morning peak at the intersection of King & Willis Way (see Table 2). At the outer fringes of the focus area, King Page 5 | Measures of Effectiveness

& Erb and King & William, similar data counts for active modes were observed with higher counts for auto transportation. Despite this, the number of people walking and cycling more than doubled during mid-day and afternoon peak periods while automobile counts stayed relatively stagnant (see Table 2).

With this, it is clear that active transportation is a vital part of the modal share in Uptown and should be planned for as such.

Table 2: Pedestrian and automobile volumes observed in Uptown Waterloo (Regional Municipality of Waterloo, 2012).

Counts

King and Erb King and Willis Way King and William

Pedestrian Morning Peak Afternoon Peak 140 575 212 494 153 232

Automobile Morning Peak Afternoon Peak 1894 2249 1030 1201 1512 1669

Analyses of intersection traffic volumes from William Street through Erb Street along King indicated that they were operating at capacity. This means that there are moderate to high levels of congestion along the corridor, justifying the level of service that is being offered. The critical movements between these intersections were in the North and South directions all along King Street for both morning and afternoon peak periods. In contrast the Eastbound and Westbound movements, some being only one lane in each direction, experienced significantly less through traffic. This two lane road network is therefore highly and efficiently utilized in terms of traffic throughput. In addition, it is significant to note that the high number of buses which travel through the King Street corridor increase road utilization and heighten traffic congestion.

From an ecological perspective, Uptown Waterloo’s transportation systems contribute to significant environmental degradation. The auto dominated transportation network including the significant amount of parking spaces, encouraging automobile use, contribute to significant levels of air pollution through the burning of fossil fuels. Among other environmental issues, the transportation infrastructure - including the paved, impermeable road surfaces and parking lots - decreased stormwater infiltration and increased overland flow, leading to pollutant runoff into nearby rivers and streams. The lack of water infiltration will also continue to contribute to infrastructure erosion which will consequently require more frequent repair and maintenance. Therefore these issues not only contribute to environmental degradation, but increase costs which are unsustainable in the long term.

The relatively low vehicle design speeds allow for higher pedestrian safety and integration with active modes. The physical geometry of King Street also created incentives for drivers to slow down at intersections. There were a number of traffic calming features present which enhanced pedestrian safety including intersection bulb-outs, decreased turning radii, textured cross walks, cross walk countdowns, narrow road lanes, and aesthetically planted vegetation to increase driver interactivity.

However, with the corridor still auto dominated, it will become important for the region to continue to implement measures encouraging active transit in an area which would not succeed without significant pedestrian flow.

Lastly, it is crucial to consider future planned projects for the area including the light rail transit system that will run through the studied stretch of King Street. The introduction of the LRT will offer further improvements to the redundancy of the transportation network, likely decreasing auto usage.

Therefore the LRT is expected to be a positive change to the area as a result of its effects on reliability, time and fuel efficiency, equity and carbon emissions.

Page 6 | Measures of Effectiveness

ALTERNATIVE 1 Erb St.

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MINIMIZED & PAID PARKING SEGREGATED BIKE LANES NEW PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES POTENTIAL CONGESTION The proposed model revolves heavily around the stimulation of active transportation within the core of Uptown Waterloo. It was determined that the underutilization of local parking facilities such as the Parkade and South parking lot, provides an opportunity to develop a system which utilizes space in a more efficient manner than presently exists while transforming the dominant mode of transportation within Uptown Waterloo.

Various changes have been proposed to the parking facilities within this model. It was decided that all parking should be paid parking to both deter users from choosing auto transportation within the Uptown area but also to evenly distribute parking density throughout the existing facilities. The Parkade was found to be excessively underutilized and this revision should divert parking density from the North parking lot to the Parkade. On street parking will also have fees, with a marginally lower rate per hour as compared to the other parking facilities as to set priority to filling this parking space, providing a buffer between auto transport and the newly implemented bike lanes on King Street.

King Street will be retrofitted to better accommodate active modes of transportation. The elimination of a driving lane on both sides of King Street will make for a less inviting environment for auto transport users and serves as a means of prioritizing public transit use within this corridor. The space that the elimination of the lanes allows for is utilized for the addition of a segregated bike lane on King Street. As mentioned earlier, the on street parking serves as a buffer between cyclists and auto users. This change to the existing infrastructure is relatively cheap to implement considering the only physical changes required are street markings to prioritize uses and the addition of cement blocks that act as chokers on the street and separate different parking locations.

Page 8 | Alternative 1

ALTERNATIVE 1

The pedestrian vibrancy that these changes will make should increase the already high demand for living around the Uptown area. To facilitate this demand for a convenient living location the underutilized south parking lot was redeveloped to accommodate a 4-6 story condominium development that also possesses mixed use commercial facilities on the main level. This condo development will substantially increase the amount of pedestrians utilizing active modes of transportation within the Uptown core. Roughly 100 of the original 392 parking spaces were left for residents of the new development; these spaces will be shared between the residents and local businesses. During operating hours the spaces can be utilized for local businesses and off peak hours are prioritized for residents.

The addition of the Light Rail Transit line running through the uptown core further validates the decision to transfer priority from auto use within Uptown towards more active transportation based modes and public transit use. All of the additions within this model serve to fulfill a functional system of active transport while bettering the surrounding community and making Uptown a better place to live for residents while maintaining local economic development. When designing the street layout, room was left to shift on street parking over in order to accommodate the exclusive lane designated for the LRT on King Street, slightly narrowing bike lanes. Lanes for auto transport can also be marginally narrowed to accommodate the LRT. These changes to the form of our design are affordable to make due to the implementation of moveable cement blocks that designate on street parking.

Page 9 | Alternative 1

ALTERNATIVE 2 Erb St.

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REDUCED & PAID PARKING ADDITION OF MIXED USES HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT STAGNANT ACTIVE TRANSIT

The following model was designed to prioritize mixed use development and the use of underutilized parking facilities within Uptown Waterloo. It was determined that the underutilization of local parking facilities such as the Parkade and south parking lot provides an opportunity to develop a system that better utilizes this wasted space to better facilitate local business growth, provide a convenient location for local residents to live in and create an environment that welcomes tourism and generates economic growth within Uptown Waterloo.

Various changes have been made to the parking facilities within this model. All parking has been made paid parking to evenly distribute parking density throughout the existing facilities along with the added benefit of creating an environment that will deter auto use. The Parkade was found to be excessively underutilized and this revision should move parking density away from the north parking lot over to the Parkade. On street parking is now paid, with a marginally lower rate per hour as compared to the other parking facilities as to set priority to filling this parking space.

The road and intersection design was not significantly altered within this model. There were changes made to the width of both sidewalks and road lanes. The sidewalks were expanded to better accommodate heightened pedestrian traffic that the Uptown core is expected to experience in the coming of other changes made to the site. The lane widths have been slightly narrowed to reduce the speed of auto users, this is especially important at the intersection of King St. and Willis Way where pedestrian traffic is the highest.

Page 12 | Alternative 2

ALTERNATIVE 2

There are significant opportunities for the development of Uptown Waterloo with the land that the underutilized South parking lot currently occupies. A high density mixed use development consisting of commercial stores on the main level, a hotel and condo space for local residents will be the main revisions to the site within this model. The redevelopment is designed to accommodate a 6-8 story structure while still maintaining roughly 150 of the original 392 parking spots that the current south Uptown parking lot facilitates. The development will serve as a key stimulator to economic growth within Uptown Waterloo on both local and foreign scales. It will create an environment for locals to live, shop and work along with providing an attractive travel destination within Waterloo. The parking spaces will be shared between the residents, local businesses and the hotel. There will be designated spots for each division of the development and there will be shared spots between all divisions. During operating hours the spaces can be utilized for local businesses and the hotel and off peak hours are prioritized for residents.

With the addition of the Light Rail Transit line running through the uptown core it is ideal to prioritize changes to the parking system along with the redevelopment of the area to become a hub within the Region of Waterloo. All of the additions within this model serve to fulfill a functional system that promotes high density mixed use facilities while bettering the surrounding community and making a better place to live for residents in Uptown Waterloo, along with stimulating local economic development. The LRT line will also serve as an economic stimulant to Uptown Waterloo increasing the land value of surrounding sites and attracting more local residents and potential businesses/firms to conduct operations within Uptown.

Page 13 | Alternative 2

ALTERNATIVE 3 Erb St.

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PAID PARKING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINIMAL AUTO DETERRENCE STAGNANT ACTIVE TRANSIT

This model proposes a design which will have a heavy influences on the economic developement surrounding Uptown Waterloo through the development of commercial facilities within the Uptown core. Upon assessment of the site it was determined that the underutilization of local parking facilities such as the Parkade and the South parking lot, provides an opportunity to develop a system that better utilizes this wasted space so as to facilitate local business growth, provide a convenient location for local residents to live in and create an environment that generates economic growth within Uptown Waterloo.

The parking facilities within this model have experienced various changes. All parking has been made paid parking to evenly distribute parking density throughout the existing facilities along with the added benefit of creating an environment that will deter auto use in the long run. The Parkade was found to be excessively underutilized and this revision should move parking density from the north parking lot to the parkade. On street parking will also have fees, with a marginally lower rate per hour as compared to the other parking facilities to set a priority for filling these parking spaces first.

This model experienced minor variances to the existing road and intersection design. Changes have been made to the width of both sidewalks and road lanes on the site. Sidewalks have been expanded to better accommodate increased pedestrian traffic that the Uptown core is expected to experience. Lane widths have been narrowed to reduce the speed of auto users and eventually influence the decision of auto users to not travel through this area, this is especially important at the intersection of King St. and Willis Way where pedestrian traffic is the highest.

Page 16 | Alternative 3

ALTERNATIVE 3

Uptown Waterloo has experienced substantial growth and redevelopment within the last 10 years, and with the region expecting to grow in population there is an opportunity to meet this growth with equal economic development. The prime real estate that the south parking lot occupies is a keystone variable in developing this site to hold significantly higher levels of commercial office development for high end firms and businesses to move in. High density commercial business development will be the main revision to the site within this model. The redevelopment is designed to accommodate a 6-8 story structure while still maintaining roughly 180 of the original 392 parking spots that the current South parking lot provides. The current footprint for the site appears to cover more space then would allow for roughly 180 parking spaces but the development was designed to simulate underground parking on the main level by constructing it on stilts. The left portion of the buildings main level will house these parking spots to accommodate the density of workers within Uptown Waterloo and still promote density in construction of the commercial facilities. In all, the design of this development promotes density and a more efficient use of space with minimal fiscal constraints.

The Light Rail Transit line will be running through the uptown core and with the economic stimulation that both the LRT and proposed commercial development are forecasted to bring to Uptown Waterloo it is essential that the parking system that the site provides effectively adheres to this demand. All of the additions within this model serve to fulfill a functional system that promotes high density commercial development while providing effective space for parking and stimulating the local economic development of Uptown Waterloo and the region as a whole. These revisions will ensure that with increased demand, potential business owners and firms will look to Uptown Waterloo to conduct operations and be adequately accommodated in the future.

Page 17 | Alternative 3

RECOMMENDATIONS Current parking lot usage in the Uptown Waterloo area represents a major missed economic opportunity due to the low utilization of fee-based parking. Free parking encourages automobile usage in the uptown core, having a potentially detrimental impact on the pedestrian usage of the area. Based on the three alternatives discussed in this report, it was decided that Alternative 1 was the most appropriate given the goals stated at the beginning of this report and financial considerations. The added active transit facilities explicitly address the goal of the group to increase active transit usage and decrease automobile dependence in the area. However, the reduction of auto lanes would not only be an extremely unpopular solution, but also one which would create congestion on King Street unless vehicles began to make diversions to the side streets of Regina and Caroline. The second alternative allows for more mixed use developments when compared to Alternative 1, however there is no inclusion of bike lanes or widened sidewalks, failing to encourage active transit. The third alternative is to attract businesses of firms to the area, creating economic development in the core, while also lacking the improved active transit facilities found in the first alternative. Building above the existing parking facilities would also provide minimal deterrence to automobile usage.

The recommendation of this student collective, after extensive analysis of Uptown Waterloo’s auto and parking configuration is to implement Alternative 1, in an effort to continue the retrofit of the area with a high degree of effectiveness. This proposal would discourage the use of automobiles, through parking fees as well as parking and road lane reductions. Active transportation is also taken into account in this option. Segregated bike lanes will encourage and protect cyclists through the usage of on street parking as a buffer. In order to take advantage of the underutilized parking spaces, mixed use facilities will replace many of the parking spaces while increasing the economic opportunities within the core. Alternative 1 follows the Region’s goals in creating a sustainable and liveable community.

Some changes will be debated since alternative one creates congestion within the core. This may be unfavourable to the public, who are used to auto-oriented development, however increased congestion causes automobile users to visit the core through public or active transit instead, thereby achieving the goals of the collective. Alternative 1 has an explicit and affordable impact on auto usage, whereas Alternatives 2 and 3 would have lesser impacts on auto transportation and do not improve on active transportation.

Page 19 | Recommendations

Sources: Cover Photo: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4106/5171919210_81d33f5d01_o.jpg Page 1: http://www.waterloo.ca/en/living/resources/Spur_Line_Stop_Design_Eye_View.JPG Page 10: http://openstreetsutw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DSC_0362.jpg Page 14: http://www.waterloo.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/homepage_bgnd4.jpg Page 18: http://www.waterloo.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/homepage_bgnd11.jpg Page 20: http://www.uwimprint.ca/uploads/2013/06/solsticesampling130621pan1.jpg Special thanks to Dr. Jeff Casello and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo for data provisions essential to the completion of the analysis featured in this report.

PLAN 203 - April 2014