CITY OF AIRDRIE Transit Master Plan Airdrie Transit Master Plan

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1 Transit Master Plan

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3 i Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION Study Purpose and Objectives Report Outline Methodology and Community Engagement Strategy SUMMARY OF EXISTING SERVICES Conventional Transit Services ACCESS Airdrie Services EXISTING AND FUTURE MARKET REVIEW Existing Market Population and Employment Growth New Growth Areas POLICY FRAMEWORK SERVICE STANDARDS Service Classification Definitions Service Design Standards Service Performance Standards TRANSIT SERVICE DESIGN Local Transit Service Plan All-Day ICE Service Plan Commuter ICE Service Plan ACCESS Airdrie Service Plan IMPLEMENTATION AND PHASING PLAN Recommendations for Implementation Long-term Plan (2021 to 2025) Recommendations for Additional Study INVESTMENT PLAN Operational Costs Capital Costs... 94

4 ii 8.3 Ridership and Revenue Financial Summary Figures Figure 1 Existing Transit Service (November 2015)... 9 Figure 2 Existing Transit Route Coverage (within 400m walk of a transit stop) Figure 3 Stop Activity on Local Routes Figure 4 Stop Activity on Intercity Express Routes Figure 5 Average 2011 Weekday Local Boardings per Revenue Service Hour Figure 6 Average Weekday Intercity Express Boardings per Revenue Service Hour Figure 7 Typical Commute Start Time Figure 8 Typical Time of Arrival at Home Figure 9 Years of Use of Airdrie Transit Figure 10 Typical Days of Use of Airdrie Transit Figure 11 Typical Number of Days of Use of Airdrie Transit Figure 12 Trip Purpose Figure 13 ACCESS Airdrie ridership Figure 14 Customer Ratings on ACCESS Airdrie Elements Figure 15 Customer Ratings on ACCESS Airdrie On-Time Performance Figure 16 Customer-Suggested Improvements to ACCESS Airdrie Figure 17 Current Airdrie Growth Areas Figure 18 Future Airdrie Growth Areas by Figure 19 65,000 Population and Employment Distribution (Airdrie Transportation Master Plan) Figure 20 80,000 Population and Employment Distribution (Airdrie Transportation Master Plan) Figure 21 Recommended Roadway Improvements Figure 22 Recommended Roadway Improvements (40 th Ave and 56 th Ave Interchanges) Figure 23 Local Transit Preliminary Direction Figure 24 Local Transit Preliminary Direction (Fixed-Route Coverage) Figure 25 Dynamic Transit Zones and Transfer Points Preliminary Direction Figure 26 Local Transit Final Recommendation Figure 27 Local Transit Final Recommendation (Fixed-Route Coverage) Figure 28 Dynamic Transit Zones and Transfer Points Final Recommendation... 75

5 iii Figure 29 Preliminary Direction for All-Day ICE Route Figure 30 Final Recommendation for All-Day ICE Route Figure 31 Preliminary Direction for Commuter ICE Routes Figure 32 Final Recommendation for Commuter ICE Routes (Immediate Term) Tables Table 1 Airdrie Transit Weekday Service Characteristics Table 2 Trends in Ridership, Service Hours and Financial Performance Table 3 Origins of Transit and Non-Transit Users Table 4 Destinations of Transit and Non-Transit Users Table 5 Forecasted Population and Employment Growth Table 6 Daily Service Productivity Targets Boardings per Revenue Vehicle Hour Table 7 Local Transit Proposed Frequency and Coverage Table 8 Frequency of Recommended All-Day ICE Service Table 9 Frequency of Recommended Commuter ICE Service Table 10 Projected Operational Costs (in thousands of 2016 dollars) Table 11 Projected Capital Costs (in thousands of 2016 dollars) Table 12 Projected Ridership and Revenue Table 13 Financial Summary Working Papers Policy Framework Working Paper Service Standards Working Paper Community Engagement Working Paper

6 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Study Purpose and Objectives The Transit Master Plan for the City of Airdrie provides a short and long-term framework for the future of transit services operated by Airdrie Transit. The purpose of the plan is to review Airdrie s convenonal and specialized transit services in context of planned growth and the broader goals and objecves of the community and recommend a strategy that will take Airdrie Transit to the next level. The City of Airdrie is a satellite community of Calgary, located off the QE2 highway, the busiest highway in Alberta and the primary route connecng Calgary and Edmonton. The City consists primarily of single family residenal units and support services. Industry and office uses are limited and most residents commute outside of Airdrie for employment, post-secondary educaon and retail services. The transit system is reflecve of this context, with the Intercity Express (ICE) service being well ulized to major desnaons outside of Airdrie, while the local system aracts limited ridership. Airdrie is one of Canada s fastest growing communies. With a current populaon of 58,690 (2015), Airdrie is forecasted to grow to 95,000 by This rapid rate of growth will require a significant investment in transit services to provide mobility opons for Airdrie residents travelling both within Airdrie and to key desnaons in Rocky View County and the City of Calgary. The plan will also provide direcon that move towards the quality of life objecves in the Airdrie Municipal Plan and mode share targets idenfied in Airdrie s Transportaon Master Plan. The Airdrie Transportaon Master Plan is a key driver that influenced the development of service strategies in this five-year plan. The Transportaon Master Plan calls for a significant increase in transit investment to reduce roadway congeson, improve quality of life and migate the need for future roadway expansion required to accommodate future populaon growth. Airdrie Transit currently delivers approximately 200,000 passenger trips a year using a combinaon of local transit services, ACCESS Airdrie services for persons with disabilies and Intercity Express (ICE) services for trips between Airdrie and Calgary and the CrossIron Mills Mall. This represents less than 1 percent of total travel. The Transportaon Master Plan idenfies a target to increase transit mode share to 6 percent by 2025 (approximately 2 million annual riders). To meet this target, transit will have to both expand to growing new areas, but also provide higher levels of service to increase ridership from exisng transit customers and to aract exisng residents who currently drive to this mobility opon. This will require a significant increase in transit service hours and vehicle requirements to meet this objecve and reduce the need for significant infrastructure investment in Airdrie s roadway network. Exisng ICE services represent approximately three-quarters of Airdrie Transit s current ridership and are well used by customers, with nearly full buses operang during peak periods to downtown Calgary. The service is direct and convenient, and customers avoid the hassle of the long-distance commute and high downtown parking fees. The 900 ICE bus to CrossIron Mills is also well ulized, providing an

7 2 alternave mobility opon for employees and shoppers going to this major retail facility. Moving towards this mode share target means connued expansion of the ICE service, including invesng in addional trips, idenfying new desnaons outside of Airdrie, reducing travel me and improving access within Airdrie. The local transit service for trips within the City of Airdrie presents another picture. Ridership on local transit is very low and exisng services are not well ulized. This is primarily a funcon of the land use paern that transit services operate in. Much of Airdrie consists of low density development, which limits the market potenal for transit. The roadway network is oriented to automobile travel, with limited pedestrian connecons to the skeletal road network. This makes it difficult for residents to access transit stops without buses traversing local roads, resulng in meandering routes with long travel mes. The result is a fixed route system that carries few passengers, and as a result, operates at a poor level of service (limited midday, evening and Saturday service; no Sunday service). Growing local transit to meet this target is a significant undertaking and cannot be completed simply by invesng in transit service levels. There is a need to ensure that service level enhancements are cost effecve and are well ulized by residents. This may mean a change to how local transit services are delivered in areas that are not conducive to operate large buses along fixed-routes, while invesng more resources along corridors with a higher potenal for ridership growth. The Transit Master Plan for the City of Airdrie idenfies recommended strategies over the five to ten year me horizon that addresses the opportunies and challenges noted above. The focus of the short-term (5-year plan) is to idenfy a local transit structure that makes beer use of exisng resources and improves services levels to exisng customers that rely on the service to access employment and educaon opportunies and other services (e.g. shopping, medical, recreaonal). Strategies are idenfied for both the convenonal and specialized transit services. There is also a need to begin to build service levels to move towards the 6 percent mode share target idenfied in the Transportaon Master Plan. This is important to ensure the financial investment in transit is phased on an annual basis to avoid large one-me investments that would be required when service improvements are deferred to future years. To guide the development of the plan, a policy framework for Airdrie Transit was developed that is based on three guiding principles: 1. Transit will Connect People with Place 2. Transit will Plan, Design and Implement Sustainable and Accessible Transit Infrastructure and Services for the Community 3. Transit will Balance the Need for System Growth with Affordability and Efficient Operations These guiding principles form the basis of all recommended strategies made as part of the Airdrie Transit Master Plan.

8 3 1.2 Report Outline Dillon Consulng Limited was retained by the City of Airdrie to develop the Transit Master Plan for Airdrie Transit services. As part of the role, the following objecves were idenfied at the outset of this study: Develop a policy framework for Airdrie Transit, aligned with the overall vision and strategic direcons of the City (see Policy Framework working paper); Develop a service standards document to guide overall decision making and idenfy design guidelines and performance measures (see Service Standards working paper); Develop a transit service plan for convenonal and specialized transit services, including recommendaons on service structure, use of alternave service delivery modes, routes, hours of service and frequency of service; Develop an implementaon and financial plan, balancing passenger fares with municipal contribuons. The following report presents the key findings and strategic recommendaons from this process. Secon 2.0 Summary of Exisng Services: Secon 2.0 presents a review of exisng transit services, including an assessment of service quality and effecveness. Secon 3.0 Transit Market Review: Secon 3.0 presents a review of the environment in which transit operates, the key markets transit serves and planned growth areas in the future. This analysis helped idenfy key opportunies for the future transit network. Secon 4.0 Policy Framework: Secon 4.0 provides a summary of the Policy Framework that was developed to guide the review and strategic direcons for transit over the next five to ten years. The development of the policy framework is outlined in a compendium document; the Policy Framework Working Paper. This working paper includes a detailed review of exisng policy documents, inial community consultaon and growth that influenced the development of a policy framework for Airdrie Transit. A benchmark review of Airdrie Transit was also prepared that provides addional context regarding how Airdrie Transit compares to its peer systems. Secon 5.0 Airdrie Transit Service Standards: Secon 5.0 outlines the recommended service standard for Airdrie Transit. Service Standards provide for a consistent and fair evaluaon of both exisng and proposed services, and establish a framework for guiding decisions on how to best serve customers diverse travel needs within prevailing budgetary and resource limits. The detailed raonale and background for each recommended service standard in included in a compendium document; the Service Standards Working Paper. Secon 6.0 Transit Service Design: Secon 6.0 documents the recommended five to ten year service plan for Airdrie Transit. This includes a phasing plan that addresses higher-priority needs and easily achievable opportunies first. Recommendaons are made for both local and intercity convenonal transit and specialized transit services. Preliminary direcons were presented to the public in April 2016 to seek feedback on the proposed plan. Based on feedback heard, the plan was modified to reflect the

9 4 recommended strategies idenfied in this secon. The Community Engagement Working Paper provides a summary of feedback heard during this process and is included as a compendium document to this master plan report. Secon 7.0 Implementaon Plan: Secon 7.0 documents the steps necessary to implement the recommended transit service plan outlined in the previous secon. The implementaon plan allows for step-by-step acquision and tesng of the necessary system to manage new service concepts and combines this with the introducon of the service changes necessary to implement the full recommended transit service plan. Secon 8:0 Investment Plan: Secon 8.0 summarizes the operang and capital costs for Airdrie Transit over the coming ten years as the recommended transit service plan is implemented and the service grows to reflect a larger community and a greater usage per capita. It also outlines forecast ridership changes that reflect the growth and esmates the overall revenues that can be ancipated. 1.3 Methodology and Community Engagement Strategy The plan followed a logic process which included a review of exisng ridership paerns, a benchmark review of Airdrie Transit relave to its peers, and an extensive community engagement process at various stages of the study. The first phase of community engagement consisted of interviews with key stakeholders in November These included representaves from transit and taxi companies, school divisions, Calgary Transit, and key employers, within Airdrie. Members of the consultaon team met one-on-one either in person or over the phone with each stakeholder to understand their primary issues and objecves relang to the future of Airdrie Transit service. Members of the team also rode a number of bus trips within Airdrie and spoke with drivers and customers about the service, including any accolades and concerns they may have. A special Council meeng was held in November 2015 to discuss transit issues, including key messages that they heard from their constuents and strategic direcons on the future of Airdrie Transit services. Members of the community were engaged early in the process through an online community survey and an onboard survey of transit customers. The surveys took place between late November 2015 and early January There was a total of 204 responses to both surveys. A summary of responses is included in the Policy Framework working paper and included throughout this report. Based on this inial public feedback, along with the assessment of data, policies and growth paerns, a number of preliminary direcons were developed and presented to the public at an Open House and using an on-line community engagement tool. Detailed feedback from the Open House and the on-line community engagement tool can be found in the Community Engagement Working Paper. These preliminary direcons were presented at an in-person open house held in Genesis Place on April 20 th, 2016 between 5:00pm and 8:00pm. Members of the City and the consulng team were present to

10 5 discuss the preliminary recommendaons and answer any quesons. Approximately 50 residents were in aendance throughout the evening to provide feedback. In order to extend the engagement program, the team also ulized an online engagement tool called MindMixer. MindMixer is a web-based, mobile-opmized digital engagement soware that offers community members a way to parcipate in a two-way dialogue with the project team. The tool was used to broaden the reach of engagement and generate more meaningful and inclusive dialogue around the quesons that maer in development of the Transit Master Plan. The site launched on the same day as the in-person open house and was open for parcipaon for two weeks. Three surveys were posted, mirroring the quesons that were asked at the open house, seeking feedback on proposed recommendaons for local transit, Intercity Express (ICE), and ACCESS Airdrie. Each survey asked what respondents liked about the proposed recommendaons, if they had any suggesons to improve or change the proposed recommendaons, how oen they use the service and if they would use the service more oen based on the proposed modificaons. In addion to answering survey quesons, visitors to the site were able to read more about the project and download PDFs of informaon panels that were presented at the open house. Visitors were also able to leave general comments related to local transit, Intercity Express (ICE), and ACCESS Airdrie recommendaons. Chris MacIssac, City of Airdrie Transit Coordinator, monitored and responded directly to feedback le in the comments secon. Based on the public feedback from both the open house and the online MindMixer tool, a number of changes were made to the preliminary direcons to reflect the priories of Airdrie Transit s customers and members of the community. This evoluon towards the final recommendaons is outlined in Secon 6.0 Transit Service Design.

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12 7 2.0 SUMMARY OF EXISTING SERVICES 2.1 Conventional Transit Services This secon provides a summary of the exisng transit services in place in Airdrie at the start of this Master Plan (late 2015). This overview of the routes, service, and market is based on data received from Airdrie Transit as well as the passenger survey conducted in December Route Structure Airdrie Transit operates a base network of six routes. Three are local routes and three are Intercity Express (ICE) routes that connect Airdrie to Calgary and the CrossIron Mills shopping Mall in Rocky View County. All three Intercity Express Routes and two of the three local transit routes connect at the recently opened South Transit Terminal at the south end of Main Street. The new off-street terminal includes a park-and-ride lot for ICE customers and transfer opportunies for passengers connecng between services. Airdrie Transit operates several different service delivery strategies to meet the travel needs of different markets and varying levels of demand. Local Routes Local Transit Routes services are designed to provide fixed route services within the City of Airdrie. The focus of these routes are on arterial and collector roads connecng to places of employment, schools, local acvity centres; schools and transfer points for connecons to other services. There are three local routes that provide residents and employees with services in Airdrie. All three routes operate on weekdays between 5:45am and 6:15pm, running at a 30 minute frequency during the AM and PM peak periods and a 60 minute frequency during midday periods. This Local Route network is illustrated in Figure 1. Intercity Express Routes - Intercity Express routes provide a direct connecon between Airdrie and highdemand desnaons or transfer points within an adjacent municipality, making limited stops where significant ridership acvity takes place at specific nodes. ICE services are primarily operate on the provincial highway network or the arterial road network. Within Airdrie, ICE services can provide a local collector service to expand the reach of the service. There are two types of Intercity Express services within Airdrie: 1. Commuter ICE Routes 901 and 902 provide peak hour service from Airdrie to downtown Calgary, one from East Airdrie (Route 901) and one from West Airdrie (Route 902). Route 901 provides service from the park and ride locaon at Ron Ebbesen Arena and both routes serve the park and ride at the South Transit Terminal before operang along Highway 2 / Deerfoot Trail into downtown Calgary. There are a total of five trips between Airdrie and Calgary in each of the AM and PM weekday peak periods. 2. All-Day ICE - Route 900 operates between the South Transit Terminal in Airdrie and the McKnight- Westwinds C-Train (LRT) staon in northeast Calgary. This route serves the CrossIron Mills regional

13 8 shopping centre in Balzac and is parally funded through an agreement with CrossIron Mills. This route operates every 75 minutes in each direcon from 7:30am unl 11:00pm on weekdays and Saturdays, from 8:45am unl 8:30pm on Sundays, and from 8:45am unl 9:15pm on holidays. Dial-A-Bus - Dial-A-Bus provides local transit service beyond the service hours of the Local Routes. This on-demand service requires customers to phone a customer dispatch centre ahead of the scheduled pick-up me to book a ride. Service is available on demand on a first-come, first serve basis and trip requests are not guaranteed. The Dial-A-Bus service operates on weekday evenings from 6:15pm unl 9:00pm and on Saturdays from 9:00am unl 9:00pm Operang Contract Airdrie Transit contracts out the operaon of its services to First Canada. First Canada provides a complete range of transit operaon services under the direcon of Airdrie Transit staff and has the flexibility and capacity to take on more or less service as needed Coverage / Proximity to Transit Services The Airdrie Transit service area is comprised of the developed areas within the Growth Boundary of the City of Airdrie (as idenfied in the maps of Schedule 1 and 2 of the Airdrie City Plan). The proximity of residents to exisng transit services was calculated using a 400m walking distance criteria to each transit stop. This is illustrated in Figure 2. Based on this calculaon, approximately 41 percent of Airdrie s Urban Area is within 400 metres (5 minute walk) of an Airdrie Transit stop. This represents a very poor level of access to Airdrie Transit services, as most local transit systems strive to have between 75 to 90 percent of residents within the urban area within a five minute walk of a transit service. The reason for this low level of coverage is parally due to the disconnected roadway network which limits pedestrian connecons to the arterial and collector road network. While Airdrie has a very comprehensive pathway network, paths are generally designed to provide good connecvity to parks and open space and are not designed to provide good access to key arterial roads where transit operates. Providing good connecvity to transit means having a connected roadway network that provides direct access to skeletal roads, and also having land uses face skeletal instead of turning inwards with rear-lot fencing facing transit stops. This design limits the number of residents in residenal subdivisions that are within close walking distance of a transit stop. The number of routes provided is also limited, in part due to lower density development along skeletal corridors, which further limits ridership potenal and the ability to expand service levels. In addion to the poor coverage, most of the residenal growth is designated to occur in the southwest quadrant of the city, which is located outside the current transit service area. To increase ridership, access to transit will need to significantly improve, reflecng the needs of both exisng residents and future residents. Convenonal transit service is currently not provided within the rural areas of the City. This is common pracce in municipal areas with low populaon density, given the high cost of operang rural transit systems.

14 9 Figure 1 Existing Transit Service (November 2015)

15 1 Av W Main St S East Lake Bv SE Kingsview Bv SE HWY 567 NE Twp Rd 270 SE Veterans Bv East Lake Bv NE Yankee Valley Bv SW Yankee Valley Bv SE Kingsview Rd SE South Terminal 24 St SW QE II 8 St SW Dickson Stevenson Tr N Edmonton Tr QE II HWY 567 NW Big Hill Springs Rd FILE LOCATION: I:\GIS\ Airdrie TMP\MXD\400mExistingCoverage.mxd Airdrie Transit Transit Master Plan Existing Local Bus Stop Coverage (400m) FIGURE 2 City of Airdrie Boundary City of Airdrie Urban Area Local Bus Stop Coverage (400m) Airdrie Local Bus Stop Route 1 Route 2 Route 3 Arterial Collector Rural Local Waterbody 41% of the City's Urban Area is within a 400m walking distance of a bus stop km SCALE 1:40,000 MAP DRAWING INFORMATION: DATA PROVIDED BY THE MAP CREATED BY: SMB MAP CHECKED BY: DAK MAP PROJECTION: Calgary_3TM_WGS_1984_W114 PROJECT: STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 5/25/2016

16 Hours of Service and Frequency The first Local Route begins service at 5:48am and the last run concludes at 6:18pm, Monday through Friday. Aer 6:00pm and on Saturdays, local transit is provided by one Dial-A-Bus route servicing the enre Urban Area of Airdrie. Intercity Express service to downtown Calgary operates during peak hours of 6:00am 9:00am and 3:00pm 6:30pm. Intercity Express service to CrossIron Mills and the Calgary NE LRT operates all day from 7:30am 11:00pm. Scheduled transit service is not operated on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, except for the Intercity Express Route 900. The schedule, revenue service hours and frequency of transit services operated by Airdrie Transit are illustrated in Table 1. Overall, Airdrie Transit base services operate revenue bus hours each weekday. Table 1 Airdrie Transit Weekday Service Characteristics Route Hours of Operation Daily Revenue Frequency (min) Start Finish Runs Service AM Peak Midday Hours PM Peak Evening 1 5:48 AM 6:18 PM 18 16: N/A 2 6:10 AM 6:09 PM 16 15: N/A 3 6:21 AM 5:52 PM 19 16: N/A 900 Mon- Sat 7:30 AM 11:00 PM 13 15: Sun 8:45 AM 8:30 PM 10 11: Hol 8:45 AM 9:15 PM 10 12: AM 6:00 AM 8:17 AM 2 1:47 30 N/A N/A N/A 901 PM 3:01 PM 6:06 PM 2 2:25 N/A N/A 40 N/A 902 AM 6:00 AM 8:55 AM 3 2:15 25 N/A N/A N/A 902 PM 3:10 PM 6:33 PM 3 2:35 N/A N/A 25 N/A Evening Dial-A-Bus Saturday Dial-A-Bus 6:00 PM 9:00 PM N/A 3:00 N/A N/A N/A N/A 9:00 AM 9:00 PM N/A 12:00 N/A N/A N/A N/A

17 Stop Acvity Daily passenger acvity (boardings and alighngs) at each transit stop was measured and is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 below. The majority of the stops in the system see very lile passenger acvity (less than 5 boardings/alighngs per day). This further illustrates that the exisng Local transit service is not well ulized. The stops with the highest level of passenger acvity include: 1. South Transit Terminal: The terminal has the most acvity of all local stops. The terminal is not a desnaon but provides a transfer opportunity between buses and with the park-and-ride lot for ICE services. 2. Genesis Place: This major recreaonal complex has the second highest level of passenger acvity. Genesis Place is a major recreaonal complex in Airdrie. 3. WH Croxford High School: Use of this stop is focused around school bell mes. 4. Grocery Stores: Three grocery stores have the next highest acvity levels. These include the No Frills on East Lake Boulevard, the Sobeys on 8 th Street and the Superstore on Gateway Drive. Based on the level of passenger acvity at each stop, the majority of passengers use local transit services to access recreaonal opportunies and Genesis Place, school trips and for shopping trips. The majority of passenger acvity within Airdrie for ICE routes occurs along 8 th Street and the South Transit Terminal. Outside of the South Transit Terminal, none of the stops aracts a significant number of passengers relave to the others. The majority of passengers that use the ICE service tend to board at the South Transit Terminal. Outside of Airdrie, the majority of passenger acvity occurs at the CrossIron Mills shopping mall, McKnight-Westwinds Staon, and downtown Calgary. The ICE stops along Centre Street in Calgary have very lile acvity in comparison Transit Ridership and Performance From 2009 to 2014, ridership on Airdrie Transit has grown each year. Between 2010 and 2011, Airdrie Transit doubled the number of transit service hours provided with the addion of the ICE service. This saw a significant increase in ridership with Airdrie now providing the commuter transit service. Ridership increased by 161 percent between 2010 and 2011 while revenue grew by 317 percent (with only a 100 percent growth in operang costs). This speaks to the higher producvity of the ICE service. Between 2011 and 2014, ridership and revenue connued to grow without an expansion of revenue service hours. Much of this was due to the connued growth of ICE ridership. This led to a significant improvement in financial performance, pung Airdrie in line with its peer group average. The goal for Airdrie Transit is to connue to grow to reach a 6 percent mode share target by 2025 (2 million annual riders). For this to occur, ridership on Airdrie Transit would need to grow by approximately 24 percent per year. This is a significant rate of growth that cannot be achieved without a significant investment in transit services.

18 1 Av W Main St S East Lake Bv SE Kingsview Bv SE HWY 567 NE Twp Rd 270 SE Veterans Bv East Lake Bv NE Yankee Valley Bv SE 24 St SW 8 St SW Dickson Stevenson Tr N QE II Edmonton Tr QE II Kingsview Rd SE Yankee Valley Bv SW HWY 567 NW Big Hill Springs Rd FILE LOCATION: I:\GIS\ Airdrie TMP\MXD\Local Routes Stop Activity.mxd South Terminal Airdrie Transit Transit Master Plan Local Route Weekday Stop Activity FIGURE 3 City of Airdrie Boundary Bus Stop with Less than 5 Daily Boardings Bus Stop with More than 5 Daily Boardings Route 1 Route 2 Route 3 Arterial Collector Rural Local Waterbody 44 Boardings Exits km SCALE 1:40,000 MAP DRAWING INFORMATION: DATA PROVIDED BY THE MAP CREATED BY: SMB MAP CHECKED BY: DAK MAP PROJECTION: Calgary_3TM_WGS_1984_W114 PROJECT: STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 5/25/2016

19 QE II East Lake Bv SE Edmonton Tr 36 ST NE 1 Av W Main St S AIRPORT TR NE 80 AV NE Kingsview Bv SE 52 ST NE 16 AV NE Dickson Stevenson Tr N HWY 567 NE Veterans Bv HWY 567 NW East Lake Bv NE 24 St SW Twp Rd 270 SE Big Hill Springs Rd Yankee Valley Bv SE km SCALE 1:50,000 Yankee Valley Bv SW 8 St SW QE II Kingsview Rd SE Airdrie Transit Transit Master Plan ICE Routes Weekday Stop Activity FIGURE 4 MAP DRAWING INFORMATION: DATA PROVIDED BY THE MAP CREATED BY: SMB MAP CHECKED BY: DAK MAP PROJECTION: Calgary_3TM_WGS_1984_W114 FILE LOCATION: I:\GIS\ Airdrie TMP\MXD\ICE Stop Activity.mxd 17 AV SW STONEY TR NE 128 AV NE COUNTRY HILLS BV NE 64 AV NE 48 AV NE 68 ST NE 39 AV NE STONEY TR SE 52 ST SE DEERFOOT TR SE PROJECT: STATUS: DRAFT DATE: 5/25/ ST NE DEERFOOT TR NE MEMORIAL DR NE 9 AV SE CENTRE ST N STONEY TR NW 14 ST NW 16 AV NW To Calgary 36 ST NE 64 AV NE 4 AV SW 1 ST SE South Terminal City of Airdrie Boundary Bus Stop with Less than 5 Daily Boardings Route 900 Route 901 Arterial Collector Bus Stop with More than 5 Daily Boardings Route 902 Rural Local 44 Waterbody Boardings Exits CrossIron Mills

20 15 Year Service Area Population Table 2 Trends in Ridership, Service Hours and Financial Performance Ridership Revenue Vehicle Hours Total /Capita Total /Capita Revenue Financial Performance Operating Cost ,091 26, , $73,578 $474,475 16% ,822 30, , $81,200 $841,972 10% ,155 78, , $338,462 $1,680,268 20% , , , $589,770 $1,572,818 37% , , , $753,281 $1,611,366 47% , , , $801,175 $1,807,646 44% R/C For this study, ridership and performance measures were evaluated by route to assess the effecveness of each route. Airdrie Transit collects ridership data from automated passenger counters and from cket and monthly pass sales. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the average 2015 passenger boardings per revenue vehicle hour by route. This is a standard producvity measure in the transit industry for assessing the performance of individual routes. Routes are measured by assessing total boardings (both revenue passengers and transfers). This provides guidance on how effecve the route is within the overall system. For systems the size of Airdrie, local routes should generally achieve a minimum target of 12 to 15 boardings per revenue vehicle hour to be considered producve. All the local routes fall well below this target, although the performance trend has been improving in recent years. This is in part due to the limited service levels and the low density land use and disconnected roadway network that the transit service operates in (limited number of residents within close proximity to a transit service). The Intercity Express Routes are performing very well and all meet the minimum target, as shown in Figure 6. These routes may be considered for increased service to meet demand.

21 16 Figure 5 Average 2011 Weekday Local Boardings per Revenue Service Hour 6.0 Ridership per Revenue Vehicle Hour Route 1 Route 2 Route 3 Evening Dial-A-Bus Route Saturday Dial- A-Bus Figure 6 Average Weekday Intercity Express Boardings per Revenue Service Hour Ridership per Revenue Vehicle Hour Route 901 Route 902 Route

22 Origin/Desnaons The online and onboard transit survey conducted as part of the community engagement strategy had a total of 348 residents respond. The survey asked Airdrie residents where their trips originated and ended. Table 3 and 4 shows the origins and desnaons of Airdrie residents, for transit users and nontransit users. Table 3 Origins of Transit and Non-Transit Users What area of Airdrie do you live in? Area Transit Users Non-Transit Users Northeast 7.9% 5.2% Northwest 15.8% 24.7% Southeast 30.7% 36.4% Southwest 45.5% 33.8% Table 4 Destinations of Transit and Non-Transit Users During a typical weekday, what is the most common place you travel to? Area Transit Users Non-Transit Users Northeast Airdrie 5.9% 19.5% Northwest Airdrie 5.0% 7.8% Southeast Airdrie 6.9% 6.5% Southwest Airdrie 8.9% 10.4% Balzac or CrossIron Mills 10.9% 3.9% Downtown Calgary 47.5% 20.8% Northeast Calgary 0.0% 6.5% Southeast Calgary 3.0% 2.6% Calgary International Airport 1.0% 9.1% Other 10.9% 13.0% The tables show that three-quarters of all Airdrie Transit riders reside in the southern part of the city, with almost half residing in the southwest. Place of residence is more evenly distributed for non-transit users amongst the southern half of the city and the northwest quadrant. Almost half of all transit riders are desned to downtown Calgary. Other significant desnaons CrossIron Mills and southwest Airdrie. Amongst non-transit users, an approximately equal amount are desned to northeast Airdrie and downtown Calgary. Northeast Airdrie has a number of employment

23 18 opportunies in the industrial area which is difficult to service with the current transit system. Other significant desnaons included southwest Airdrie and Calgary Internaonal Airport. It should be noted that the origins and desnaons idenfied above are based on responses from survey respondents and do not provide a representave sample of Airdrie residents Time of Travel In an effort to understand when and why people travel in Airdrie, the online and onboard surveys asked transit users and non-users the mes of day they traveled. As illustrated in Figure 7, the majority of transit riders begin their daily commutes before 7:00am, with over one-quarter beginning their journey at the same me Airdrie Transit begins operaons (6:00am). The majority of these passengers are ICE passengers taking the service to downtown Calgary. Figure 7 Typical Commute Start Time Figure 8 illustrates that the me of arrival at home is more spread out for transit riders than for nontransit riders. Addionally, a small percentage of transit riders arrive home at 9:00pm, three hours aer

24 19 Airdrie Transit service terminates. This suggests that they use alternave modes of transportaon to reach their final desnaon. Figure 8 Typical Time of Arrival at Home Weekly and Daily Use The online and onboard transit survey asked several quesons to beer understand use of Airdrie Transit services. Just over 50 percent of current passengers have been using Airdrie Transit for less than 2 years. This is reflecve of the significant growth in ridership that has occurred over the past few years. Less than 20 percent of riders have been using the system for more than five years. Most Airdrie Transit customers use the service on weekdays only, with only 25 percent reporng that they use the service on weekends. This is in part due to the limited service provided on weekends (Saturday Dial-A-Bus and weekend 900 ICE service to CrossIron Mills). The majority (60%) of riders use Airdrie Transit 4 to 5 days a week, which is consistent with most using the service on weekdays only. Just under 30 percent use the service for 1 to 3 days a week, while less than 10 percent use the service every day.

25 20 Figure 9 Years of Use of Airdrie Transit Figure 10 Typical Days of Use of Airdrie Transit

26 21 Figure 11 Typical Number of Days of Use of Airdrie Transit Trip Purpose The online and onboard transit survey asked several quesons to understand why passengers use the transit service. Figure 12 illustrates that the large majority of transit users surveyed (73.1%) take Airdrie Transit for work trips. The next highest trip purpose was shopping/services, which accounted for 9.3 percent of all trips. The majority of work trips are taken on ICE services, while shopping trips are primarily taken on the Local Transit service.

27 22 Figure 12 Trip Purpose Transit Facilies All Airdrie Transit s local buses are housed and maintained at the First Canada Transit Depot located at 2 East Lake Circle NE. Regional buses are based out of the Airdrie Transit facility at 15 East Lake Hill and are maintained by City Fleet Services. Routes that start or end at nearby Genesis Place or the Ron Ebbesen Arena have minimal deadheading. Both the First Canada and City of Airdrie transit depots are at capacity and Airdrie Transit has a funding commitment in place to construct a new transit storage and maintenance facility by Transit Stops and Shelters There are currently 103 bus stops within the City of Airdrie. A number of stops are in poor condion, are not accessible (with a concrete pad and paved pedestrian access), and lack passenger amenies (benches, shelters, transit informaon and shelters). The only stop with a covered shelter is at the newly opened South Transit Terminal. A key strategy to improve ridership is to enhance the interface between pedestrians and transit riders at transit stops. 2.2 ACCESS Airdrie Services The City of Airdrie provides shared-ride curb-to-curb specialized transit service called ACCESS Airdrie for persons with disabilies who are unable to use the convenonal service. The service is contracted to First Canada. Service is provided using one mobility bus that is able to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility aids. ACCESS customers pay the standard Airdrie Transit local fare when boarding the bus.

28 23 Specialized medical trips are also provided for registered customers that need to access a specialized medical appointment in Calgary that is not available in Airdrie. In 2015, Airdrie Transit expanded the ACCESS Calgary service from one day a week to every weekday. Cowboy Taxi has the contract to provide this service using their fleet of sedans or minivans, depending on the needs of the passenger. ACCESS customers pay the $25.00 fare to the driver, with the remainder subsidized by Airdrie Transit. Addional subsidies ($12.50 one-way) are available for low income riders via the Airdrie Parcipant Support Program (APSP). The following secon provides an overview of the exisng services provided Area of Service ACCESS Airdrie is provided within the city limits of Airdrie only. This is the same service area as the Local Transit and Dial-A-Bus service. Specialized medical trips to Calgary are only provided to specialized medical facilies within Calgary Hours of Service Specialized transit service hours are idencal to Local and Dial-A-Bus service hours on weekdays and Saturdays. ACCESS Airdrie service is provided from 8:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. Dial-A-Bus is available to provide registered ACCESS Airdrie passengers with service between 6:00pm and 9:00pm on weekdays and between 9:00am and 9:00pm on Saturdays. The Dial-A-Bus service is open to everyone and registered ACCESS Airdrie passengers may share a ride with other passengers that do not have a disability. Specialized Medical Trips to Calgary are provided on an on-demand basis, excluding public holidays Eligibility and Registraon ACCESS Airdrie is provided for residents of Airdrie who are unable to use convenonal transit services due to a physical or funconal limitaon, defined as any condion, either short term or long term. The applicaon for services asks the applicant: whether they require the use of a mobility aid while onboard the bus; whether they require a personal care aendant onboard the bus; the type of mobility aid they require to travel (if applicable). The disability that is prevenng the applicant from using Local Transit could either be a short-term or long-term condion. A qualified health care professional is required to provide informaon of the applicant s disability and their ability to use convenonal transit. This could be a physician, physiotherapist, chiropractor, occupaonal therapist or registered nurse. The health care professional is asked whether the applicant: is physically able to walk a distance of 175m; suffers from vergo to the degree that he/she would fall;

29 24 requires an aendant; is cognively skilled; uses a mobility aid; and/or requires a personal care assistance. There is no standard definion that defines a number of the criteria (e.g. whether the applicant is cognively skilled enough to ride a convenonal bus). The health care professional is also chosen by the applicant and may not have an understanding of Airdrie Transit services to know whether a person s disability would prevent them from riding the Local service. Applicaons received may take up to two business weeks to process before the applicant is informed whether they are eligible. If an applicaon is denied, the applicant can appeal by making a request to the Transit Coordinator Airdrie Transit within 30 days of eligibility noficaon. The Transit Coordinator will provide a final decision within 30 days of receiving the proper appeal documentaon. Applicants who are considered ineligible can apply within one year for the data they were considered ineligible, unless ACCESS Airdrie staff receive informaon about a change in the applicants condion that limit their ability to use the Local Transit service Reservaons and Scheduling Trips are booked on a first-come, first serve basis. Trips can be booked by calling the booking agent between Monday to Friday between 8:00am and 6:00pm. Trips can be booked up to 30 days in advance. Same day trip requests may be accommodated only if space if available and may be denied. Specialized medial trip to Calgary can be booked by calling the booking agent between Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm. Trips must be booked or cancelled no less than 24 hours in advance Ridership Trends Ridership on ACCESS Airdrie has ranged from 390 to 790 rides per month since 2012 as shown in Figure 13. There was a steady increase in rides throughout 2013 and 2014 followed by a slight decline in ACCESS Airdrie ridership varies throughout the year, with the lowest ridership in July and August. December also regularly experiences low ridership. These periods of reduced demand coincide with holiday periods.

30 25 Figure 13 ACCESS Airdrie ridership Policies and Procedures An ACCESS Airdrie Handbook is provided to all registered ACCESS Airdrie customers and is available for general download on the Airdrie Transit website. The document outlines wrien policies and procedures that staff, drivers or customers can refer to. These are noted below. Personal Care Attendant and Companion Policy ACCESS Airdrie clients who require frequent aenon or display unacceptable behaviours that affect drivers and/or other ACCESS Airdrie clients or service levels (delay service) will be required to travel with a mandatory personal care aendant (PCA) at all mes. A PCA must be over the age of 18 and cannot serve as an aendant for another ACCESS Airdrie client if they are also registered for ACCESS Airdrie. PCA s ride the service for free when travelling with a registered ACCESS Airdrie client. A companion of registered ACCESS Airdrie client can travel with the registered user if space is available on the vehicle. The companion travelling with a registered ACCESS Airdrie client is required to pay the regular fare. No-Shows and Cancellations Cancelaons must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled trip by calling the dispatch office. If a trip is cancelled within 24 hours of the pick-up me, it is considered a late cancellaon. A no-show occurs when an ACCESS Airdrie vehicle arrives at the scheduled me and locaon and the client is not ready or not present. If an ACCESS Airdrie vehicle arrives more than fieen (15) minutes late and the ACCESS Airdrie client wishes to cancel the trip or no-show the trip, it will not count as a late cancellaon or no-show.

31 26 To minimize the number of late cancellaons and no-shows, the City has adopted a number of policy acons: If three (3) late cancellaons or no-shows occur in any 60-day period, a leer of warning is issued to the ACCESS Airdrie client and/or their caregiver. If six (6) late cancellaons or no-shows occur in any 90-day period, a two-day suspension of service is imposed. A leer of warning explaining the suspension is also issued to the ACCESS Airdrie client and/or their caregiver. If nine (9) late cancellaons or no-shows occur in any 120-day period, a one-week suspension of service is imposed. A leer of warning explaining the suspension is issued to the ACCESS Airdrie and/or their caregiver. The one-week suspension is imposed for seven (7) consecuve days. If twelve (12) or more late cancellaons or no-shows occur in any 120-day period ACCESS Airdrie eligibility can be revoked. ACCESS Airdrie can revoke the client s eligibility if a sasfactory arrangement to avoid late cancellaons and no-shows cannot be reached. Excepons are made if appointment mes are taking longer than expected. Registered clients are required to call the booking agent to arrange alternave pick-up mes. Late cancellaons for specialized medical trips to Calgary will result in a missed trip fee equivalent to the trip fee. Missed trip fees are payable at City Hall prior to the passenger s next trip. Passenger Pick-ups (Wait Time window) When booking a trip, the booking agent will provide a pick-up me for the trip. The ACCESS Airdrie service may arrive 10 minutes earlier or up to 10 minutes later than the me provided by the booking agent. If ACCESS Airdrie is operang 15 minutes later than the me provided by the booking agent, the booking agent will aempt to nofy the client. At this point, the client may cancel the trip without penalty. Clients are expected to be ready to board the ACCESS Airdrie vehicle at the start of the pick-up window Customer Feedback The December 2015 survey aimed to gain insight on customer feedback, and asked a series of quesons relang to customer sasfacon on ACCESS Airdrie services. Only 7.5 percent of survey respondents indicated they had used ACCESS Airdrie services, and therefore this feedback must be interpreted with cauon as it is from a small sample size. These respondents were asked to rate several components of ACCESS Airdrie services. Their rangs are shown in Figure 14 below. The feedback demonstrates sasfacon with the travel me, hours of service, availability of service, and overall service, and notes room for improvement in the cleanliness and safe operaon of the buses. As shown in Figure 15, the majority of respondents are sasfied with the on-me performance of ACCESS Airdrie services, with 62.5 percent reporng the service as on-me all or most of the me. ACCESS Airdrie defines on-me performance as 5 minutes earlier than scheduled to 15 minutes later than scheduled.

32 27 Figure 14 Customer Ratings on ACCESS Airdrie Elements Figure 15 Customer Ratings on ACCESS Airdrie On-Time Performance

33 28 Respondents were also asked to suggest which potenal improvements would be most desirable. The most popular improvements noted were providing more service on weekdays and improving the accessibility of service. Other notable improvements were to introduce service to Calgary for reasons other than medical appointments and have more buses available on Saturdays. Figure 16 Customer-Suggested Improvements to ACCESS Airdrie Frequency of responses

34 EXISTING AND FUTURE MARKET REVIEW 3.1 Existing Market A key part of developing a transit master plan is to understand the exisng market of travellers within Airdrie, including the key desnaons within the City and to key desnaons in Rocky View County and the City of Calgary. The following secon provides a short summary of this market, including comments on how it feeds into for the development of a master plan for Airdrie Transit Interregional Commuters The majority of employed Airdrie residents work outside of the City of Airdrie. According to the 2015 Municipal Census, 45.2 percent of workers commute to Calgary daily, 9.2 percent travel elsewhere within the Calgary Region and 9.7 work in Alberta outside the Calgary Region. Total AM peak period trips made within Airdrie is less than half the amount made between Airdrie and surrounding municipalies. Residents commung to Calgary represent a significant poron of Airdrie Transit s market. These commuters are also more likely to select transit due to the inconvenience of driving on the increasingly congested roads in Calgary and the expense of parking downtown. The primary desnaon in Calgary for commuters is the downtown core. Other key employment nodes include the industrial areas in the northeast and southeast, as well as the University of Calgary and the adjacent Foothills Medical Centre in the northwest. Other major destinations within the City of Calgary include: Other Post-secondary instuons: Mount Royal University in the southwest, and the Southern Alberta Instute of Technology (SAIT) just north of downtown. Regional shopping desnaons: CrossIron Mills on the north fringe of Calgary and Chinook Centre in the south of the city. Entertainment desnaons: Calgary Stampede grounds and Scoabank Saddledome (Flames and Hitmen hockey, Roughnecks lacrosse) just east of downtown, McMahon Stadium (Stampeders football) at the University of Calgary, Canada Olympic Park (downhill winter sports) in west Calgary; the Calgary Zoo and Telus World of Science in the northeast; and bars, restaurants and nightlife in downtown Calgary. Only the downtown core and the CrossIron Mills shopping centre area are directly serviced by the Airdrie ICE service. Other desnaons in Calgary can be directly accessed by transferring onto Calgary Transit s system Secondary School Student Market The City of Airdrie has five major high schools: George McDougall High School, Bert Church High School, W.H. Croxford High School, St. Marn de Porres High School and Airdrie Koinonia Chrisan School.

35 30 St. Marn de Porres High School is the only Catholic high school in Airdrie, and as such serves approximately 400 students from a wide catchment area. It is located at 410 Yankee Valley Boulevard SW. The school is served by Route 3 with a stop immediately in front of the school on Luxstone Boulevard SW. Airdrie Koinonia Chrisan School is a K-12 school with 900 students located at 77 Gateway Drive NE near the north edge of Airdrie. As an independent school, it draws students from a wide area. The school is served by both Routes 1 and 2 with a stop on Gateway Drive a short walk away. George McDougall High School is the oldest high school in Airdrie with 815 students. It offers French Immersion program and aracts students to that program from around the city. George McDougall is located at rd Avenue NE, near downtown. It is not directly served by any transit route. Route 2 provides the closest service, stopping along Jensen Drive at Town and Country Centre (less than a 5 minute walk). Bert Church High School has 940 students. It is located at 1010 East Lake Boulevard in southeast Airdrie. Route 3 travels along East Lake Boulevard but does not stop directly in front of the school. The closest bus stop is at the neighbouring Genesis Place recreaon centre (within a reasonable walking distance to the school). W.H. Croxford High School is the newest high school in Airdrie and is sll ramping up to serve its expected complement of approximately 700 students in the school year. Currently, there are just under 500 students that aend the school. The school is located at 2654 Chinook Winds Drive SW. The school is served by transit Route 3 with a stop immediately in front of the school on Chinook Winds Drive. For the 2,236 students that aend one of the three public high schools, approximately 764 use the yellow school bus administered by the Rocky View School Division. To access the bus, parents pay $220 a year per student (up to a maximum of $440 per family). Any registered student that pays the fee is eligible to use the school bus, as long as they are willing to walk to one of the communal stops located at least 1.5km away from the school. The majority of school bus users live in Airdrie (89 percent). There is a local transit market to address students that do not use the school bus and walk to school or rely on parents to be dropped off. There is the potenal for Airdrie Transit to beer address the travel needs of students undertaking aer school extracurricular acvies such as employment, volunteer and community service acvies, library and recreaon with improved service and potenally later evening service. Almost 12 percent of Airdrie s current populaon is between 10 and 19 years of age. As the populaon connues to grow, so will this market. This emerging generaon of teens and young adults are beginning to make decisions about where they will live and how they will make their travel choices. This new generaon has a reliance on technology and expectaons of constant innovaon. Teenagers and their families are making many travel choices and decisions on household auto ownership that will have long term impacts on transit in terms of ridership trends and the future service

36 31 decisions. It is important that the City of Airdrie provide effecve transit services to address this market, parcularly addressing the needs of aer-school acvies or employment opportunies that students cannot access using the yellow school bus Hospital Market The Airdrie Regional Health Centre is located at 604 Main Street S in downtown Airdrie. It provides urgent care and is open for walk-ins from 8:00am unl 10:00pm, seven days a week. There are a few other medical centres and walk-in clinics in the city, clustered in the downtown area with transit service provided by Route 2. The nearest full-service hospital is the Peter Lougheed Centre in Northeast Calgary. Transit service is provided by Intercity Express Route 900 to McKnight Westwinds staon, where passengers can transfer to the Calgary Transit C-Train or bus to the hospital. Trauma cases and specialized medicine is provided at the Foothills Medical Centre and Alberta Children s Hospital in Northwest Calgary Seniors Market The City of Airdrie has a very young populaon relave to the provincial average. The Airdrie 2015 Municipal Census indicates that seniors (65 and older) represent only 5.9 percent of the total Airdrie populaon, or 3,468 residents. This is roughly half of the Provincial average (11.1 percent). Airdrie offers seniors programs at the Airdrie Over 50 Club located in the Town and Country Centre. The Centre has transit service from Route 2 a block away on Jensen Drive. Bethany Airdrie is a long-term care centre with a wide range of levels of care, including Arbor Manor, an assisted living facility. Both residences are located at st Avenue NW and are served by Route 1. The Hamlets at Cedarwood Staon has assisted living suites and residenal care for seniors and people suffering from demena. It is located at st Avenue NE and has transit service with Route 1. Luxstone Manor is an independent living and assisted living residence located at 2014 Luxstone Boulevard. Transit service is provided on Route 3. Diamond Jubilee Manor and Suites offers independent living for seniors in suites. It is located at 112 Bower Street NE and has transit service on Route 1 a block away. As the populaon of Airdrie grows and exisng residents get older, Airdrie will see an increase in the total number of seniors residing in the community. The seniors market is unique as many older seniors no long have a driver s licence or feel uncomfortable driving in inclement weather condions and require an alternave form of transportaon to access medical appointments, services and recreaonal opportunies. There is also an increase in the number of seniors with a disability, which require transportaon services to be more accessible, both while on the vehicle and when considering proximity to/from transit and the need for accessible infrastructure at and leading to/from transit stops.

37 Major Employment Market Most major employers in Airdrie are located in the industrial park in the northeast quadrant of the city. This area is characterized by low density industrial/commercial/warehouse/office employment with large parking areas for employees. Route 1 provides transit service to the area along East Lake Boulevard. The area north of Veterans Boulevard, including the Costco Distribuon Centre and TransCanada Turbines, does not have transit service. The other major employment area is the Sierra Springs big-box commercial area located along Highway 2 in the south part of Airdrie. This area is well-served by Route 2 and Route 3 and is home to the new South Transit Terminal with connecons to the Intercity Express routes to Calgary. As menoned earlier, the majority of Airdrie s workforce commutes outside of the city for work, especially to Calgary Retail Services Market There are two major concentraons of retail acvity in Airdrie. Towerlane Centre is a shopping centre anchored by Sears and Safeway. It forms the nucleus of Airdrie s downtown commercial area along Main Street and is served by Route 2 along Main Street and Route 1 along 1 st Avenue N. Sierra Springs is a newer big-box commercial area in south Airdrie along Main Street and Sierra Springs Drive south of Yankee Valley Boulevard with visibility from Highway 2. It includes Walmart, Home Depot, Rona, London Drugs, Co-op and Comfort Inn & Suites. Along Yankee Valley Boulevard east of Highway 2 is the Kingsview Market development including No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart, and a number of restaurants. Routes 2 and 3 serve these south commercial areas and connect to the Intercity Express routes at the new South Transit Terminal. Other major retailers are located as follows: A Canadian Tire and Real Canadian Superstore are located in north Airdrie along Veterans Boulevard. They are served by Routes 1 and 2, and provide a transfer point between these routes. A small commercial area anchored by Sobeys is located downtown along 8 th Street SW. This is served by Routes 1 and 3, and acts as a transfer point between the two routes. Addional highway commercial services including fast-food restaurants and a Best Western hotel are located along Edmonton Trail fronng Highway 2. This area is served by Route 1. Recreaon facilies include the Airdrie Curling Club and adjacent Town and Country Centre banquet halls off Jensen Drive with service from Route 2. Genesis Place is the primary recreaon facility in Airdrie, consisng of two indoor arenas, a pool and aquac centre, indoor field houses and gymnasiums, a fitness centre, and indoor and outdoor running tracks. It is located along East Lake Boulevard and serves as a terminus point for both Route 1 and 3. These commercial and recreaonal services require good access to transit to aract the local market. Convenient connecons to these areas should connue to be emphasized in the development of an Airdrie Transit service structure.

38 Population and Employment Growth By 2033, the City of Airdrie is forecast to grow to a populaon of 95,000 with employment of 28,273. Populaon growth in Airdrie has been occurring at an accelerated rate for the past decade, with fieen consecuve years of growth above 4.5 percent per year. Recent peak years (2009 and 2014) have seen growth exceeding 10 percent. This is significantly higher than the Calgary Region as a whole, which has experienced growth rates between 1.8 and 3.7 percent per year over the past decade, and is forecast to grow between 2.0 and 2.5 percent per year over the next five years. The 2015 populaon of Airdrie was 58,690, which is forecasted to increase to 65,000 in 2017; an increase of 11 percent. By 2023, Airdrie is expected to have a populaon of 80,000. Employment will also grow, but at a slower pace, expected to reach 22,581 by 2017 and 24,471 by The projected populaon and employment growth for the City of Airdrie is shown in Table 5. Table 5 Forecasted Population and Employment Growth Year Population Employment ,690 20, ,000 22, ,000 24, ,000 26, ,000 28,273 Source: City of Airdrie These projecons suggest that to accommodate the mode share targets idenfied in the Airdrie Transportaon Master Plan, Airdrie s transit service will need to grow to a similar size as larger transit systems in municipalies such as St. Albert or Strathcona County. 3.3 New Growth Areas The Airdrie City Plan and Airdrie Transportaon Master Plan idenfy the areas in which future residenal and employment growth is expected to occur. In the short term, growth will occur within the exisng growth boundary as shown in Figure 17. Residenal development will take place primarily on the west, southwest, and southeast fringes of exisng neighbourhoods. Industrial development will occur in the northeast area of the city adjacent to the exisng industrial park. Commercial development will take place at exisng nodes along Veterans Boulevard, 8 th Street, and Main Street South. As Airdrie connues to grow in the coming decades towards an esmated populaon of 95,000 forecasted for 2033, this growth will be accommodated in addional residenal lands in the west, northwest, and southeast. Addional industrial and business land will be made available in the north and northeast. This will require an expansion of the urban boundary as shown in Figure 18. The projected phasing of development in Airdrie is illustrated in Figures 19 and 20. Between 2017 and 2023, the majority of residenal growth will occur along 24 Street SW, with some connued

39 34 development in the southeast quadrant of Airdrie (south of Yankee Valley Boulevard, east of Highway 2). The majority of employment growth will occur in the Northeast industrial park.. The roadway improvements recommended in the Airdrie Transportaon Master Plan to accommodate this increased travel demand are illustrated in Figures 21 and 22. Of parcular importance for transit is the construcon of the 40 th Avenue interchange which will provide direct access between the South Transit Terminal and Highway 2. This is projected to be completed within the next 2 to 3 years and will result in a change in the route network.

40 35 Figure 17 Current Airdrie Growth Areas Figure 18 Future Airdrie Growth Areas by 2033 Source: Airdrie City Plan

41 36 Figure 19 65,000 Population and Employment Distribution (Airdrie Transportation Master Plan) Figure 20 80,000 Population and Employment Distribution (Airdrie Transportation Master Plan)

42 37 Figure 21 Recommended Roadway Improvements Source: Airdrie Transportation Master Plan

43 38 Figure 22 Recommended Roadway Improvements (40 th Ave and 56 th Ave Interchanges) Source: Airdrie Transportation Master Plan