Throughout my time working there, I was exposed to the various teams and processes that went into new transportation projects. Most importantly, I was able to see first-hand how planning theory was translated into practice from a regional planning perspective. This was through the team I worked with, systems planning (now Network Planning) who are responsible for writing and the implementing the 2041 Regional Transportation Plan. I was also given the opportunity to do cycling and connectivity related work with the mobility management team.
To give some context about theory and practice, throughout my school term I was taught that planning theory lends itself to practice and vice versa. However, they may not always reflect each other due to many factors that theory cannot simply account for. For example, in theory, if destinations are within close proximity to each other, people would be more included to bike or walk to them. However, this is not the case. Driving remains the dominant mode of transportation in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area (GTHA) even though 56% of trips made are close enough for cycling (Metrolinx, 2015, 2).
Working with both the Systems Planning and Mobility Management teams, I was able to see the decision-making processes, and government efforts to find solutions. Both teams dealt with similar issues but they looked at them from different scales. Where Systems Planning looked at problems from a regional connectivity perspective, Mobility Management focused on smaller scale areas surrounding GO stations.
This aim of both teams are evident in the 2041 RTP which aims to support complete travel experiences across the region while also promoting sustainable and healthy communities (Metrolinx, 2018). In theory, this would be achieved by planning dense, mixed-used developments which support walking, cycling and public transit. However, as most stations are located in car-oriented cities, the goal of these teams is to promote the use of other modes of transportation aside from cars. I worked on with Mobility Management to do just that. I worked on how to motivate people to bike to GO Stations including bike counts at stations as part of their ‘bike-to-GO pilot’ and research for secure bike parking practices which could be implemented at existing and future GO Stations.
Overall, I had many takeaways from my work term this summer: I learned everything there is to know about bike parking, I had insight into the decision-making processes associated with regional transportation, and observing the gap between theory and practice, but, it doesn’t mean that it will remain empty. As a result, this experience has motivated me even more to become a planner. There are many problems that cities face and planners are needed to solve them.
Sources:
Metrolinx. (2015). Active Transportation Report. Retrieved on October 18, from
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/regionalplanning/rtp/technical/01_Active_Transportation_Report_EN.pdf
Metrolinx. (2018). Regional Transportation Plan. Retrieved on October 18, from http://www.metrolinx.com/en/regionalplanning/rtp/Metrolinx%20-%202041%20Regional%20Transportation%20Plan%20%E2%80%93%20Final.pdf