Tài liệu Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business: A Study of Bloor Street in Toronto’s Annex Neighbourhood docx

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking
and Business
A Study of Bloor Street in Toronto’s Annex Neighbourhood






February 2009

ExecutiveDirector
EvaLigeti,CleanAirPartnership

ResearcherandAuthor:
FredSztabinski,ActiveTransportationResearcher,CleanAirPartnership

SurveyTeam:
DepartmentofHealthSciences,FacultyofMedicine,UniversityofToronto

ParkingData:
PlanningDepartment,TorontoParkingAuthority

AdvisoryCommittee:
MichaelCanzi,TransportationPolicyandPlanningAdvisor,Metrolinx
AlanFilipuzzi,
SeniorTransportationPlanner,CityofToronto
PaulHess,AssociateProfessor,DepartmentofGeography&PrograminPlanning,
UniversityofToronto
JenniferPenney,DirectorofResearch,CleanAirPartnership

SupporthasbeenprovidedbyagrantfromtheTorontoCommunityFoundation.CAP
wouldalsoliketothankTransportCanadaandthe
CityofTorontofortheirgenerous
supportofthiswork,andthefollowingpeoplefortheirhelpinreviewingthereport:
GordBrown,DanielEgan,JenniferHyland,JanaNeumann,LukaszPawlowski,Nancy

SmithLeaandStephanieTencer.




©CleanAirPartnership,2009

Formoreinformation,contact:
CleanAir
Partnership
75ElizabethStreet
Toronto,Ontario,M5G1P4,Canada
416‐392‐6672


Additionalcopiesofthispublicationmaybedownloadedatwww.cleanairpartnership.org


TheCleanAirPartnership(CAP)isaregisteredcharitythatworksinpartnershipto
promoteandcoordinateactionstoimprovelocalairqualityandreducegreenhousegases
forhealthycommunities.Ourappliedresearchonmunicipalpoliciesstrivestobroaden
andimproveaccesstopublicpolicydebateonairpollutionand
climatechangeissues.
Oursocialmarketingprogramsfocusonenergyconservationactivitiesthatmotivate
individuals,government,schools,utilities,businessesandcommunitiestotakeactionto
cleantheair.


i
TABLE OF CONTENTS


TABLEOFCONTENTS i

ListofTables ii
ListofMaps ii
ListofFigures ii
ExecutiveSummary 1
1.Introduction 2
1.1StudyPurpose 2
1.2StudyDescription 2
2.Context 4
2.1Background 4
2.2CyclingInfrastructureandtheBikePlan 5
2.3TheBloorAnnexNeighbourhood 6
3.Methodology 9
3.1ExistingPrecedent 9
3.2Surveys 9
3.2.1MerchantSurvey 9
3.2.2.PedestrianSurvey 11
3.3ParkingData 12
3.4DataAnalysis 13
3.5StudyLimitations 13
4.Findings 15
4.1Merchant’sPerceivedCustomerTravelHabits 15
4.2Merchant’sPerceivedEffectofPotentialStreetChanges 15
4.3PedestrianSurveyRespondents 16
4.4VisitorHabitsandConsumption 18
4.5On‐StreetParkingUsage 19
4.6Off‐StreetParking 22
5.Discussion 23

6.Conclusions&Recommendations 25
References 26
AppendixA–MerchantSurvey 27
AppendixB–PedestrianSurvey 28



ii
LIST OF TABLES
Table1.Distributionofsurveyrespondentsbysurveylocation 11
Table2.Distributionofsurveyrespondentsbysurveydayoftheweek 12
Table3.Merchantestimateofcustomersthatdriveandparkinthearea 15
Table4.NumberofdayspermonthvisitingtheBloorAnnex 17
Table5.Moneyspentintheareapermonth 17
Table6.Preferredchangetothestreet 18
Table7.BloorStreetandSpadinaRoadaverageon‐streetparkingusage 20
Table8.BloorStreetandSpadinaRoadaveragehourlyon‐streetparkingusage21
Table9.TorontoParkingAuthorityaverageparkinglotusage 22

LIST OF MAPS
Map1.TheBloorAnnexneighbourhoodwithinthelargerTorontocontext 3
Map2.SuggestedBloor‐DanforthBikeway 5
Map3.TheAnnexLandUse 8
Map4.TheAnnexbuiltformandtransportationnetwork 9
Map5.MunicipalpaidparkingoptionsintheAnnex 8
Map6.Pedestrianinterceptlocations 11
Map7.Studyareaboundary 16
Map8.Pedestriansurveyrespondents’placesofresidence–Scale:Greater
TorontoArea 17

Map9.Pedestriansurveyrespondents’placesofresidence–Scale:Toronto 17

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure1.Samplestreetconfiguration,includingbikelaneandstreetcar 4
Figure2.TypicalBloorAnnexcrosssectionfacingeast 7
Figure3.BloorStreetfacingeastatBathurstStreet 7
Figure4.Northsideparkingrestrictions 8
Figure5.Typicalsidestreetparkingrestrictions 8
Figure6.Northsidestreetparking 8
Figure7.Pay‐and‐displaymachine 8
Figure8.Lippincottparkinglot 8
Figure9.TypesofbusinessesonBloor 10
Figure10.Typesofbusinessesthatrespondedtothesurvey 10
Figure11.Responseratebytypeofbusiness 10
Figure12.Merchants’perceptionoftheimpactonbusinessofreducedparking 16
Figure13.Transportationmodeshare–liveorworkinthearea 18
Figure14.Transportationmodeshare–donotliveorworkinthearea 18
Figure15.Transportationmodeshare–Total 18
Figure16.BloorStreetaverageon‐streetparkingusage 19
Figure17.Palmerstonparkinglot 22
Figure18.TorontoParkingAuthorityaverageparking lotusage 21

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Proposalstoinstallbikelanesonmajorstreetsareoftenmetwithoppositionfrommerchants
whofearthatthereallocationofroadspacefromon‐streetparkingtoon‐streetbikelaneswould
hurtbusiness.Thepurposeofthisstudyistounderstandandestimatetheimportanceofon‐
streetparking
tobusinessonBloorStreetintheAnnexneighbourhoodofToronto.
ToencouragemoreCanadianstousebicyclesforutilitariantripsmoreoften,itisessentialthat

theimplementationofbikelanesonmajorstreetsbeaccelerated.TheBloor‐Danforthcorridoris
aparticularlyattractiveoptionforacity‐wide
east‐westbikelaneinTorontobecauseitisoneof
theonlylong,straight,relativelyflatroutesthatconnectsthecityfromendtoend;thereareno
streetcartracks;andithasoneofthehighestincidencesofbicyclecollisionsinthecity.
Thisreportisaboutthedevelopment
andtestingofnewanalytictoolstodeterminethepublic
acceptabilityandeconomicimpactofreallocatingroadspace.Thestudy–conductedinJulyof
2008–surveyedtheopinionsandpreferencesof61merchantsand538patronsonBloorStreet
andanalyzedparkingusagedatainthearea.
Among
thestudy’sfindings:
• Only10%ofpatronsdrivetotheBloorAnnexneighbourhood;
• Evenduringpeakperiodsnomorethanabout80%ofpaidparkingspacesarepaidfor;
• Patronsarrivingbyfootandbicyclevisitthemostoftenandspendthemostmoneyper
month;
• There
aremoremerchantswhobelievethatabikelaneorwidenedsidewalkwould
increasebusinessthanmerchantswhothinkthosechangeswouldreducebusiness;
• Patronswouldpreferabikelanetowidenedsidewalksataratioofalmostfourtoone;
and
• Thereductioninon‐streetparking
supplyfromabikelaneorwidenedsidewalkcouldbe
accommodatedinthearea’soff‐streetmunicipalparkinglots.
Thespendinghabitsofcyclistsandpedestrians,theirrelativelyhightravelmodeshare,andthe
minimalimpactonparkingalldemonstratethatmerchantsinthisareaareunlikely tobe
negativelyaffected
byreallocatingon‐streetparkingspacetoabikelane.Onthecontrary,this
changewilllikelyincreasecommercialactivity.
Itisrecommendedthatthistypeofstudybereplicatedonothercommercialstreetswherethere

isconcernaboutreducingparkingtoaccommodatewidersidewalksorbicyclelanes.
Specifically,the
researchersalsorecommendthattheCityofTorontousethisstudytolook
morecloselyatthefutureofBloorStreetasacandidateforacross‐townbikeway.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 2
1. INTRODUCTION
Likeotherroadusers,bicyclistsonutilitariantrips–fromhometoworkorshopping,for
example–prefertotakethemostdirectroutebetweenPointAandPointB.Becausesomany
destinationsareconcentratedonmajorstreets,thisoftenentailsridingonroadswherethe
volumeand/or
speedofmotorvehicletrafficishigh.However,a1999surveyofToronto
cyclistsfoundthatonly18%ofcyclistsreportedfeelingcomfortablebikingonmajorroads
withoutbikelanes,whereas53%reportedfeelingcomfortablecyclingonmajorroadswithbike
lanes(DecimaResearch,2000).
ToencouragemoreCanadianstouse
bicyclesforutilitariantripsmoreoften,itisessentialthat
theimplementationofbikelanesonmajorstreetsbeaccelerated.However,proposalsofthis
sortoftenmeetwithoppositionfrombusinessownersonmajorstreetswhofearthatthe
reallocationofroadspacefromon‐streetparkingtoon‐street
bikelaneswouldhurtbusiness.
MorethanhalfwaythroughthetimelineestablishedfortheimplementationoftheTorontoBike
Plan,lessthan20%oftheplanned‐foron‐streetbikelaneshavebeenbuilt,inpartbecauseof
oppositionfrombusinessesonstreetswheretheyareproposed.
1.1 STUDY PURPOSE
Thepurposeofthisstudyistounderstandandestimatetheimportanceofon‐streetparkingto
business.Regardlessofthespecificfindingsofthestudy,theprojectisintendedtoincreasethe
abilityofCanadianmunicipalitiestobetterdeterminethepublicacceptabilityandeconomic
impactofnewbikelaneson
majorstreets,astheanalyticaltoolscreatedwillbemadeavailable

toallmunicipalitiessothattheycanreplicatethestudyintheirownjurisdictions.Thistoolwill
helpmunicipalitiesdeterminewhethervocalopponentsofbikelanesreflecttheopinionsofthe
majorityandwhetherwarningsaboutlossofbusiness
fromreducedparkingareaccurate.
1.2 STUDY DESCRIPTION
Thestudyincorporatedaseriesofsurveysto:a)determinetherelativeimportanceofon‐street
parkingtobusinessactivityonBloorStreetWestintheAnnex,a medium‐to‐high‐density,
traditionalcommercialstreetindowntownToronto;andb)projecttheimpactsonbusiness
activityofreallocatingspaceinthe
Annexfromon‐streetparkingtobikelanes orwidened
sidewalks.Forthepurposesofthisstudy,theBloorAnnexneighbourhoodwasdefinedasthe
areasurroundingBloorStreet,boundedbyPalmerstonBoulevardtotheWest,HuronStreetto
theEast,DupontStreettotheNorthandHarbordStreetto
theSouth(seeMap1.TheBloor
AnnexneighbourhoodwithinthelargerTorontocontext).

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 3

Map 1. The Bloor Annex neighbourhood (highlighted in orange) within the larger Toronto context
(Source data: Google Earth,)
Datawerecollectedusingthefollowingsources:
1. Asurveyofareamerchantstogaugeassumptionsaboutthemodesoftransportation
patronsusetoaccesstheneighbourhoodandinwhatproportions.
2. Apedestrianinterceptsurveytodeterminehowpatronsaccesstheneighbourhood,how
often,andhowmuchmoneytheyspend
there.Thissurveyalsoincludedaquestion
aboutthetypeofroadspaceallocation(tocars,bikes,orpedestrians)theywouldprefer.
3. On‐streetparkingdatatodeterminewhatpercentageoftheon‐streetparkingspacesare
occupiedatdifferenttimesofday.
4. Off‐streetparkingdatato

determinewhetherthereisunderutilizedcapacity.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 4
2. CONTEXT
2.1 BACKGROUND
Cityplannersandengineersfacecompetingprioritiesforspace,especiallywhenitcomesto
roadspaceoncommercialstreets.Frombuildinglinetobuildingline,decisionsneedtobe
madewhethertoallocatespacetocommercialactivity,sidewalks,streetfurniture,trees and
otherplantings,bicycleparking,carparking,parkingmeters,bicycle
lanes,publictransitand
motorvehicletravellanes(seeFigure1.Samplestreetconfiguration,includingbikelaneand
streetcar).Inmanycases,itisnotpossibletoaccommodateallofthesepriorities,anditisthejob
ofplannerstoweightheneedsofthevariousroadandotherpublic
spaceuserstomake
recommendationsforthegreatestpublicgood.However,electedofficialsoftenmakethefinal
decisionandtheiropinionsmaydifferfromthoseoftheplanners.

Figure 1. Sample street configuration, including bike lane and streetcar

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 5
2.2 CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE BIKE PLAN
TheTorontoBikePlan’sBikewayNetworkcallsforalmost500kmofbikelanestobeinstalled
by2011.CityCouncilhasnowmovedthistargetcompletiondateto2012,butevenmeetingthat
goalwillrequireamonumentalshiftinCityprioritiesinordertoapproveandinstallthe
needed
bicycleinfrastructuretocreatearealnetworkthroughoutToronto.Sincetheapprovalof
theBikePlanin2001,Cityplannersandengineershavefacedhurdleafterhurdlesecuring
politicalapprovaltoinstallbikelanesacrossthecity.Citychampionshavetriedtoaccelerate
theBikePlan’simplementationbyincreasingcapital
budgetsandstreamliningtheapproval

process.Buteveninthe2008constructionseason,Citystaffwereunabletoconsistentlycount
onallthenecessaryapprovalsatCityCouncil.
Almosteverynewbikelaneintheoldercity–wherestreetsarenarrowerthaninsuburban
areas–hasinvolvedtheremoval
ofatleastsomeon‐streetparking.Theremovalofon‐street
parkingcapacityisabigconcernforsomebusinessownerswhobelievethatthemajorityof
theircustomersarrivebycar.Theyare concernedthatifthereisn’tsufficientparkingveryclose 
athand,itwilldetersome
customersfromvisitingthebusiness.Inmostinstances,thereisvery
littleevidencetosupportornegatethisconcern.
Forquitesometimecyclingadvocates–andsomeCitystaff–havebeenlookingathowto
makeamajoreast‐westbikewayinToronto.Someproposethatthemostattractive
optionisthe
Bloor‐Danforthcorridor,stretchingalmost20kilometresacrossthecity.TheCitydidnot
includethisrouteinits2001BikewayNetworkplan,though earliercityreportsdidrecommend
aBloorbikelane.

Map 2. Suggested Bloor-Danforth Bikeway (Source data: Google Earth)

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 6
Theindependentcommunitycyclinggroup,BellsonBloor,hascompilednumeroussupporting
reasonsforchoosingBloorastheCity’smajoreast‐westbikeartery(BellsonBloor,2007).These
include:
• Blooralreadyhasoneofthehighestratesofcyclingintheentirecity.Goodbikerouteplanning
placesbikelaneswherethecyclistsalreadyare;
• Bloorhasoneofthehighestincidencesofbicyclecollisionsinthecity;
• Bloorisoneoffewlong,straight,relativelyflatroutesthatconnectsthecityfromendtoend;
• Therearenostreetcartracks,whichcansometimesinterferewiththesafeoperationofabicycle;
• Thecorridorisalsoservedbyasubwayline,whichprovidesafast,frequent,viablealternativeto
driving;

• Researchdemonstratesthatbikeroutesaremostsuccessfulwhentheyarecontinuousanddirect,
andwhentheyminimizedelaysorstopsforcyclists;
• Unconnectedsegmentsofbikelanesthatforcecycliststotakecircuitousroutesonvariousside
streetswillnotencouragepeopletogetoutoftheircarsandontobikes;
• Along,continuousanddirectbikelaneonBloorwillencouragemorepeopletogetoutontheir
bikes,andwillprotectthosewhoarealreadyoutthere;and
• LongstretchesofBlooraremadeupofsmallbusiness,andresearchhasshownthatbikelanescan
begoodforbusiness.Cyclistscanstoponawhimmoreeasilythanmotorists,parkatthenearest
post‐and‐ring,andsupportlocalbusinesses.
(Note:Thepointsabovehavebeenparaphrasedfrom
theoriginaltextforbrevity,clarityand
accuracy.Toviewtheoriginaltext,pleasevisitwww.bellsonbloor.ca)

2.3 THE BLOOR ANNEX NEIGHBOURHOOD
TheBloorAnnexneighbourhoodisadiverseneighbourhood,withalargestudentandyoung
professionalpopulation.Theareaalsohasastrongcommercialandentertainmentcharacter,
withBloorStreetasthefocus.Thecity’smaineast‐westsubwaylinerunsalong BloorStreet,
withaninterchangetothenorth‐southUniversity
‐Spadinasubwaylineattheintersectionof
BloorStreetandSpadinaAvenue.Intermsofthestreetlayoutwithinthestudyarea,thestreet
issymmetrical,withsidewalksfrontingthebuildingsoneachside,aparking/travellane,and
thenanothertravellane.ThislayoutisrepresentativeofthelargerSpadina
Avenueto
LansdowneAvenuesectionofBloorStreet.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 7

Figure 2. Typical Bloor Annex cross section (approximate dimensions)
Themajorityofthismedium‐to‐highdensityneighbourhoodiszonedforresidentialand
commerciallanduses,withsomescatteredparklandandtheUniversityofTorontonearby.The

majorityofbusinessesonBloorStreetbetween SpadinaAvenueandBathurstStreet(thestudy
area–seeMap3.TheAnnexLandUse)
arerestaurantsorbars;therestareeitherstoresor
serviceproviders.

Figure 3. Bloor Street facing east at Bathurst Street

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 8

Map 3. The Annex Land Use (Source data: City of Toronto)
TogettotheAnnexneighbourhoodresidentsandvisitorshavemanyoptions.Twosubway
lines,twostreetcarlinesandavarietyofbusroutesfeedintotwosubwaystations(Spadinaand
Bathurst)ateitherendofthestudyarea.Bloorisoneofthebusiestcyclingstreetsinthecityand

hasmorebicycle‐motorvehiclecollisionsthanotherstreets.However,therearecurrentlyno
dedicatedcyclingfacilitiesthatleaddirectlyintothisarea.St.GeorgeStreet–oneofthecity’s
mostpopularnorth‐southbikelanes–isapproximately300metrestotheeastofthestudyarea.
Bloor
Streetisalsoapopularwalkingroutebetweenneighbourhoodstothewestofthestudy
area,theUniversityofTorontojusteastofthestudyarea,andToronto’sdowntowncore.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 9

Map 4. The Annex built form and transportation network (Source data: City of Toronto)
ForthosewhodrivetotheAnnex,thereison‐streetpaidparkingonBloorStreetandSpadina
Roadatcertaintimesoftheday,dependingonrush‐hourrestrictionsononeorbothsidesofthe
street.Paymentisbymeansof‘pay‐and‐display’machinesscatteredthroughoutthearea,

usuallywithathree‐hourmaximum,andparkingisfreebefore9:00a.m.andafter9:00p.m.
Thereisalsofreeone‐hourparkingbetween10:00a.m.and10:00p.m.onmostsidestreets,with

permitparkingforresidentstwenty‐fourhoursperday.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 8

Figure 4. North side parking restrictions
   

Figure 5. Typical side street parking restrictions
Therearethreemunicipalpaidparkinglots(alsoknownas‘GreenP’lots)managedbythe
TorontoParkingAuthority–allwithinatwo‐orthree‐minutewalkofthestudyarea.Within
thestudyarea,thereare168paidon‐streetparkingspacesand267paidspacesintheoff
‐street
municipalparkinglots.

Map 5. Municipal paid parking options in the Annex (Source data: City of Toronto)

Figure 6. North side street parking

Figure 7. Pay-and-display machine


Figure 8. Lippincott parking lot

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 9
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1 EXISTING PRECEDENT
Themethodologyforthisstudywasbasedon2006researchthatquantifiedtherelative
importanceofthevariousmodesoftransportationtobusinessactivityonPrinceStreet,inNew
YorkCity,aswellasprojectingtheimpactsonbusinessactivityofaroadreallocationfromon‐
streetparkingtowidersidewalks

(TransportationAlternatives&SchallerConsulting,2006).
ThestudyfoundthatpatronsofPrinceStreet’sstoresandrestaurantswouldcomemoreoften,
drawnbythereducedcrowdingonsidewalks,andthatthisincreasedpatronagewouldoffset
byafive‐to‐oneratioanylostretailsalesfromthosenotcomingdue
tothereducednumberof
parkingspaces.
WhenTorontoconsidersimplementationofabikelaneorwidersidewalks,Citystaffoften
prepareaparkingstudythatusesobservationaldatatoshowwhetherornotalltheexistingon‐
streetparkingisneeded.However,thistypeofstudyoftenfailstosatisfy
theconcernsof
businessownersorCityCouncillors–sometimesbecauseofanissuewithdatacollection(e.g.,
datawasnotcollectedonapeakbusinessdayorhour).LiketheNewYorkStudy,thisstudy
endeavourstobemorerigorousbyunderstandingbehaviourandperceptionsofboth
customersand
merchants,inadditiontoassessingparkingcapacity.
3.2 SURVEYS
Thestudywasconductedinatwo‐weekperiodfromJuly8

to19,2008,andemployedtwo
surveys:asurveyofgroundfloormerchantsalongBloorStreetbetweenSpadinaAvenueand
BathurstStreet;andasurveyofpedestrianswalkingonBloorStreetbetweenSpadinaAvenue
andBathurstStreet.SurveyorsfromtheUniversityofToronto’sDepartmentofHealthSciences
werehiredtocarry
outthesurveys.Thecompletemerchantandpedestriansurveysare
includedinappendicesAandB.
3.2.1 Merchant Survey
Incaseswherereallocatingtheparkinglanetoothertravelmodeswithintheright‐of‐wayfaces
oppositionfrommerchants,itisnotclearhowmanyofthetotalbusinessesthedissenting
merchantsactuallyrepresent.Dotheyspeakforthemajorityoraretheyrepresentingindividual
opinionsandinterests?Themerchant

surveysoughttoanswerthisquestionbyaskingthe
opinionsofasmanymerchantsaspossible.
Themerchantswereaskedhowmanycustomerstheyserve;howmanyoftheircustomersthey
thinkdrivetovisittheirbusiness;andtheiropinionsonthebusinessimpactsoflosingonelane

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 10
ofon‐streetparkinginordertoinstallabikelaneorwidenthesidewalk.Merchantswereasked
aboutbothawidenedsidewalkandabikelanetogetattherootquestion:theperceived
importanceofon‐streetparking.Forexample,todetermineifthebusinessownerwasagainst
bike
lanesforareasonunrelatedtothelossofon‐streetparking,theresearchersaskedtheir
opinionaboutlosingparkingforanothernon‐vehicularuse–inthiscasewideningthe
sidewalk.Formoredetailonthequestionscontainedinthesurvey,pleaseseeAppendixA.
Weapproachedall110
groundfloormerchantsandFifty‐fivepercent,or61outof110,
respondedtothesurvey.Thesurveyorsweredirectedtohavethesurveycompletedbythe
ownerormanagerofthebusiness.Thesurveyorsmadeuptothreevisitstoadministerthe
surveyiftheownerormanagerwasnot
initiallyavailable.Thetypesofbusinessesthat
respondedtothesurveyhaveaslightlydifferentdistributionthanthedistributionofall
businessesonthestreet.Thedifferenceinthesedistributionsdemonstratesthatownersor
managersofretailstoresweremorelikelytorespondtothesurveythanthoseatservices,
bars
andrestaurants.Almostthree‐quartersofstore‐ownersandmanagersrespondedtothesurvey,
comparedtoslightlylessthanhalfoftheownersormanagersatservices,barsandrestaurants.
Service
Store
Restaurant/
Bar
35%

15%
50%

Figure 9. Types of businesses on Bloor

Service
Store
Restaurant/
Bar
48%11%
41%

Figure 10. Types of businesses that responded to
the survey
Restaurant/
Bar
Store Service
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
123
74%

44%
45%

Figure 11. Response rate by type of business

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 11
3.2.2. Pedestrian Survey
ThepedestriansurveytargetedpeoplewalkingonBloorStreetbetweenSpadinaandBathurst.
Thesurveyparticipantsmayhavearrivedbycar,transit,bikeoronfoot,butwerewalking
wheninterceptedtocompletethesurvey.Pedestrianswereapproachedatoneofeightlocations
throughoutthestudyareaonbothsidesof
thestreetinordertoavoidanybiasassociatedwith
aparticulardestinationonBloor(SeeMap6.PedestrianinterceptlocationsandTable1.
Distributionofsurveyrespondentsbysurveylocation).Theresponsesfromeachsurvey
locationwerefairlyevenlydistributedwithnomorethan19%andnolessthan
5%ofresponses
comingfromanyonesurveylocation.

Map 6. Pedestrian intercept locations (Source data: Google Maps)
Table 1. Distribution of survey respondents by survey location
Survey Location on Bloor Street
Surveys
Completed
Percentage share of
total surveys completed
1
South-East corner at Lippincott 38 7%
2
Mid-block between Borden and Brunswick (south side) 79 15%
3

South-West corner at Major 103 19%
4
Mid-block between Robert and Sussex (south side) 50 9%
5
Mid-block between Bathurst and Albany (north side) 28 5%
6
North-West corner at Howland 74 14%
7
Mid-block between Brunswick and Dalton 72 13%
8
North-East corner at Walmer 94 18%
Total
538 100%

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 12
Surveyparticipantswereaskediftheyliveorworkinthearea;howoftentheyvisitthearea;
howmuchtheyspendinthearea;thepurposeoftheirvisit;whatformoftransportationthey
usetogettothearea;andtheirpreferenceforabikelaneorawider
sidewalk.Again,
pedestrianswerealsoaskedaboutwideningthesidewalk,asanalternativetoinstallingabike
lane,simplytounderstandwhetherornottheywereopposedtolosingon‐streetparking,
regardlessofthealternativeuseofthespace.Surveyrespondentswerealsoaskedwherethey
liveinorder
togaugehowmanyoftheBloorAnnexpatronsliveclosetoarea.Formoredetail
onthequestionscontainedinthesurvey,pleaseseeAppendixB.
ThesurveywasconductedonaTuesday,Wednesday,ThursdayorSaturday,with afairly
equaldistributionbetweenthosedays(seeTable2.Distributionof
surveyrespondentsby
surveydayoftheweek).ThestudyfocusisonpeoplewhovisittheBloorAnnexarea,andnot
thosepassingthrough,sothesurveyorsavoidedthepeakmorningandafternooncommute

hoursinanattempttoexcludemostofthepedestrianspassingthroughtheareato
workor
school).
Table 2. Distribution of survey respondents by survey day of the week
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Saturday
July 8 10% July 9 9% July 10 18%
July 15 15% July 16 18% July 17 11%
July 19 19%
Total
25%
Total
27%
Total
29%
Total
19%
3.3 PARKING DATA
Inordertounderstandtheeffectsofremovingonelaneofon‐streetparking,theresearchers
neededtoknowthecurrentsupplyofpublicon‐streetandoff‐streetparkinginthearea,andthe
currentratesofusage.Ifonelaneofparkingisremoved,merchantsandCitydecision‐makers

willwanttoknowiftheexistingparkingdemandcanbeaccommodatedwiththeremaining
supply.(Itisimportanttonotethateveniftheremainingsupplycannotaccommodateexisting
demand,municipalitieshavetheoptionofconstructingnewmunicipalparkinglotsor
convertingsidestreetparkingtopayparking.For
example,aspartofthenewlyconstructedSt.
Clairstreetcarexclusiveright‐of‐way,TPAisbuildingnew‘GreenP’lotstomakeupforsome
oftheloston‐streetparking.)
Ratherthanusingobservationaldata,parkingcapacityandusagedatawasrequestedfromthe
TorontoParkingAuthority(TPA).Because

theTPAnowexclusivelyemployspay‐and‐display
parkingmachinesforon‐streetparkingandinmostmunicipalparkinglots(‘GreenP’lots),the
TPAhasarobust,sophisticated,andreliablesystemfortrackingparkingusage.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 13
TPAsuppliedJuly2008usagedataforon‐streetparkingalongBloorStreetandSpadinaRoad,
allwithinatwoorthreeminutewalkofthestudyarea.TPAalsosupplieddataforthree‘Green 
P’lots,alsowithinatwoorthreeminutewalkofthestudyarea:at577
Palmerston,365
Lippincottand19Spadina.ThedatatrackspaymentsmadeusingTPA’spay‐and‐display
machinesforbothon‐streetparkingandoff‐streetTPAlots.
Foron‐streetparking,dataisreportedasthenumberofvalidticketsduring15‐minuteintervals
throughoutthedaysthatcorrespondwith
thepedestriansurveydays(July8,9,10,15,16,17
and19).However,dataforSaturday,July19
th
wasnotavailable,soSaturday,July12
th
was
substitutedinstead.Theresearcherstookhourlysnapshotsbetween10:00a.m.and9:00p.m.–
thehourswhenthemachinesaregenerallyinuse–anddeterminedtheaveragenumberof
validticketsthroughouttheday,aswellasmorning‐midday,afternoon,andeveningaverages.
Fortheoff‐streetlots,
parkingdataisreportedasdailyandeveningpeaks–thehighest
recordednumberofvalidticketsatanygiventimeinthedayoreveningperiod.Again,theTPA
supplieddataforthesamedaysastheon‐streetparkingdata,whichcorrespondtothe
pedestriansurveydays.
Theaverage
validticketcountswerecomparedtotheoverallcapacity–eitheron‐streetorin
lots–todeterminetheaverageusageofon‐streetandoff‐streetpaidparking.

3.4 DATA ANALYSIS
Underdirectionoftheleadresearcher,thesurveyteamenteredandcompiledthesurveydata
andcomputedpreliminarytalliesandtrends.Additionalsurveyandparkingdataanalysisand
correlationswerecomputedbytheleadresearcherunderdirectionoftheadvisorycommittee.
ThesurveyteamusedSPSSstatisticssoftware,whilethelead
researcherusedMSExcel.Further
descriptionofthedataanalysismethodologyisfoundinthe‘Findings’sectionofthisreport.
3.5 STUDY LIMITATIONS
Themostobviouslimitationofthisstudyisthefactthatitwasconductedinonlyonemonthof
theyear.Thiswasduetobothfundingandorganizationalresourceconstraints.Theresearchers
acknowledgethattherearevariationsintravelbehaviourassociatedwithweatherand
temperature,andthisstudydoesnot
capturethesevariations.Thestudyalsofailstocapture
possiblevariationsinparkingdemandduringbusiercommercialperiods.
ThereisalsoapotentialbiasduetothefactthattheBloorAnnexneighbourhoodhasahigh
studentpopulationbecauseoftheproximity totheUniversityofTorontoanditsgeneral
popularityasastudentarea–yetthestudywasconductedduringthesummerholiday(Juneto

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 14
August)whenmanystudentsleaveToronto.Universitystudents–especiallythoselivingina
densecentralneighbourhoodwithexcellentpublictransitaccess–areunlikely toowncars,let
alonedriveorneedtoparkthem.Sowhilethestudydoesnotcapturethegeneraldropin
bicycletransportationduringthe
winter,andthustheassociateddeclineineconomic
contributionsbycyclists,italsodoesnotcapturethehigherstudentpopulation,andtheir
economiccontributionsduringtheschoolyear(SeptembertoMay).
Ingeneral,itisnotedthatthesurveydidnotincorporateastatisticallyrandomsample,inthat
theresearchers
werenotabletocontrolforthisbycollectingthesurveyrespondents’socio‐
demographicinformation.

Regardingthemerchantsurveydata,onlygroundfloormerchantswereapproached.This
representsthemajorityofmerchants,asmostsecondandthirdfloorunitsalongBloorStreetare
residential.Nonetheless,therearesomebusinessesthatwere
notincluded,anditispossible
thatthegroundfloorsampledoesnotaccuratelyrepresenttheothers.
Withregardtothepedestriansurvey,thequestionthatasksaboutpreferenceforabikelaneor
awidersidewalkshouldhavebeenmoredescriptive.While abikelaneinherentlysuggests
improvedconditions
forcycling,awidersidewalkdoesnotpromiseanythingotherthana
widersidewalk.Theintentoftheresearcherswastosuggestthatawidersidewalkwouldalso
providemorespaceforbenches,trees,andotheramenitiesthatwouldlikelyimprovethe
pedestrianenvironment.However,unfortunatelythisintentwasnotaccurately
conveyedinthe
surveyquestion.
Finally,regardingtheparkingdata,theTPAemploysapay‐and‐displaysystemthatcanonly
trackpaymentandnotactualusage.Soitislikelythatsomeuserspayformoretimethanthey
actuallyparktheircar,andalsothatsomeusersdo
notpayforsomeorallofthetimetheyuse.
Also,thecapacityofon‐streetparkingdependsonthesizeofcarsparked,asthereareno
designatedspaceswithinablock.So,forexample,therecouldbe10largesportutilityvehicles
or20minicompactcars
–oranycombinationthereof–parkedinthesameamountofspace.
However,theTPAhasbeenusingthisdataasitsprimarysourceforcapacityanalysissothe
researchersfeelthisisareasonabledatasettouse.Infuturestudies,itcouldbeusefulto
combinetheTPA’s
pay‐and‐displaydatawithobservationalrecordingssotoincludeany
noteworthylocalconditions,suchaspick‐up/drop‐offvehiclesthatstopforshortperiodsof
timeandcommercialdeliveriesthatdonotpayforparking

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 15

4. FINDINGS
4.1 MERCHANT’S PERCEIVED CUSTOMER TRAVEL HABITS
BloorAnnexisaverybusycommercialcorridor,with55%ofbusinessesservingmorethan100
customerseachweekday,and75%servingmorethan100customerseachweekendday.
Merchantswereaskedtoestimatewhatpercentageoftheircustomersdroveandparkedto
accesstheirbusiness.Fiveofthe61survey
respondentsdidnotanswerthisquestion.The
surveydatashowsthatmostbusinessownersdonotbelievethatthemajorityoftheir
customersdrivetotheirbusiness.Infact,only4%ofbusinessesbelievethatmorethan50%of
theircustomersdrivetotheirbusiness,andalmostthree‐quartersof
businessesbelievethatless
than25%ofcustomersdrivetotheirbusiness.Therefore,accordingtomostmerchants(71%),
anychangetotheparkingsituationintheBloorAnnexwouldaffectatmost25%oftheir
customerbase.
Table 3. Merchant estimate of customers that drive and park in the area
Percentage of customers that drive Frequency Percentage share of responses
0-10%
17 30%
11-25%
23
41%
26-50%
14 25%
51-75%
2 4%
4.2 MERCHANT’S PERCEIVED EFFECT OF POTENTIAL STREET CHANGES
MerchantswerealsoaskedhowtheythoughttheirbusinesswouldbeaffectediftheCitymade
changestothestreetsuchasinstallingabikelaneorwideningthesidewalk.Merchantswere
informedthatthesechangeswouldrequiretheremovalofhalftheon‐streetparkingonBloor
Street,sincethat

iswherethespacewouldcomefrom toaccommodateabikelaneorwider
sidewalks.Inordertoestimatetheeffect,merchantswereaskediftheythoughttherespective
changewouldbringfewercustomersormorecustomerstotheirbusiness,oriftheyexpectedno
effectivechangetotheircustomer
base.Onthequestionofinstallingabikelaneandremoving
halftheon‐streetparking,almost75%ofbusinessesthoughttheirbusinesswouldimproveor
staythesame,whileslightlymorethan25%thoughtthechangewouldbringinfewer
customers.Onthequestionofwideningthesidewalkandremoving
parking,theresultswere
almostthesame,withonly25%ofmerchantsbelievingthechangewouldhurtbusiness.The
datashowsthatmoremerchantsthinkthatbikelanesandwidersidewalkswouldincrease
businessthandecreaseit.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 16
26%
25%
30%
35%
44%
40%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Bike lane and 50% of on-
street parking removed
Wider sidewalk and 50%
on-street parking removed
No Change

More Customers
Fewer Customers

Figure 12. Merchants’ perception of the impact on business of reduced parking
4.3 PEDESTRIAN SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Atotalof538visitorstotheBloorAnnexcompletedthesurvey.Oftherespondents,55%said
thattheyliveorworkinthearea.Ifpromptedbytherespondent,theBloorAnnexareawas
definedastheareaaroundBloorStreet,boundedbyPalmerstonBoulevard totheWest,Huron
Street
totheEast,DupontStreettotheNorthandHarbordStreettotheSouth(seeMap7.Study
areaboundary).

Map 7. Study area boundary (Source data: Google Maps)

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 17
Respondentswerealsoaskedspecificallywheretheylive(eithernearestintersectionand/or
postalcode).Mappingthenearestintersectiondata,iteasytoseethatthegreatestconcentration
ofrespondentsarethosethatlivequiteclosetothestudyarea(withinonekilometre),thougha
portionofthetotalsurveysamplecomes
fromotherareasaroundthecityandtheregion.

Map 8. Pedestrian survey respondents’ places of residence – Scale: Greater Toronto Area
(Source data: Google Earth)

Map 9. Pedestrian survey respondents’ places of residence – Scale: Toronto (Source data: Google Earth)

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 18
4.4 VISITOR HABITS AND CONSUMPTION
Inordertounderstandtheimportanceofthevariousmodesoftransportation,survey
respondentswereaskedhowtheyusuallygettotheBloorAnnexarea.Overall,mostvisitors

gettoBloorAnnexonfoot,followedbypublictransit,bicycleandfinallycar.Amongstthose
wholiveorworkinthearea,
two‐thirdswalk,14%cycle,another14%takepublictransit,and
only5%drive.Forthosewhodonotliveorworkinthearea,54%takepublictransit,20%walk,
16%drive,and10%cycle.
Walk
Bicycle
Public Transit
Car
67%
14%
14%
5%

Figure 13. Transportation
mode share – live or work
in the area
Walk
Bicycle
Public Transit
Car
10%
54%
16%
20%

Figure 14. Transportation
mode share – do not live
or work in the area
Walk

Bicycle
P
ublic Transit
Car
46%
12%
32%
10%

Figure 15. Transportation
mode share – Total
SurveyrespondentswerealsoaskedhowmanydayspermonththeytypicallyvisitBloor
Annex.ThemajorityofrespondentsvisitBloorAnnexfrequently,with58%reportingthatthey
visitmorethantentimespermonth.Only20%visittwoorlesstimespermonth.Not
surprisingly,thevisitfrequencydatawas
stronglycorrelatedwiththehomeorworklocationof
therespondents.ThosewholiveorworkintheareavisitBloorStreetmuchmorefrequently
thanthosewhodonot.Forexample,92%ofthosewholiveorworkintheareavisitmorethan
fivetimespermonth;whereas
only34%ofthosewhodonotliveorworkintheareavisitmore
thanfivetimespermonth.Ontheotherendofthespectrum,66%ofthosewhodonotliveor
workintheareavisitfiveorfewertimespermonth;comparedtoonly8%of
thosewhodolive
orworkinthearea.
Overall,walkersvisittheareamostoften,with84%visitingmorethan5timespermonth;
followedbybicyclists,72%ofwhomvisitmorethan5timespermonth;publictransitusers,
44%ofwhomvisitmorethan5timesper
month;anddrivers,42%ofwhomvisitmorethan5
timespermonth.Bycontrast,58%ofdriversand56%ofpublictransitusersvisitfiveorfewer
timespermonth;comparedtoonly16%ofwalkersand28%ofbicyclists.



Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 17
Table 4. Number of days per month visiting the Bloor Annex
Number of
days
Live or work in the
area (294)
Live and work outside
the area (244)
Walk
(246)
Bicycle
(64)
Public
Transit (171)
Car
(55)
Total
(538)
0-1
2%
30%
7% 5%
24% 29%
15%
2
1% 10% 2% 5% 9% 9% 5%
3
1% 7% 2% 5% 5% 7% 3%

4
2% 13% 3% 8% 12% 9% 7%
5
2% 6% 2% 5% 6% 4% 4%
6-10
6% 9% 5% 9% 10% 7% 8%
11-20
16% 16% 14% 15% 18% 20% 16%
21-30 70%
9%
65% 48%
16% 15%
42%
SurveyrespondentswerealsoaskedhowmuchmoneytheyspendintheBloorAnnexina
typicalmonth,withfivespendingrangesprovidedasoptions.Overall,thegreatestpercentage
ofrespondentsreportspendingbetween$100and$499(41%).Amongthosewholiveorwork
inthearea,50%reportspendingbetween
$100and$499,comparedto35%ofthosewhodonot
liveorworkinthearea.Instead,thegreatestpercentageofthosewhodonotliveorworkinthe
areaspendbetween$25and$99(35%).
Lookingatspendingcategorizedbytherespondent’smodeoftravel,walkersseem
tospendthe
most(definedasthegreatestpercentagespendingmorethan$100permonth),followedby
bicyclists,thencardrivers,andfinallypublictransitusers.The spendinghabitsofcardrivers
andpublictransitusersaresimilar,whilewalkersseemtospendmorethanbicyclistsand
considerablymorethancar
driversandpublictransitusers.
Theresearchersalsowantedtoknowhowapotentialchangetothestreetwouldaffect
businessesonBloorStreet.From thevisitorpointofview,theresearchersaskedwhatpossible
changetheypreferred,withnochangeasanoption.Thequestionalsoincludedthefact

thatthe
Table 5. Money spent in the area per month

Live or work in the
area (294)
Live and work outside
the area (242)
Walk
(246)
Bicycle
(64)
Public
Transit (171)
Car
(55)
Total
(536)
< $25
6% 31% 8% 11% 29% 24% 17%
$25-$99
21%
35%
16% 39%
37% 37%
27%
$100-$499 50%
29%
52% 42%
28% 30%
41%

$500-$999
14% 5% 17% 3% 3% 4% 10%
> $1,000
9% 0% 7% 5% 3% 5% 5%