The Impact of the Suburbanization of Employment on Transit Modal Share: A Toronto Region Case Study

This paper examines the impact that the suburbanization of employment has on transit mode share by focusing on the case of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The regional transportation planning agency Metrolinx has outlined its objectives as ‘Vision in Numbers’ in the regional transportation plan The Big Move. It is their vision that by 2031, on average one third of trips to work will be taken by transit. According to 2006 Transportation Tomorrow Survey data, the transit modal share for work-related trips for the Region is 19.5%. A business-as-usual scenario developed using Growth Plan projection for employment growth and transit-modal shares for work-related trips, forecasts that in twenty-five years the transit-modal share for work-related trips will be 14.5%, down from the 2006 figure of 19.5%. Therefore, two alternative scenarios are presented to counteract the negative impact that the suburbanization of employment will have on the transit-modal share for work-related trips, which are: (1) implement policies to influence the location of future employment development; and (2) provide ‘rapid transit’ to existing areas of employment growth. Both scenarios will have a positive impact on the transit-modal share for work-related trips; however, these scenarios must be pursued in tandem, as neither is sufficient by itself to achieve the work-trip transit mode share of the Metrolinx vision.