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Wolfe Island Digest

by Margaret Knott
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June 13, 2011
Transportation Demand Management Planning Team Report

The Transportation Demand Management Report was presented to the Frontenac Islands Township Council with the request that they present it to the Ministry of Transportation.

The Transportation Demand Management Planning Team included:
Dan Hogan; Duncan Pyke; Greg Johnson; James & Linda Kirkham; Jason Pyke; Marianne Walker;Peggy Smith; Sharon Kane; Steve Fargo; Steve McIntosh; Tom Wroe; Walter Knott; Heather Posthumus; Liz Crothers; Linda Thomas;
The report was prepared by Jeremy Neff, Development Intern

Purpose
Assist Islanders in living with the existing ferry service whether they drive, bike or walk onto the ferry
Goals
Promote Transportation Demand Management.
Reduce the number of nonessential vehicles and single occupancy vehicles on the ferry during peak hours.
Desired Behaviour
Travelers evaluate the reason for travel, the time of travel, and their destination when choosing suitable transportation for each trip and take into consideration personal health, the environment, economic factors and demand for the ferry.
Norm
Majority drive onto the ferry
A significant number plan trips around ferry demand
Minority dedicated to active transportation or are non-drivers

1.1. Executive Summary
While the Ontario Ministry of Transportation is currently addressing long-term solutions for the Wolfe Island ferry service, the purpose of the TDM Planning Team is to investigate immediate measures that could be implemented on Wolfe Island to assist Islanders in living with the current ferry service whether they drive, bike or walk onto the ferry.
Transportation Demand Management involves encouraging the use of transit, cycling, walking and trip reduction in order to reduce vehicle demand on the Wolfe Island ferry. TDM concentrates on four areas: Park & Ride, use multiple forms of transportation; Trip Planning, make fewer trips during peak hours; Ridesharing, take fewer vehicles; Active Transportation, cycling and walking.
The education and promotion of TDM activities should be focused on the transportation behaviour of Wolfe Island residents, visitors and tourists. They should be prompted to consider using TDM activities by evaluating their trip in regard to the reason for travel, the time of travel, and their destination when using the Wolfe Island ferry.
Most people understand the benefits of TDM (personal health, the environment, economics, demand); the challenge is getting people to break the habit of simply getting in their vehicle and lining up for the ferry. Fourteen concepts have been identified that can help to overcome the barriers of TDM and improve the experience of using the ferry for Wolfe Island residents.
1.2. Background
There is a need to reduce the number of vehicles on the ferry during peak hours. The Township of Frontenac Islands has negotiated the use of the Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot to be used for commuters and tourists traveling between Marysville and Kingston. A Transportation Demand Management plan for the Wolfe Island ferry has been identified in the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Wolfe Island Ferry Service Study (May, 1994), the City of Kingston, Kingston Transportation Master Plan, Final Report ( July, 2004) and more recently at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation Public Information Centres for the Wolfe Island Transportation Study (March, 2010) as a method that should be used in conjunction with improvements in service to help reduce transportation demands during peak hours.
1.3. Purpose
The purpose of the TDM Planning Team is to develop programs that could be immediately implemented on Wolfe Island to assist Islanders in living with the current ferry service whether they drive, bike or walk onto the ferry and to encourage commuters and tourists to reduce the number of vehicles using the ferry during peak hours and commuting times.
1.4. Process
The Transportation Demand Planning Team has taken a Community Based Social Marketing approach to develop ideas to improve the existing Wolfe Island ferry service by increasing the benefits and reducing the barriers of TDM activities. The entire process involves five steps: 1- focus on TDM activities to improve the existing ferry service; 2-identifying the related barriers and benefits of TDM activities; 3-developing a program to overcome the barriers and provide benefits of TDM activities; 4-implementing the program in the community to improve the ferry service for all users; 5-monitoring, evaluating and improving the effectiveness of the program on an ongoing basis. This report addresses the first two steps in the Community Based Social Marketing process by evaluating the four components of the marketing mix: Product – Transportation Demand Management; Promotion – getting the word out; Price/Place – getting people to do it by overcoming barriers and providing benefits.
2. Transportation Demand Management

2.1. Trip Planning
Trip planning involves driving efficiently to save gas, reduce carbon emissions and reducing the number of vehicle trips taken. Through good planning vehicle demand on the ferry can be reduced during peak hours. Trip planning could involve planning ferry use during non-peak hours or picking-up guests at the ferry and driving them to their destination.
2.2. Ridesharing
Ridesharing involves taking fewer vehicles on the ferry by traveling with a family member, friend or co-worker. Ridesharers can be picked up or dropped off at their destinations or meet at the Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot, Wolfe Island or at the Barrack Street dock, Kingston. Ridesharing is only convenient if schedule and destination are similar and can limit trip planning and independence to complete activities or errands.
2.3. Active Transportation
Active transportation involves human powered travel including cycling and walking. Active transportation is the primary mode of transportation for children, youth, aging adults, low income families and people with disabilities. Beyond reducing vehicles on the ferry, active transportation also makes positive contributions to personal health and the environment. This mode of transportation is vulnerable to other vehicles sharing the road and is dependent on weather and distance to the destination.
2.4. Park & Ride
Park and ride involves the creative use of multiple forms of transportation to reach a destination. Commuters and tourists are able to park their vehicles at the Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot, Wolfe Island or at the Barrack Street dock, Kingston and use Kingston Transit, rideshare, bike or walk to their destination. Every trip begins and ends with a walk. The simplest way for those that live outside of Marysville to reduce the number of vehicles on the ferry is to park their vehicle and walk on to the ferry. Park and ride can be dependent on the weather and distance to the destination.
3. TDM Awareness

3.1. Education
Wolfe Island should be educating travels to actively evaluate each trip they make to determine the most appropriate form of transportation. It is not about using alternative forms of transportation for every trip. However, it is important for commuters and tourists to take into account the reason for travel, the time of travel, and their destination when choosing suitable transportation methods. The intent is to get people to think about their personal health, the environment, economic factors and demand when traveling instead of simply getting in their vehicle and driving onto the ferry. The goal is to supplement the primary use of personal vehicles and reduce single occupancy vehicle trips on the ferry during peak hours through trip planning, ridesharing, active transportation and park and ride programs.
3.2. Promotion
To influence people to alter their behaviour by evaluating each trip they make requires normalizing TDM activities by providing information on avoiding peak hours, displaying reminders of transportation alternatives and increasing the benefits and reducing the barriers of non-single occupancy vehicle trips on the ferry. Community Based Social Marketing provides a model that applies marketing to influence behaviours that benefit society. It involves designing the TDM activities to be attractive to the needs of Wolfe Island residents and visitors. It involves going beyond advertising information on TDM by analysing the audience and context to address all components contributing to the use of TDM activities.
3.2.1. Wolfe Island Residents
Desired behaviour: evaluate the reason for travel, the time of travel, and their destination when choosing suitable transportation for each trip and take into consideration personal health, the environment, economic factors and demand for the ferry to reduce single car occupancy vehicles on the ferry and increase TDM activities.
Norm: Majority drive onto the ferry, minority dedicated to active transportation or non-drivers.
Reach: Signage, local news, local mail,
3.2.2. Cottagers and Visitors
Desired behaviour: actively avoid commuting hours when arriving and leaving or get picked up at the ferry dock and use active transportation for day trips to Kingston.
Norms: Arrive by vehicle late Friday or early Saturday and leave late Sunday or early Monday
Reach: Signage, accommodations providers, WolfeIsland.com, Wolfe Island Information Centre,
3.2.3. Tourists
Desired behaviour: avoid commuting hours when driving a vehicle on to the ferry, use active transportation for day trips to Marysville, ride their bike onto the ferry if cycling around Wolfe Island, get picked up at the ferry dock.
Norms: Drive onto the ferry and tour around Wolfe Island
Reach: Signage, Kingston terminal information, WolfeIsland.com,
4. TDM Barriers and Benefits
4.1. Parking in Marysville
The commuter parking lot at the Sacred Heart of Mary is underutilized, while the streets of Marysville are packed with commuter vehicles. The development of a designated commuter parking lot on the Township of Frontenac Islands property on Center Street would make park and ride commuting more convenient and free-up some space on Main Street. Disincentives could be used to reduce on street parking for commuters in the form of a maximum time limit for on street parking or requiring residents to purchase on street parking passes. Stickers could be displayed by residents with limited mobility to use priority parking spaces close to the ferry dock.
4.2. Parking at the Winter Dock
The commuter parking lot at the winter dock is not large enough to service the demand for park and ride commuting and the road is not wide enough to safely accommodate the number of vehicles that are presently parking on the shoulder. The road could be widened to include a full lane for the ferry line up on the east side of the road and parking spaces on the west side of the road.
4.3. Road to the Winter Dock
The road to the winter dock is narrow and poorly illuminated creating hazards for people using active transportation. The entire road could be widened to accommodate a paved shoulder or cycling lane for people walking and cycling to the ferry and lights installed to increase visibility for pedestrians and cyclists at night.
4.4. Traffic Signals at the Summer Dock
Traffic signals placed at the intersection of the Marysville ferry dock terminal could signal red when the ferry is unloading. This would improve unloading by stopping traffic on Road 96 and giving unloading cars the right-of-way to turn directly onto Road 96 without stopping at the existing stop sign.
4.5. Priority Line-up
Devote a section of the ferry line-up for ridesharing so that commuters who are carpooling have priority loading on the ferry over single occupancy vehicles and non-commuters. This would have the same effect as designated carpool lines on commuter routes to increase the benefits of ridesharing. Commuters would be more likely to use the Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot to rideshare if they know that they will get priority on the ferry through a carpooling arrangement.
4.6. Summer Dock Shelter
The shelter at the summer dock is in need of improvements to accommodate pedestrian and cyclists using the ferry. The shelter is not large enough to service demand and is heavily vandalized and greatly in need of repairs. Having an appropriate place for people to wait for the ferry will encourage the use of active transportation and the Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot for park and ride commuting. A location where people can drop off items close to the ferry and return with their car to pick them up would or carts to transport items to vehicles would also improve the usage of the Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot.
4.7. Bicycle Racks
Long-term bicycle racks at ferry terminals would promote park and ride commuting. Many Wolfe Island residents drive their vehicles to the ferry terminal, park their vehicle and ride their bicycles onto the ferry. Sheltered bicycle racks would allow commuters to securely store their bicycles at the ferry terminal and park and ride onto the ferry without having their bicycles exposed to the weather.
4.8. Rural Public Transportation
Public transportation would reduce demand for the ferry by shuttling tourists from the ferry to their destinations, drive commuters to and from the ferry and enable youth, seniors and those with-out vehicles a means of transportation. The feasibility and community support for the development of a public transportation service requires extensive investigation. A business case could be developed to encourage the creation of a commercial transportation service.
4.9. Designated Commuter Ferry Times
Designating the ferry service from Wolfe Island between 5:30 and 7:45 am and from Kingston between 5 and 7 pm as commuter service will remind tourists and non-commuters to avoid driving vehicles on to the ferry during these peak hours. Adding an earlier ferry leaving from Wolfe Island would spread out demand during commuter times especially during the high demand summer months.
4.10. Wolfe Island Business and Tourism Association
Tourists require transportation information so that they can plan their trip around ferry service. The wolfeisland.com website and Wolfe Island Business and Tourism Association material should provide travelers with information regarding avoiding peak hours and encourage them to consider using transportation options that reduce vehicle demand on the ferry: identify the location of park and ride lots; explain the process of using active transportation on the ferry; list peak hours, peak season and expected wait times for the ferry; describe destinations in terms of walking distance or cycling distance .
4.11. Cameras and Variable Message Boards
Trip planning could be greatly improved by installing cameras and variable message boards that monitor the demand for the ferry. Cameras could take pictures of the ferry line up at regular intervals and be viewed online to indicate the demand for the ferry at any time so that flexible trips can be made when there is less demand on the ferry. Variable message boards placed at both ferry docks could inform tourists and visitors about the demand on the ferry for the return trip. Providing travelers with complete information will allow them to plan their trips and avoid waiting in lengthy line-ups that might discourage a return visit.
4.12. Signage
Signage could be used to increase the use of park and ride lots and remind travelers to use active transportation and avoid single occupancy vehicles on to the ferry. Signs could designate park and ride locations at Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot, Wolfe Island and the Barrack Street dock, Kingston and include promotion and education information about the alternatives to driving vehicles onto the ferry and potential wait times during peak hours.
4.13. Transportation Planning
A transportation plan should be developed that involves building relationships with the Township of Frontenac Islands, the City of Kingston, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and other interest groups regarding TDM on the Wolfe Island ferry, the Barrack Street ferry terminal and the surrounding area. The plan should include topics regarding: access to Kingston Transit busses and schedule, vehicle access to the Barrack Street ferry terminal, vehicle parking at the Barrack Street ferry terminal, TDM initiatives in Kingston and the City of Kingston’s Maters Transportation plan. The transportation plan will require extensive research and input form Wolfe Island residents.
4.14. Nudges
Commitment programs could be introduced that request that the community make an effort to reduce single occupant vehicles on the ferry by designating one day a month where a $1 donation will be requested from single occupant vehicles on the ferry. The proceeds of which will go to local community initiatives. Community support could be increased by identifying residents who are using the Sacred Heart of Mary parking lot when commuting and holding a draw for those residents to win a prize as an incentive to prevent commuters from parking on the streets of Marysville. The prize could be donated to the draw or could be allocated form the money donated by the commitment program.
5. Conclusion
The existing ferry service can be improved by the Township of Frontenac Islands by supporting trip planning, ridesharing, active transportation and park and ride commuting. The focus of the Township of Frontenac Islands should be on normalizing the evaluation of trips using the Wolfe Island ferry through education and promotion and reducing the barriers and providing benefits to using TDM activities. It is the hope of all involved in the Transportation Demand Management Planning Team that the Township of Frontenac Islands takes an active role in improving the ferry service for the residents of Wolfe Island. This report has been completed to satisfy the first two steps in the Community Based Social Marketing approach to TDM: 1- focus on TDM activities to improve the existing ferry service, 2-identifying the related barriers and benefits of TDM activities. The Transportation Demand Management Planning Team would encourage the Township of Frontenac Islands to work together with the community to complete the remaining steps in the approach: 3-developing a program to overcome the barriers and provide benefits of TDM activities; 4-implementing the program in the community to improve the ferry service for all users; 5-monitoring, evaluating and improving the effectiveness of the program on an ongoing basis.

Posted by M Knott at June 13, 2011 02:29 PM