Evolution of Personal Travel in Toronto Area and Policy Implications

Abstract

This paper presents a descriptive analysis of the historical evolution of personal travel behavior in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) over the past 35 years. The analysis indicates that in many respects the GTA taken as a whole is similar to other cities within North America in terms of increasing auto ownership; increasing individual auto-drive trip rates; increasing suburbanization of population and employment into areas poorly served by transit; increasingly complex travel patterns; and transit, at best, maintaining a constant number of trips per capita but losing modal share. The analysis also highlights ways in which the GTA, particularly the city of Toronto, deviates from the North American “norm.” These include transit per capita ridership, overall mode splits, revenue-cost operating ratios are still extremely high by North American standards; the regional commuter rail system has been very successful in attracting increasing numbers of commuters from outside Toronto into the Toronto central area; the continuing strength of the Toronto central area has provided a strong, viable transit service; and more generally, the relatively high density and transit orientation of development throughout the city of Toronto is highly supportive of transit.