The GTA has a transit problem, and it’s called “the last mile.”

The term, popular among transportation planners, describes the dilemma posed by transit systems that are able to move people over longer trips, but offer few solutions for carrying passengers the relatively short distances between transit hubs and commuters’ homes or destinations.

There’s no better illustration of the problem in the GTA than the fact that Metrolinx, the regional transit agency that operates GO Transit, is the largest parking provider in North America, boasting 70,000 spots across its network.

Nearly 60 per cent of GO passengers drive to their station, 14.7 per cent more are dropped off or picked up by a private vehicle. This means the majority of GO trips don’t provide a major benefit of transit — taking cars off the road.

On Tuesday night, Ryerson University’s City Building Institute will convene a meeting of local and international experts to discuss the “last mile” problem. Participants in the “Solving the Last Mile” event include Mississauga and York Region officials, ride-sharing experts, academicsand Metrolinx planners.

According to Cherise Burda, the institute’s executive director, now is the perfect time to discuss solutions. Not only is the GTA’s population expected to grow by 3 million over the next 25 years, but the province has embarked on a $13.5-billion project to electrify and dramatically increase GO service.

Over 15 years, the regional express rail (RER) initiative is expected to increase GO’s annual ridership from 54 million to 127 million. Burda argues Metrolinx won’t be able to accommodate all those new passengers by building more parking.

“You can’t just keep adding parking spots; there’s a limit,” Burda said. “Then you just get more crowded stations, you get more congestion.”

Solutions aren’t straightforward, in part because of the GTA’s sprawling population. As Burda notes, “we can’t build subways and rail to every neighbourhood.”

Possible answers include encouraging active transportation (cycling, walking), more ride-sharing and carpooling, and using driverless cars. Transit-oriented development would also decrease distance between stations and homes and workplaces.

Antoine Belaieff, Metrolinx director of regional planning, said the answer to the last-mile problem probably lies in a mix of solutions. But the agency isn’t about to stop building parking any time soon.

“We can never get enough parking. We know that it accommodates people’s lives . . . but we also want to encourage other modes,” he said. “It’s about giving people options.”

Solutions to the ‘last mile’ problem

Participants in Ryerson’s “Solving the Last Mile” event weigh in on how to eliminate private cars from the transit equation.

Cycling

Enhanced bicycle parking facilities and bike share stations at transit hubs will encourage commuters to leave their cars at home, and building bike lanes will ensure they can ride safely. However, Antoine Belaieff, director of regional planning for Metrolinx, cautioned that the role of cycling in solving the last mile problem is “significant, but it isn’t infinite,” because biking will never be right for all commuters.

Greater density

The province plans to build up to 12 new GO stations as part of its RER project over the next 10 years. Cherise Burda, executive director of Ryerson’s City Building Institute, said that instead of isolating them in vast parking lots, “we really have to create more complete, dense communities . . . which could allow thousands more people to walk or cycle to a transit station.”

Transit on demand

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York Region’s “Dial-A-Ride” program allows residents to order an accessible minivan outside of peak service hours, which will take them to a transit stop for the same price as a bus fare. “The real pretense is we want to get people to a transit hub,” said Ann-Marie Carroll, general manager of York Region Transit.

Ride-sharing apps and driverless cars

“My hope is that autonomous vehicles will make that first/last mile to transit really, really convenient,” said Lauren Isaac, who manages a rideshare program for San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission. But she said driverless cars won’t alleviate congestion unless they’re shared vehicles, so it’s “really, really important” to get people carpooling now.

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