|
3. SNOW CLEARING OF
BUS STOPS AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS RECOMMENDATIONS based on the 2007/2008
WINTER review Les recommandations en matière de déneigement des arrêts |
Committee Recommendations
That Council:
1. Receive the information regarding
Winter Bus Stop Maintenance Standards outlined in this report and recommend
that that any service standards modifications to Winter Bus Stop Service
Standards be incorporated and considered as part of the 2009 Review of Road and
Sidewalk Maintenance Quality Standards for consideration in the overall
Maintenance Quality Standards.
2. Direct Public Works
& Services Department to include for Council consideration in the 2009
Draft Operating and Capital Budget an Operating Budget pressure of $640,000 and
Capital requirement of $1,375,000 for five plow units based on Surface
Operations Branch recommendations outlined in the report pertaining to winter operational
improvements.
Recommandations du comité
Que le Conseil :
1. prenne connaissance des normes
d’entretien hivernal des arrêts d’autobus présentées dans le présent rapport et
de recommander que toute modification aux normes de services relativement au
déneigement des arrêts d’utobus soit incluse et examinée dans le cadre de
l’examen de 2009 des normes de qualité en matière d’entretien des rues et des
trottoirs afin qu’il en soit tenu compte dans l’examern des normes de qualité
en matière d’entretien.
2. demande à Services et Travaux publics
et à Opérations de surface d’ajouter aux projets de budgets de fonctionnement
et d’immobilisations de 2009 une pression financière de 640,000 $ dans le
budget de fonctionnement et des besoins en immobilisations de
1 375 000 $ pour cinq unités de déneigement, en s’appuyant sur les
recommandations de la Direction des opérations de surface qui figurent dans le
rapport sur les améliorations fonctionnelles en hiver, afin que le Conseil en
prenne connaissance.
Documentation
1. Deputy City Manager’s report (Public Works
and Services) dated 18 July 2008 (ACS2008-PWS-SOP-0011).
Report to/Rapport
au :
Comité des transports
and Council / et au conseil
18 July 2008 / le 18 juillet 2008
Submitted by/Soumis par : R.G. Hewitt,
Deputy
City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint,
Public
Works and Services/Services et Travaux publics
Contact Person/Personne
ressource : John Manconi,
Director /
Directeur, Surface Operations/Opérations de surface
(613)
580-2424 x 21110, John.Manconi@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That Transportation Committee
recommend that Council:
1. Receive the information regarding
Winter Bus Stop Maintenance Standards outlined in this report and recommend
that that any service standards modifications to Winter Bus Stop Service
Standards be incorporated and considered as part of the 2009 Review of Road and
Sidewalk Maintenance Quality Standards for consideration in the overall
Maintenance Quality Standards.
2. Direct Public Works & Services
Department to include for Council consideration in the 2009 Draft Operating and
Capital Budget an Operating Budget pressure of $640,000 and Capital requirement
of $1,375,000 for five plow units based on Surface Operations Branch
recommendations outlined in the report pertaining to winter operational
improvements.
RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT
Que le
Comité des transports recommande au Conseil :
1. de
prendre connaissance des normes d’entretien hivernal des arrêts d’autobus
présentées dans le présent rapport et de recommander que toute modification aux
normes de services relativement au déneigement des arrêts d’utobus soit incluse
et examinée dans le cadre de l’examen de 2009 des normes de qualité en matière
d’entretien des rues et des trottoirs afin qu’il en soit tenu compte dans
l’examern des normes de qualité en matière d’entretien.
2. demandent
à Services et Travaux publics et à Opérations de surface d’ajouter aux projets
de budgets de fonctionnement et d’immobilisations de 2009 une pression financière
de 640,000 $ dans le budget de fonctionnement et des besoins en immobilisations
de 1 375 000 $ pour cinq unités de déneigement, en s’appuyant sur les
recommandations de la Direction des opérations de surface qui figurent dans le
rapport sur les améliorations fonctionnelles en hiver, afin que le Conseil en
prenne connaissance.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report provides information suitable for a preliminary analysis of the relative merits, challenges, operational requirements, and high level costing for various service levels of winter bus stop snow clearing. The intent is to provide background information enabling Council to provide direction regarding winter snow clearing of bus stops. The report also addresses Councillor Doucet’s inquiry requesting staff to review a number of suggestions relating to winter maintenance operations. Staff have also included operational impacts to winter operations based on the 2007/08 winter season review.
Under the City Strategic Plan service delivery priority, the Branch was directed to review road and sidewalk standards by Spring 2009. The Surface Operations Branch will be conducting a review of roads and sidewalks maintenance standards in 2009 and bringing forward for Council approval, the results of the review subject to Council’s direction of this report. Ideally, changes to standards relating to bus stops should be considered collectively under the 2009 review.
Bus Stop Snow Clearing
Bus stop accessibility is impacted by the snow windrows deposited by roadway and sidewalk plowing operations. Bus stop snow clearing is currently performed in a 24-hour period commencing after the end of snow accumulation with the same resources that perform roadway and sidewalk plowing.
The bus stop clearing standards of a number of other municipalities were researched to provide comparative information. Compared with other municipalities, Ottawa’s current bus stop clearing standard provides for a relatively high level of service – as seems appropriate given the relative severity of our winter climate.
Improved accessibility to transit stops and shelters during winter storms is interpreted as a significant reduction in the average time during and after a storm where accessibility to these facilities is reduced and/or restricted due to windrows deposited by roadway and/or sidewalk plowing. To achieve this, transit stops would have to be cleared during and after roadway and sidewalk plowing operations. The following 4 options were considered:
Option 1: Increase Priority of Transit Stop Clearing Within Existing Budget/Resource Limits
Option 2: Acquire Technology to Eliminate Windrows
Option 3: Conduct Transit Stop Clearing with Sidewalk Plows
Option 4: Enhance Transit Stop Clearing and Provide Additional Resources
Of these options, only Option 4 was determined to be feasible and likely to achieve the significant accessibility improvement objective. Three service scenarios were developed and compared, all of which are summarized in Table 1.
Clearing transit stops simultaneously with roadway and sidewalk plowing will improve but not completely eliminate transit stop accessibility restrictions. The report provides details of unavoidable logistical barriers.
Transit Stop Clearing Scenario
|
Estimated Additional Equipment
Required |
Estimated Additional Annual Cost[1] |
Estimated Average Time of
Accessibility Restrictions per Transit Stop[2] |
|
Status Quo:
Clearing performed once after plowing and completed within 24 hours of
the end of accumulation. |
0 |
0 |
24 hours |
|
12-Hour Cycle: Transit stop clearing commences
at beginning of storm and repeats every 12 hours until complete. |
52 |
$ 4.1 Million |
11 hours |
|
6-Hour Cycle: Transit stop clearing commences
at beginning of storm and repeats every 6 hours until complete. |
104 |
$ 8.2 Million |
5 hours |
The 12-hour and 6-hour cycle time scenarios represent operational changes of significant magnitude and would require approximately a 2 year lead time to implement. Furthermore, due to contracting considerations, a 7-10 year commitment to this service is assumed.
2007-2008 Winter Operations Review – Recommendations for Improvement
The 2007/08 winter season brought near record levels of snowfall. Along with the snow this challenging season brought forward an opportunity for the Branch to review and improve and build from lessons learned. After every winter the Branch reviews its operations and brings forward opportunities for improvement which are outlined in this report.
In response to these observations, the following improvements are recommended for inclusion in the Branch’s 2009 Budget requests.
- Residential Roadway Plowing – 5 additional pieces of plowing equipment for Wards 3, 10, and 22 with an associated one-time capital cost of $1.375M and an on-going annual operating cost of $240K.
- Residential Sidewalk Plowing – shifting part of the sidewalk plowing fleet from conventional multi-season/multi-use sidewalk equipment to a heavier more robust piece of equipment and associated attachments such as plow blade and blower head
- Additional snow removal resources to better manage snow in areas developed utilizing reduced rights-of-way and lot frontages for Wards 3, 10, and 22 ($400K).
RÉSUMÉ
Le présent rapport contient de l’information
pertinente pour une analyse préliminaire du bien-fondé, des difficultés, des
exigences opérationnelles et des coûts élevés se rapportant à divers niveaux de
services liés au déneigement des arrêts d’autobus. Il vise à fournir des
données contextuelles qui permettront au Conseil de fournir son avis au sujet
du déneigement des arrêts d’autobus. Il répond également à la demande du
conseiller Doucet, qui souhaite que le personnel examine un certain nombre
d’options relativement aux opérations d’entretien en hiver. Le personnel a
ajouté les répercussions de certaines opérations hivernales en s’appuyant sur
l’examen de la saison d’hiver 2007-2008.
En raison des priorités liées à la prestation
des services, présentées dans le Plan stratégique de la Ville, la Direction est
tenue d’examiner les normes relatives à l’entretien des rues et des trottoirs
d’ici au printemps 2009. Aussi, la Direction des opérations de surface
procédera à un tel examen en 2009 et en soumettra les résultats au Conseil à
des fins d’approbation, afin que celui-ci puisse donner son avis. En principe,
les modifications aux normes liées aux arrêts d’autobus devraient être
considérées dans leur ensemble dans le cadre de l’examen de 2009.
Déneigement des arrêts
d’autobus
Les andains de neige déposés lors des
opérations de déneigement des rues et des trottoirs nuisent à l’accessibilité
des arrêts d’autobus. Le déneigement des arrêts d’autobus se fait actuellement
dans les 24 heures suivant la fin des accumulations de neige, et ce, à partir
des ressources utilisées pour le déneigement des rues et des trottoirs.
À titre comparatif, on a effectué une recherche
sur les normes liées au déneigement des arrêts d’autobus en vigueur dans
d’autres municipalités. Par comparaison, Ottawa assure un niveau de service
relativement élevé en ce qui a trait au déneigement des arrêts d’autobus – qui
semble approprié compte tenu de la robustesse de nos hivers.
En assurant de meilleurs services aux arrêts de
transport en commun et aux abribus au cours des tempêtes d’hiver, on veille à
ce que les andains déposés lors du déneigement des rues et des trottoirs
réduisent ou interdisent l’accès à ces installations moins longtemps, en
moyenne. Pour assurer de tels services, il faut que les arrêts de transport en
commun soient déneigés pendant et après les opérations de déneigement
des rues et des trottoirs. Les quatre options suivantes ont été avancées à cet
égard :
Option 1 : Accroître la priorité accordée au déneigement
des arrêts de transport en commun à l’intérieur des limites budgétaires et des
ressources actuelles;
Option 2 : Acquérir les moyens techniques nécessaires
pour l’élimination des andains;
Option 3 : Effectuer le déneigement des arrêts de
transport en commun en même temps que celui des trottoirs;
Option 4: Améliorer le
déneigement des arrêts de transport en commun en fournissant des ressources
supplémentaires.
Parmi ces options, seule la quatrième a été
jugée réalisable et susceptible de contribuer à une amélioration importante de
l’accessibilité. Trois scénarios ont été élaborés et comparés en matière de
prestation de services. Le tableau A en offre un résumé.
Le fait de déneiger les arrêts de transport en
commun en même temps que les rues et les trottoirs améliorerait l’accès à ces
installations, mais n’éliminerait pas complètement les obstacles y nuisant. Le
rapport fournit de plus amples détails sur les obstacles d’ordre logistique qui
apparaissent inévitables.
Tableau A. Résumé des services possibles et des coûts
liés à trois scénarios de déneigement des arrêts d’autobus
Scénario
de déneigement des arrêts de transport en commun
|
Équipement
supplémentaire requis selon les estimations |
Coût
annuel supplémentaire selon les estimations[3] |
Durée
moyenne de la réduction de l’accessibilité, selon les estimations, par arrêt
de transport en commun[4] |
|
Statu quo
: Le déneigement des arrêts est effectué après les
opérations générales et se termine dans les 24 heures suivant la fin des
accumulations. |
0 |
0 |
24 heures |
|
Cycle de
12 heures : Le déneigement des arrêts de transport en
commun débute dès que s’amorce une tempête et est répété tous les 12 heures,
jusqu’à la fin. |
52 |
4 103 190 $ |
11 heures |
|
Cycle de 6
heures : Le déneigement des arrêts de transport en commun
débute dès que s’amorce une tempête et est répété tous les 6 heures, jusqu’à
la fin. |
104 |
8 206 380 $ |
5 heures |
Les scénarios s’appuyant sur des cycles de 12
et de 6 heures entraîneraient d’importantes modifications aux opérations, et
une période d’environ deux ans serait nécessaire pour leur mise en œuvre. De
plus, en raison de considérations liées aux contrats, un engagement de 7 à 10
ans est conclu pour la prestation de ces services.
Examen des opérations
réalisées à l’hiver 2007-2008 : recommandations à suivre pour améliorer
les services
La saison d’hiver 2007-2008 a été marquée par
des chutes de neige qui frôlaient des quantités records. Outre de la neige,
cette saison éprouvante a apporté à la Direction l’occasion d’examiner et
d’améliorer les opérations, et de tirer des leçons. Après chaque hiver, la
Direction procède à un tel examen et présente des options pour améliorer la
prestation de services, comme en fait foi le présent rapport.
Compte tenu
de ces observations, on recommande l’intégration des améliorations suivantes
aux demandes budgétaires :
- Déneigement des routes
résidentielles : Cinq unités de déneigement supplémentaires pour les
quartiers 3, 10 et 22, y compris des immobilisations uniques de
1 375 000 $ et un budget de fonctionnement annuel constant de
240 000 $;
- Déneigement des trottoirs
résidentiels : Remplacement d’une partie du parc de déneigement
utilisé pour les trottoirs, plus particulièrement des éléments
conventionnels quatre saisons et polyvalents, par des pièces d’équipement
plus lourdes et solides et leurs éléments connexes, comme les pales et les
têtes de chasse-neige;
- Allocation de ressources
supplémentaires au déneigement pour mieux gérer les accumulations de neige
en utilisant les emprises routières et les façades de terrain dans les
zones de développement se trouvant dans les quartiers 3, 10 et 22
(400 000 $).
BACKGROUND
At the meeting of Transportation Committee held on 16
January 2008, Councillor Cullen put forth the following inquiry pertaining to
both transportation and transit issues:
“Could staff provide a review of current standards for snow-clearing of transit stops and shelters, and an analysis of the challenges / factors that would need to be addressed in order to improve accessibility to transit stops and shelters during winter, prior to the 2009 budget process?”
Similarly, Councillor Doucet put forth the following
inquiry directly to the Department pertaining to transit and sidewalk winter
maintenance issues:
“Whereas the snow storm of December 16/17th 2007 overwhelmed the normal snow clearing operations such that lack of on street storage space meant many sidewalks in older neighbourhoods had to wait a week or more for snow removal to be passable;
Whereas many complaints were received from the public and echoed by the school board with concern about the safety of children walking to school;
Whereas many seniors were shut in for much longer than usual snow clearing standards would require;
Whereas many complainants pointed out other areas of the city with wider streets had been cleared multiple times while sidewalks on narrow streets remained untouched;
Whereas the prolonged impassability of sidewalks poses a serious safety hazard for school children and seniors in particular”
Can snow removal policy be enhanced for neighbourhoods with narrower streets to include options such as:
· Giving priority to snow clearing and removal in school zones and on routes to schools
· Not having snow removal crews operating heavy machinery near schools during drop-off and pick-up hours
· When on-street snow storage is overwhelmed, giving priority to the sidewalk on one side of the street and using the other for storage
· Giving priority to sidewalks surrounding seniors residences and nursing homes
· Maintaining a list of high priority catch basins which ought to the first to be cleared to prevent flooding in the event of thaw?
Are there other options that could better restore the usability of sidewalks for the most vulnerable after a major snow fall?”.
The above two inquiries reflect the confluence of several trends affecting the future of the City’s transportation services, pedestrian mobility and transit, including:
Trends Affecting Winter Operations
Demographic Shifts
Demographic predictions are that Ottawa’s population is
aging. In 2001, there were 90,810
persons aged 65 and older. Predictions
for Ottawa are that by 2031, there will be over 283,000 persons aged 65 and
over a-3 fold increase. As these
changes in demographics materialize, demand for accessible transportation
services and improved winter mobility is anticipated to increase.
Increasing Demand for Safe, Reliable Transit
The public is
increasingly demanding of transit services in Ottawa, even more so during the
winter months. In 2007, the number of
passenger trips grew 4%. Similarly, the
kilometres of transit coverage is also increasing: 5.5% in 2006 and 3.2% in
2007. A safe dependable transit service
during winter months is critical.
Increasing Public Expectations on Public Services
The public is increasingly demanding of public
services. Individuals and local
communities are now demanding instant, customized service and site-specific
prioritization. At the same time, there
is considerable pressure to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Accessibility
Accessible services are being increasingly demanded and the City needs to
continue to respond with its commitment to accessible services through the City
of Ottawa Municipal Accessibility Plan (COMAP). Also reflecting the demand for increased accessibility, the Province
of Ontario enacted legislation in 2005 designed to achieve a fully accessible
province by 2025. In support of this
effort, accessibility standards are being developed and regulated for customer
services, information and communications, built environment, employment and
sector specific areas such as transportation.
Climate Change
As outlined in the Branch’s Winter Operations report (ACS2005-PWS-SOP-0005)
presented to Council in 2005, climate experts anticipate Ottawa’s winter
climate to continue along its current general trend towards warmer winters with
more rain / freezing rain and less snow.
Accompanying this, however, is increased volatility, which could bring
more frequent extreme events or seasons.
Extreme snow events create the most acute accessibility issues at bus
stops.
These trends are highlighted because the Branch believes that winter operations will need to undergo unprecedented changes in the coming years to meet the anticipated challenges. These changes will present themselves in all forms – technology, resourcing, forecasting, communications, etc.
The changes in many cases will
need to be driven by cities that are committed to meeting the challenges. For example, Ottawa as part of its climate
change adaptability initiatives is the only known municipality to have ice
grinders as part of its winter fleet for sidewalk maintenance.
DISCUSSION
This report provides information suitable for a preliminary analysis of the relative merits, challenges, operational requirements, and high level costing for various services levels of winter bus stop snow clearing. The intent is to provide background information enabling Council to provide direction regarding winter snow clearing of bus stops. The report also addresses Councillor Doucet’s inquiry. Staff have also included operational impacts to winter operations based on the 2007/08 winter season review.
Current Winter Maintenance Standards and Resourcing Strategy
Snow and ice control response is governed by the
Council approved Maintenance Quality Standards (MQS), excerpts of which are
provided in Documents 1 and 2. A review
of these standards is scheduled for 2009.
The design of the MQS needs to strike a balance
between residents’ service expectations and cost / willingness to pay. This balance is achieved by allocating available
resources over time in a prioritized manner.
More plainly, since it is expensive to retain sufficient resources to
simultaneously perform all the work associated with storm response, fewer
resources are used to perform the work over a longer period of time. The highest priority and largest impact
activities are completed first followed by performance of successively lower
priority activities.
In addition, MQS particularly for winter operations
are designed for average conditions.
Resources and their effectiveness should be planned and measured in
relation to average winters.
While the City’s MQS are conceptually
straightforward, achieving them is not necessarily simple. Winter events provide a wide variety of
complex conditions ranging from rain and freezing rain, to snow flurries, hail,
blowing snow, heavy snowfall and more – all of which can vary significantly
over time and geography. Further
complicating winter response are coordination considerations related to
successive storms, morning and evening rush hour, school schedules, events,
maintenance of emergency access, emergency response and support, staff shift
changes, and equipment and contractor availability. Despite generally adequate resourcing for current winter
maintenance and an experienced and dedicated staff, circumstances arise when
residents’ expectations may not be met.
The City also employs other means to maximize cost
effectiveness of operations, such as: proactively planning event response;
activating contracted resources during peak demand; maintaining a trained and
skilled workforce; and acquiring appropriate equipment and technology.
Events Causing Reduced Bus Stop Accessibility
Accessibility issues at bus stops most frequently
arise during and after “traditional” moderate to heavy snowfalls. Reduced accessibility typically occurs due
to snow windrows deposited from roadway and sidewalk plowing operations. It is estimated, based on historical data
and operational experience, that approximately 35 events occur in a winter
season that result in some impact to bus stop accessibility and that
approximately half of these would result in moderate to severe accessibility
restrictions.
During these types of snowfall events, the general
sequence of response and resource deployment is as follows:
1.
Roadways
and sidewalks are plowed with all available internal and contracted resources
throughout the storm event. If the
storm event is lengthy, plowing beats are cycled (repeated) at the frequency
defined by the MQS. Once accumulation
ends, roadway and sidewalk plowing continues until the networks are cleared –
typically requiring one additional full cycle of plowing.
2.
As
plowing operations are successively completed, the same resources are
re-deployed to post-storm clean-up and clearing activities, including:
intersections, pedestrian crossings, bus stops, school loading zones, dead
ends, parking lots, etc.
3.
Snow
removal activities are performed, if necessary.
Under extreme winter storm conditions (i.e. those
that exceed normal conditions), snow and ice control operations will be carried
out based on the capacity of resources in as continuous a manner as
practicable. Extreme conditions may
include heavy accumulation, multiple storms in rapid succession, or a variety
of other circumstances. The 2007/08
winter season was an example of multiple events of this type.
The City’s website provides a graphical description
of what residents can expect during a typical winter storm event (see Figure
1).
Figure 1. Simplified graphical depiction of winter storm response and service times as provided on www.Ottawa.ca.
|
|
||
|
Minimum depth of snow accumulation for deployment of
resources |
|
Time to clear snow accumulation from the end of snow
accumulation or |
|
As accumulation begins |
Hwy 174, Transitway, most arterials and most major collector roads |
2 to 4 hours |
|
2.5 cm |
Most sidewalks in downtown core |
4 hours |
|
5 cm |
Most minor collector roads |
6 hours |
|
5 cm |
Most primary sidewalks |
12 hours |
|
5 cm |
Most residential sidewalks |
16 hours |
|
7 cm |
Most residential roads |
10 hours |
|
10 cm |
Most lanes |
16 hours |
|
Clean up |
Most intersections and pedestrian crossings Most Bus stops |
16 hours 24 hours |
Specifically with respect to bus stops, application of the current MQS means that bus stop clearing does not typically commence until at least 2 hours after accumulation has ended, and may not be completed for 24 hours after the snow stops falling. For a storm event of 6-hour duration, the result is restricted accessibility at bus stops for a period between 8 and 30 hours – or, on average, for 24 hours. For extreme events, these times may increase significantly since available resources typically remain on higher priority activities as defined in the MQS.
The bus stop clearing standards
of a number of other municipalities were researched to provide comparative
information. Compared with other
municipalities, Ottawa’s current bus stop clearing standard provides for a
relatively high level of service – as seems appropriate given the relative
severity of our winter climate.
Consistent with Ottawa’s current approach, most municipalities researched provide bus stop clearing in one operation after the end of snow accumulation (i.e. none clear bus stops during storms). The two exceptions were Montreal and Quebec City where, during the sidewalk clearing operation, operators clear a path to the curb. Quebec follows up this operation with a complete snow clearing of bus pads after the storm depending on the storm accumulation (i.e. 5 to 15 cms – 24 hours, 15 to 22 cms – 48 hours, etc.). A summary of municipalities and bus clearing service times is provided in table 2.
Table 2 - Comparison of transit stop clearing service levels of various municipalities.
|
Transit Stop
Clearing Time After End of Snow Accumulation (hours) |
Average Annual
Snowfall (cm) |
|
|
Ottawa |
24 |
235 |
|
Mississauga |
24 |
115 |
|
Edmonton |
48 |
124 |
|
Toronto |
48 |
133 |
|
Kitchener |
48 |
160 |
|
London |
72 |
202 |
|
Montreal |
8 |
218 |
|
Quebec City |
24-96 |
316 |
Clearing of bus stops, intersections, pedestrian signals,
etc., is typically performed after the end of snow accumulation for two major
reasons:
·
The operation is performed only once per storm event,
rather than multiple times during and after the event, and
· The peak resource demand needed to respond to an event is significantly reduced by deferring this work and performing it with the same resources later.
Compared to simultaneous storm response and clean-up, both of these factors significantly reduce overall storm response costs as well as the carrying cost of maintaining availability of required resources throughout the winter season.
Options for Improving Accessibility to Transit Stops and Shelters During Winter
Improved accessibility to transit stops and shelters during winter storms is interpreted as a significant reduction in the average time during and after a storm where accessibility to these facilities is reduced and/or restricted due to windrows deposited by roadway and/or sidewalk plowing. To achieve this, transit stops would have to be cleared during and after roadway and sidewalk plowing operations.
Due to the frequency of moderate to large accumulations in a typical Ottawa winter, effective transit stop clearing requires relatively large equipment with buckets such as loaders, backhoes, or farm tractors. This type of equipment enables snow that is cleared from the transit stop to be moved and stored on adjacent snow banks or on adjacent boulevard areas
Clearing transit stops
simultaneously with roadway and sidewalk plowing will improve but not completely
eliminate transit stop accessibility restrictions. A number of barriers are unavoidable simply due to logistics,
including:
·
Transit stops will continue to be plowed in throughout
a storm, albeit for a shorter period of time, since sidewalk and roadway
plowing will be ongoing;
·
Transit stops may be cleared prior to adjacent roadways
and sidewalks that may also be recovered with snow during a storm event. Clear bus stops with inaccessible sidewalks
and roadways generally provide little advantage to mobility;
·
Clearing immediately around shelters, including their
entrances requires labour-intensive handwork to avoid damage to shelters and
nearby amenities and is not feasible to accomplish repetitively on a citywide
basis during a storm event; and
· Transit shelters at both ends of a trip need to be accessible for effective travel. Since individual trips are essentially random, ensuring that this occurs in all cases is not reasonably possible.
Prior to reviewing the options to improve bus stop accessibility during and after storm response, the following schematic (Figure 3) is intended to help describe the Branch’s current approach to resource planning as it pertains to winter operations. As discussed in more detail below under the heading “Contracting Considerations”, any enhancements will need to be built with “new capacity”. As such, winter response is currently planned utilizing a finite amount of internal and external resources using the following principles:
· Plan for averages not peaks
· Initial storm response and clean-up activities are performed using all available resources
· Complete response activities in order of priority as defined by the MQS
· Optimize available fleet (city and contract)
· Minimize dead heading (travel time to and from work locations)
· Optimize use of deployment centres.
In light of the above, any enhancements to bus stop clearing service levels while maintaining other services will necessarily rely on bringing “new capacity” online. Options for achieving improved accessibility are described below.
Figure 3. Conceptual representation of the delivery of peak winter maintenance activities on roads and sidewalks. The figure shows during peak storm response, additional contracted resources are imported to meet increased workload. All resources are applied both to initial response and then moved to post-storm clean-up activities. If work is performed concurrently, additional resources need to be imported to meet peak workload demand.
Option 1: Increase Priority of Transit Stop Clearing Within Existing
Budget/Resource Limits
Under this option, the priority for clearing transit stops would be increased above that of residential roads and sidewalks. Resources would be diverted from roadway and/or sidewalk plowing and be reallocated to transit stop clearing during and after a storm.
In order to achieve a 12 hour cycle time on all 6,500 City bus stops, 52 bus stop clearing beats are required each with a dedicated piece of equipment. If the equipment were mobilized at the same time as plowing operations without additional resources, there would necessarily be a corresponding reduction of approximately 52 roadway or sidewalk plowing beats. As the City utilizes approximately 305 heavy plowing units, a reduction of 52 units would theoretically correspond to approximately 20% longer service times for roadway and sidewalk plowing, citywide. As beats are designed around a 12-hour maximum shift duration, a 20% longer service time would necessitate that they be handed off from one shift to the next. This hand-off (non-productive time) would further extend the overall practical service window by 25% to 30%.
It is assumed that significantly longer roadway plowing service times is not acceptable to the community. As a result, this option was not analysed further.
Option 2: Acquire Technology to Eliminate Windrows
City staff monitor the development of technology that could be used to eliminate windrows by City snowplows across driveways or transit stops. A study was conducted by staff in
2003 and concluded that the severity of Ottawa's winter weather conditions had rendered previous pilot projects of the "snow gate" technology unsuccessful.
In the years since the 2003 investigation,
staff from the Surface Operations Branch have continued to monitor the
marketplace for new technologies and have observed demonstrations of the latest
innovations in order to stay abreast of new technology development that could
help our branch provide more efficient service to the City's residents. Staff remain informed of these developments
through interaction with the American Public Works Association, participation
in the annual North American Snow Conference, exchanges with staff from peer
municipalities, and consultation with equipment manufacturers and vendors.
At this time, no new technologies have been
developed to effectively address windrows in the severe winter conditions
experienced in the City of Ottawa. The
City has adopted other means to assist those most affected by windrows through
the Snow-Go and Snow-Go Assist programs.
Option 3: Conduct Transit Stop Clearing with Sidewalk Plows
The third option considered was to integrate bus stop clearing with sidewalk plowing operations. Under this option, sidewalk plows would not clear the entire transit stop; rather they would create a hole through any roadway and sidewalk windrows sufficient to permit basic accessibility.
It is estimated that this option would require approximately 50% increase to the City’s current sidewalk clearing capacity (approximately 120 in-house and contracted units) to deliver a 12-hour transit stop “clearing” service. In addition, the current post-storm cleanup activities including complete transit stop clearing would continue essentially as-is. One unique benefit of this approach would be that sidewalks and bus stops would be cleared together. Issues related to sequencing and coordination of sidewalk and bus stop clearing would be eliminated.
This option, however, has a number of significant operational shortcomings. The accessibility provided is limited and may not be considered a significant improvement to transit users and pedestrians. Since these units have plows and not buckets, they may not be able to adequately clear stops, particularly in areas of limited storage or if existing storage is exhausted after successive storms.
During larger events when accessibility issues become most acute, the sidewalk machines would be largely ineffective at clearing large roadway windrows and would suffer significant additional productivity losses, equipment damage, etc. As a result of these shortcomings, this option was not considered feasible for city-wide application.
Option 4: Enhance Transit Stop Clearing and Provide Additional Resources
Under this option, transit stop snow clearing activity would be performed using bucketed equipment in parallel with roadway and sidewalk snow clearing activities. Transit stop clearing would cycle during a storm event and would continue until all transit stops are cleared. Since it is assumed that other services would not be impacted under this option, all resources required for this enhanced service are in addition to existing resources and would therefore come with additional costs.
Comparative incremental costs for three service level
scenarios were developed and are shown in Table 1. The service scenarios include:
Status Quo - Clearing performed once after
plowing and completed within 24 hours of the end of accumulation = No
enhancement to current state
12-Hour Cycle - Transit stop clearing commences
at beginning of storm and repeats every 12 hours until complete = 13 hr
enhancement to current state
6-Hour Cycle - Transit stop clearing commences at beginning of storm and repeats every 6 hours until complete = 19 hr enhancement to current state.
There are a number of secondary benefits arising from enhanced transit stop clearing services. Primary among these is that other post storm cleanup activities would be completed more quickly. Resources that currently perform post storm cleanup activities would be relieved of bus stop clearing responsibilities. Performance of the remaining post storm cleanup activities such as clearing of intersections, pedestrian crossings, sight lines, etc. would be accelerated. City-performed snow removal activities might also start sooner after a storm. Incremental benefits to these services have not been specifically quantified.
Table 1. Summary of service and cost impact of 3-bus stop clearing scenarios.
|
Transit Stop Clearing Scenario |
Estimated
Additional Equipment Required |
Estimated
Additional Annual Cost[5] |
Estimated
Average Time of Accessibility Restrictions per Transit Stop[6] |
|
Status Quo:
Clearing performed once after plowing and completed within 24 hours of
the end of accumulation. |
0 |
0 |
24 hours |
|
12-Hour Cycle: Transit stop clearing commences
at beginning of storm and repeats every 12 hours until complete. |
52 |
$ 4.1 Million |
11 hours |
|
6-Hour Cycle: Transit stop clearing commences
at beginning of storm and repeats every 6 hours until complete. |
104 |
$ 8.2 Million |
5 hours |
Consideration was given to a prioritized, partial approach to transit stop clearing in an attempt to determine if most of the accessibility benefit could be provided with a fraction of the cost (the “80/20” rule). Under such a scheme, only the most critical or heavily utilized transit routes would have enhanced transit stop clearing while the rest of the stops would continue to be cleared under the status quo. Unfortunately, previous experience with transit accessibility issues has found that the overall system accessibility is determined by its weakest link. Since travel can occur between any two points in the system, accessibility issues at any point on a trip will render the trip unsuccessful. Therefore, clearing of a quarter or half the transit stops or clearing stops in advance of sidewalk plowing is anticipated to have little benefit to overall system accessibility.
Implementation Considerations
All of the options to improve winter transit accessibility presented in this report represent sizeable operations. Any of them would require significant lead-time to implement. They also represent multi-year commitments since all options require additional equipment and staff – either acquired in-house or contracted. Several of the major implementation challenges associated with this service are discussed briefly below. Staff have not recommended any of the options.
After careful consideration and weighing the possible benefits along with the risks and the significant costs associated with options 2 and 3, staff feels that investment of less funds could be better directed to other activities that may net some noticeable improvements such as increased snow removal on all bus routes.
Nonetheless,
implementation of option 2 or 3 in Table 1 would occur at the earliest 2010 /11
in concert with expiration and amalgamation of several groups of existing
tenders and contracts.
Contracting-Out Arbitration
Prior to contracting this service, the City is required to provide the
Union two (2) months notice with all relevant and available information,
specifications, costing and rationale concerning contracting out to allow the
Union to submit a proposal. Should the
Union submit a proposal, the City must give due consideration to the Union’s
proposal, and allow the Union an opportunity to discuss, explain or amend its
proposal in response to questions or concerns of the Employer. The entire process takes approximately three
(3) months to complete and only after the process has been followed can the
City then proceed with contracting out provided there is no resulting layoffs or reduction of hours of any employee and
there are no employees on layoff who can perform the contracted out work.
Contracting Considerations
Over the past several years it is becoming more and more common for winter maintenance equipment tenders to draw minimal and insufficient response or commitment from the private sector. Most of this equipment comes from construction or landscaping businesses and these businesses are becoming less interested in committing their equipment on an unpredictable storm-by-storm basis. Discussions with several contractors that do not avail themselves of winter work have revealed that they consider winter maintenance activities are extremely hard on equipment and they would prefer to let it sit in the winter to keep it operational for their peak seasons: Spring, Summer and Fall.
As a result of the weakening response from the contracting community for winter maintenance contracts, for this analysis it was deemed necessary to include a daily stand-by rate. In the future, it may also be necessary to take other means to make these contracts attractive to the private sector. For example, many municipalities now contract winter maintenance services over longer time periods, approximately 7-10 years, so that the contracting community can acquire the necessary equipment and amortize it over the contract period. Engaging in longer-term contracts requires stable services and service levels to be effective and cost efficient.
Relationship to Advertising Supported Street Furniture Contracts
Very limited winter snow clearing services are currently provided at transit stops with shelters (approximately 15% of all stops) through an advertising supported transit shelter contract. This contract expires in 2010 and services will be incorporated into a new, integrated street furniture contract to be in place by July 2010.
The possibility exists to incorporate winter transit stop maintenance with the new street furniture contract. However, services on this scale have not typically been included in recent street furniture contracts in other municipalities. Further, experience with existing contracts suggests including time sensitive services not directly related to maintenance of advertising surface or the furniture structure is problematic as the services are not the core business or interest of the advertising companies that deliver street furniture. In the specific case of winter transit shelter snow clearing, adding an additional party would increase the complexity of operational coordination and administration of the service.
Relationship to 2009 Roads and Sidewalks Maintenance Quality Standards Review
Under the City Strategic Plan service delivery priority, the Branch was directed to review road and sidewalk standards by Spring 2009. Surface Operations Branch will be conducting a review of roads and sidewalk maintenance standards in 2009 and bringing forward for Council approval the results of the review. Subject to Council’s direction on this report, staff could bring this analysis of winter transit stop and shelter clearing in the 2009 review. For the 2009 review staff do not anticipate any significant ideas for improvement in the area of transit stop winter maintenance. However, review of the merits of these changes can be considered in the context for all winter maintenance activities at the time of the review. Recommendations for changes or enhancements to roads and sidewalk maintenance standards will be considered collectively at that time.
2007-2008 Winter Operations Review – Recommendations
for Improvement
Councillor
Doucet made 5 suggestions for operational improvements in his inquiry
reproduced in the Background section of this report. Three of the suggestions (prioritizing snow clearing in school
zones and routes, using some sidewalks for snow storage, and prioritizing snow
clearing around seniors residences and nursing homes) relate directly to the
Maintenance Quality Standards and will be referred to the 2009 MQS review. With respect to not having snow removal
crews operating heavy machinery near schools and during drop-off and pick-up
hours, crews will be reminded to avoid performing snow removal on streets
immediately adjacent to schools during drop-off and pick-up hours, where
possible. Finally, with respect to
maintaining a list of priority catch basins, which ought to be the first to be
cleared to prevent flooding, these lists already exist and are used to plan and
prioritize flood prevention and catch basing clearing activities.
The 2007/08 winter season brought near record levels of snowfall. Along with the significant snowfall this challenging season brought forward an opportunity for the Branch to review and improve and build from lessons learned. After every winter the Branch reviews its operations and brings forward opportunities for improvement. This years review identified the following:
Issues/observations:
- Overall the Branch
managed the challenging season well
- Standards and resources
are adequate for “average” winter seasons
- Arterial and most
collector roads generated few complaints and operational challenges even
during the most extreme events
- The snow disposal
volume models used for planning and development of City facilities proved
to be accurate
- Contracting resources
needed to supplement City operations for peak period are very limited and
for many of the high snow fall events were “maxed out”
- Salt supplies across
North America are “demand sensitive” during extreme winters
- The integrated command
center located at 175 Loretta proved to be invaluable and assisted all
City operations tremendously
- The management team
brought forward unique solutions to address the many challenges
- A recent negotiated
salt tender supply contract yielded excellent results
- Higher density
developments with reduced rights-of-way in the suburban area of the city
need additional resources
- Rear lane developments
need additional resources due to extreme limitations of onsite storage
- BIA snow removal
operations were improved (communications and timing of removal)
- On-street parking
continues to hamper operations
- Rural winter operations
have improved significantly
- Snow removal on
Albert-Slater corridor continues to be a challenge due to the very limited
window of opportunity for snow removal crews to gain unencumbered access
- Complaints and
operational concerns were focused mainly in the following areas/parts of
the transportation network:
- Residential sidewalks
(city-wide)
- Residential roadways
(specifically in Wards 3 – Barrhaven, Ward 10 – Gloucester–Southgate, and
Ward 22 – Gloucester-South Nepean).
In
response to these observations, the following improvements are recommended for
inclusion in the Branch’s 2009 Budget requests.
- Residential Roadway
Plowing – 5 additional pieces of plowing equipment for Wards 3, 10, and 22
with an associated one-time capital cost of $1,375M and an on-going annual
operating cost of $240K.
- Residential Sidewalk
Plowing – shifting part of the sidewalk plowing fleet from conventional
multi-season/multi-use sidewalk equipment to a heavier more robust piece
of equipment and associated attachments such as plow blade and blower head
- Additional snow removal
resources to better manage snow in areas developed utilizing reduced right
of ways and lot frontages for Wards 3, 10, and 22 ($400K).
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
The
implications of this report are city-wide.
CONSULTATION
The Transit Service Branch -
Service Planning Section, the Real Property Asset Management Branch, the RPAM
Facilities Section, the OC Transpo Unit, Human Resources, Labour Relations, the
Business Transformation Services Branch and the Corporate Accessibility
Specialist have been consulted on this report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The first recommendation relates to bus stop winter maintenance and seeks direction from Council in respect to which direction to proceed with.
- The first option refers the report findings and proposed service enhancements options outlined in Table 1 be incorporated into the 2009 Review of the Roads and Sidewalks Maintenance Quality Standards for consideration as part of the overall Maintenance Quality Standards.
- The second option that Council recommend a preferred option as outlined in Table 1 and that the required funding for the option be included in the Surface Operations Branch 2009 Draft Budget estimates for Council’s consideration that will impact on the 2010/2011 winter season. The options in this range from no financial impact, $4.1 M and $8.2 M respectively.
The second recommendation relates to 2009 operation improvements for plowing and snow removal operations in Ward 3, 10 and 22 respectively.
- Additional plowing with an estimated annual 2009 operating pressure of $240K along with associated capital requirement for five plow units of $1,375,000.
- Additional snow removal resources to better manage snow in areas developed utilizing reduced rights-of-way and lot frontages the estimated annual 2009 operating pressure is $400,000.
The pressures identified in this report subject to Council directions would be identified in the Draft 2009 Operating and Capital Budget Estimate for Council consideration.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 – Maintenance Quality Standard 103.01: Snow and Ice Control- Roads
DISPOSITION
Upon approval of this report, the Public Works and Services Department, Surface Operations Branch will proceed as per Council’s direction.