1. ECOMOBILITY SERVICE – PILOT PROJECT

SERVICE ÉCOMOBILITÉ – PROJET PILOTE

Committee Recommendations

That Council approve:

1. That the City of Ottawa contract EnviroCentre to ensure that City ot Ottawa workplaces (up to a total of 20 workplaces) with more than 25 employees and less than 100 employees participates in the ecoMobility service for $500 per workplace, including;

· an online employee survey to determine current modal split;

· customized reports detailing the most feasible TDM strategies to implement at each City workplace;

· facilitation of better commuting options through workshops, seminars and online motivational tools;

· measurements of modal shift, including vehicle reduction, use of more sustainable commuting options, and resulting CO2 reductions.

2. That if this pilot project succeeds in measured reductions in the use of single occupancy vehicles during peak hours by increasing the use of TDM measures in these workplaces, EnviroCentre will be asked to propose to the Transit Committee and/or the Transportation Committee, ways in which this service could be expanded to cover City workplaces with more than 100 employees.

Recommandations du comité

Que le Conseil approuve:

1. Que la Ville d’Ottawa passe avec l’EnviroCentre un contrat visant à faire en sorte que les lieux de travail de la Ville d’Ottawa (jusqu’à concurrence de 20) comptant plus de 25 et moins de 100 employés participent au programme écoMobilité moyennant la somme de 500 $ par lieu de travail, ce qui permettrait :

· la réalisation d’un sondage en ligne auprès des employés afin de déterminer la répartition modale actuelle;

· la production de rapport normalisés précisant les stratégies de gestion de la demande de transport les plus réalisables pour chacun des lieux de travail de la Ville;

· la facilitation de meilleurs modes de transport au moyen d’ateliers, de séminaires et d’instruments de motivation en ligne;

· la mesure de la modification de la répartition modale, y compris la réduction de l’utilisation des véhicules, l’utilisation de modes de transport plus durables et la diminution des émissions de CO₂.

2. Que, si le projet pilote se traduit par une réduction notable de l’utilisation de véhicules occupés par une seule personne (« monovoiturage ») au cours des heures de pointe, grâce à une utilisation accrue des mesures de gestion de la demande de transport dans les lieux de travail en cause, l’EnviroCentre soit invité à proposer au Comité du transport en commun ou au Comité des transports des façons d’étendre le service aux lieux de travail de la Ville regroupant plus de 100 employés.

Documentation

1. Transit Committee report dated 16 April 2009 (ACS2009-CCS-TTC-0005).

2. Staff Memo dated 5 May 2009 (City of Ottawa Transportation Demand Management (TDM))

3. Extract of Draft Minute, 6 May 2009

4. ecoMobility Project Description and Workplan (Schedule A to – “Moving On Sustainable Transportation” submission)

Report to / Rapport au :

Transportation Committee /

Comité des transports

And Council / et au Conseil

16 April 2009 / le 16 avril 2009

Submitted by / Soumis par : Diane Holmes

Contact / Personne-ressource : Councillor Diane Holmes

(613) 580-2484, Diane.Holmes@ottawa.ca

Somerset (14)

Ref N°: ACS2009-CCS-TRC-0005

SUBJECT:	ECOMOBILITY SERVICE – PILOT PROJECT
OBJET :	SERVICE ÉCOMOBILITÉ – PROJET PILOTE

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Transportation Committee recommend that Council approve:

1. That the City of Ottawa contract EnviroCentre to ensure that City ot Ottawa workplaces (up to a total of 20 workplaces) with more than 25 employees and less than 100 employees participates in the ecoMobility service for $500 per workplace, including;

· an online employee survey to determine current modal split;

· customized reports detailing the most feasible TDM strategies to implement at each City workplace;

· facilitation of better commuting options through workshops, seminars and online motivational tools;

· measurements of modal shift, including vehicle reduction, use of more sustainable commuting options, and resulting CO2 reductions.

2. That if this pilot project succeeds in measured reductions in the use of single occupancy vehicles during peak hours by increasing the use of TDM measures in these workplaces, EnviroCentre will be asked to propose to the Transit Committee and/or the Transportation Committee, ways in which this service could be expanded to cover City workplaces with more than 100 employees.

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité des transports recommande au Conseil d’approuver:

1. Que la Ville d’Ottawa passe avec l’EnviroCentre un contrat visant à faire en sorte que les lieux de travail de la Ville d’Ottawa (jusqu’à concurrence de 20) comptant plus de 25 et moins de 100 employés participent au programme écoMobilité moyennant la somme de 500 $ par lieu de travail, ce qui permettrait :

· la réalisation d’un sondage en ligne auprès des employés afin de déterminer la répartition modale actuelle;

· la production de rapport normalisés précisant les stratégies de gestion de la demande de transport les plus réalisables pour chacun des lieux de travail de la Ville;

· la facilitation de meilleurs modes de transport au moyen d’ateliers, de séminaires et d’instruments de motivation en ligne;

· la mesure de la modification de la répartition modale, y compris la réduction de l’utilisation des véhicules, l’utilisation de modes de transport plus durables et la diminution des émissions de CO₂.

2. Que, si le projet pilote se traduit par une réduction notable de l’utilisation de véhicules occupés par une seule personne (« monovoiturage ») au cours des heures de pointe, grâce à une utilisation accrue des mesures de gestion de la demande de transport dans les lieux de travail en cause, l’EnviroCentre soit invité à proposer au Comité du transport en commun ou au Comité des transports des façons d’étendre le service aux lieux de travail de la Ville regroupant plus de 100 employés.

BACKGROUND

At the Transportation Committee meeting on 15 April 2009, Councillor Holmes put forward the aforementioned Notice of Motion.

DISCUSSION

One of the key strategic directions of the City’s 2008 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is to manage transportation demand. Section 3.3 of the TMP requires the City to work with employers to reduce car commuting. The EnviroCentre’s ecoMobility service is designed to reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles in commuting to work.

CONSULTATION

Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability staff comments will be provided prior to the meeting.

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

There are no Legal/Risk Management impediments to the implementation of this report's recommendation.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Estimated costs for this pilot project are $10,000. Funds are available in 903494 Transportation Demand Management.

DISPOSITION

Upon Council approval, staff in Planning and Growth Management to follow through with the recommendations in the report.

M E M O / N O T E D E S E R V I C E
To / Destinataire	Deputy Mayor and Members of Council		File/N° de fichier: File Number
From / Expéditeur	John L. Moser, General Manager Planning and Growth Management, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability
Subject / Objet	City of Ottawa Transportation Demand Management (TDM)		Date: May 5, 2009Date

On May 6, 2009 Councilor Holmes’s Report titled Ecomobility Service- Pilot Project will be tabled at Transportation Committee. This report proposes a pilot project partnership with the EnviroCentre to advise City of Ottawa employees of possible TDM measures.

This report provides an opportunity to update Members of Council on the City’s current TDM initiatives for 2009 and to offer staff comment on the proposed partnership.

Listed below are the City’s TDM initiatives for 2009:

· Travelwise - an ongoing outreach program that promotes alternative commuter options at local and community events as well as through the City’s web site.

· Bike Share - the City is partnering with the National Capital Commission and the City of Gatineau for summertime Self-Service Bike System pilot/demonstration project and feasibility study.

· Share-the-Road Campaign- an annual spring/summer public information campaign for safe and shared use of roadways for bicycles and vehicular traffic

· Can-Bike Cycing Education Courses - annual cycling education courses for riders of all ages and skills (pending the current review of the program, some limited courses could possibly be offered this year, 2009)

· OttawaRideMatch.com - the City's free online carpool matching service

As you are aware the City’s Official Plan (Section 2.3.1) and Transportation Master Plan (Section 3.3) both state that the City is to "demonstrate leadership by acting as a role model by implementing measures that enhance its employee's options for commuting and business travel". As the City does not currently house the required capacity for this TDM initiative, partnerships with the EnviroCentre's ecomobility service can be used to temporarily fill that gap and fulfill some of the Official Plan and Transportation Master Plan requirements. As such, staff supports the recommendations in Councillor Holmes’s report.

A more formal and permanent solution will be examined as part of a proposed TDM Strategy, which is expected to be presented to Transportation Committee for approval by the end of 2009.

If Council approves the recommendations in the report, staff will work with the EnviroCentre on a workplan schedule and will help develop reporting mechanisms to present the results of this study to Transportation Committee upon project completion.

For more information on the City’s TDM initiatives or if you have any further questions please contact Mona Abouhenidy, Program Manager, Transportation Strategic Planning at ext. 26936.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

John L. Moser

sd

cc: Mona Abouhenidy
Alex Culley
Executive Management Team

Rosemary Nelson, Transportation Committee Coordinator

Denis Abbott

Media Relations

Court Curry

Gary Craig

ECOMOBILITY SERVICE – PILOT PROJECT

SERVICE ÉCOMOBILITÉ – PROJET PILOTE

ACS2009-CCS-TRC-0005 City Wide / À l'échelle de la ville

Staff comments to this report were contained in a memo dated 5 May 2009, which was distributed in advance of the meeting. A copy of the memo is held on file.

Responding to questions posed by Chair McRae, Layne Turner, ecoMobility Service Program Coordinator at the EnviroCentre provided the following information:

· they received $35,000 from the Moving on Sustainable Transportation grant program (Transport Canada)

· their budget for the whole project is $115,000 and their request to the City for $10,000 ($500 for 20 workplaces) will allow them to do an ecoMobility service for City work places

· they could report back in approximately one year to account for the funding provided

Prior to the item rising to Council, Councillor Holmes suggested that staff obtain the description of the project that went to the federal government to get the funding. It was further suggested that the appropriate representative from the EnviroCentre be in attendance when this item rises to Council on 13 May. Councillor Holmes understood that $500 was required as a fee from each workplace in order to enter the program.

Councillor Wilkinson was concerned that the Eco Driving Policy, which was approved last year by Council, had not been reflected in the report. Mona Abouhenidy, Program Manager, Transportation Strategic Planning explained that the Eco Driving Policy applies to all City employees, hired contractors and volunteers, who operate City vehicles. Therefore, while it is related to the ecoMobility program, it is actually complimentary because the ecoMobility program focuses on the commuting habits of City employees.

The councillor believed it should not be a different initiative because going to and from work is part of an Eco Driving Policy. She suggested that somehow, information on this policy is not getting passed over to other groups and she also remarked that quarterly reports were supposed to be submitted but that nothing has come forward. She suggested that if approved, part of it should be that each employee at those workplaces should be following the Eco Driving policy. At her request, staff agreed to provide the necessary information about this policy to the EnviroCentre.

That the Transportation Committee recommend that Council approve:

1. That the City of Ottawa contract EnviroCentre to ensure that City of Ottawa workplaces (up to a total of 20 workplaces) with more than 25 employees and less than 100 employees participates in the ecoMobility service for $500 per workplace, including;

· an online employee survey to determine current modal split;

· customized reports detailing the most feasible TDM strategies to implement at each City workplace;

· facilitation of better commuting options through workshops, seminars and online motivational tools;

· measurements of modal shift, including vehicle reduction, use of more sustainable commuting options, and resulting CO2 reductions.

2. That if this pilot project succeeds in measured reductions in the use of single occupancy vehicles during peak hours by increasing the use of TDM measures in these workplaces, EnviroCentre will be asked to propose to the Transit Committee and/or the Transportation Committee, ways in which this service could be expanded to cover City workplaces with more than 100 employees.

CARRIED

SCHEDULE A - PROJECT DESCRIPTION and workplan

Project Description:

This pilot project will adapt existing transportation management association (TMA) models to fit regional circumstances and effectively engage employers to implement transportation demand management (TDM) strategies that aim to modify daily commuting transportation habits of their employees, namely the reduction of single occupancy vehicles. As a result, employers can save money, create a healthier working environment, reduce their ecological footprint, retain employees and demonstrate their commitment to being a socially and environmentally responsible business.

Through the Champions of Sustainable Transport program, EnviroCentre will conduct a baseline study allowing for measurable results, analyze the data, develop a report/overview which includes an action plan, and facilitate the implementation of one, or more, of many commuter choice programs that may already be available through the City of Ottawa. These could include Ridematching/carpooling, Vanpooling, Public transit/ecopass, carsharing with Vrtucar, telecommuting, encouraging cycling by offering CANBIKE courses and developing incentives/disincentives such as parking management.

Context

The City of Ottawa has identified transportation demand management as a priority in Ottawa’s 2020 strategic plan, and the City has encouraged EnviroCentre to develop a program to actively promote local TDM programs. Linked to the City’s fledgling TravelWise program, this project will raise the profile of existing TDM services through employer outreach and program implementation in the workplace. This initiative will help local residents make better use of existing infrastructure and help the City attain its goals of reducing peak-hour single occupancy vehicle trips. In cooperation with a wide variety of stakeholders, this project will also improve the interrelation of public and private commuter infrastructure. This project also has the potential to help identify weaknesses to the existing transportation infrastructure, from the perspective of its users, provide feedback and work with the City of Ottawa towards solutions.

Key Steps

The first step will be to research and develop best practices for moving forward with the Ottawa TMA pilot project. Learning from organizations and strong programs such as the GTA’s Smart Commuter Program, Montreal based Centre de gestion des déplacement, as well as programs by the City of London and the Resource Conservation of Manitoba, is instrumental for a successful program in Ottawa. Each of these programs has slightly different features, which will allow EnviroCentre to customize the Ottawa TMA style program for optimal regional relevance and success.

The next step will be the development of the survey for the baseline study. This survey will be given to the employees of the participating organization or business and be used to determine the average commuting distance, the modal split and unveil barriers to incorporating sustainable commuter options. EnviroCentre and project staff will then conduct a full review of the survey results and prepare the Final Report – Champions of Sustainable Transportation Commuter Options Action Plan (development of final report outlined in the work plan). This report will provide businesses with a series of suggestion for the most strategic programs to implement. For example, an organization where the employee survey (baseline study) reveals that 25% of employees driving in a single occupancy vehicle live within 5 km or less, would benefit from investing in cycling infrastructure and cycling skills courses for their employees. This type of approach is used by many existing TMA’s in Canada and EnviroCentre will learn from their format and implement best practices.

Another key element to the success of this project is the recruitment of organizations and businesses, and stimulating interest. Over the past 5 years, as the regional organizers for the Commuter Challenge, EnviroCentre has formed strong partnerships with many leading businesses and organizations. This past relationship gives EnviroCentre credibility as a leader in the area of transportation demand management programs and insight into who to target as the internal champion for the programs.

In addition to experience coordinating the Commuter Challenge, EnviroCentre will apply lessons learned and successes from the Access ByWard initiative.