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Integrated Management of Travel in Old Quebec – Summary of Final Report

For the period August 1, 2006 to March 31, 2009

Introduction

The plan for integrated management of travel in Old Quebec arose from two factors:

  • Residents' desire to have fewer noisy, polluting vehicles entering their neighbourhood;
  • The public transit needs of people who work in Old Quebec.

Before the plan came into effect, an average of 250 transit buses entered Old Quebec every day, in addition to some 300 tourist buses during the summer season. The City of Quebec tested a free eco-minibus route, along with facilities and other measures to encourage those travelling to Old Quebec to transfer onto these buses. This approach has proven itself in a number of European cities, and is spreading in North America.

The experience provided an opportunity to evaluate the performance, over a lengthy period, of a fleet (unique in North America) of entirely electrical buses providing very frequent service under the extreme topographical and climatic conditions that characterize Quebec City.

Objectives

The main objectives of the project were to:

  • Reduce the number of large buses in Old Quebec by 76% during the summer and by 60% during the remainder of the year.
  • Reduce the number of trucks and cars in the area by 10%.
  • Reduce the number of tourist buses in the area by 60%.

For the RTC (Quebec City transit corporation), the operational objectives were to achieve reductions of:

  • 67,500 litres/year in fuel consumption
  • 186 tonnes of CO2 emissions/year;
  • 112,500 km/year in distance travelled over its conventional buses.

The project had other objectives as well:

  • Real-time displays at stops and in buses.
  • Improved switching from bike to transit.
  • Remote conversion of reserved lane display panels.
  • By-laws to reduce truck traffic.
  • Improved passenger waiting areas and creation of pedestrian ambiance areas.
  • Creation of a drop-off area for tourist buses.



Measures taken

Minibus route

Eight eco-minibuses ("Écolobus") have been operating since June 14, 2008. A ninth bus is available if one of the others breaks down. Over the 8.3 km route, 2.8 km of lanes are for the exclusive use of RTC buses, providing a direct link between the Upper Town, the Lower Town and the Quebec-Lévis ferry terminal.

Data sheet for electric minibuses

The minibus takes 45 minutes to complete its route, which is 50% less than the time a conventional bus takes.

At the beginning of the project, the CEVEQ (Quebec centre for evaluating electrical vehicles) selected a model from among those available on the American and European markets. It also made the selected model compliant with Canadian standards.

Infrastructure

In June 2008, the RTC installed a new camera system (from DEL) that remotely activates reserved lane display panels on three stretches of the minibus route. As a result, priority lights are no longer required. Right from the start, there have also been facilities enabling travellers to transfer from other modes. All in all, 482 bike parking spots have been added.

Mobility
A mobility office was established to coordinate the various stakeholders involved. It looks after promotion, evaluation, and the reduction of the number of tourist buses.

The City of Quebec has received support from residents, store owners and institutions, who are all represented on a steering committee. Within the municipal administration, the project involves cooperation among the land use and building management departments, the borough of La Cité and the RTC.

In 2008, the RTC had several promotional activities: there were posters, infomercials and articles in the local media; the RTC's in-house magazine and Web site were used, and an Eco-minibus guide and schedule was published. The project was presented to other cities and regions at the annual UTSP workshops, in Halifax in 2007 and in Toronto in 2008.

Results

Minibus route
Since the Eco-minibus went into service on June 14, 2008, seven of the eight vehicles on average have been operational. The average frequency in the summer of 2008 was 20 minutes (10 minutes during rush hour). In May 2009, the average was 15 minutes.

The average occupancy started at 2000 passengers/day during the 400th anniversary of Quebec City festivities, which exceeded all forecasts. Occupancy declined to 500 passengers/day in winter 2008/2009 and then increased to 2500 passengers/day in the summer of 2009.

From June 2008 to June 2009, three thousand hours of conventional bus operation were replaced by the minibuses. During this first year, the operating objectives were achieved:

  • 72% reduction in fuel consumption;
  • 64% reduction in CO2 emissions;
  • 57% reduction in distance travelled.

Infrastructure

During the summer of 2008, 50% of the spaces in the bicycle parking lots were used.

Mobility

The objective of reducing the number of large buses entering Old Quebec was achieved. There was a 54% reduction in tourist buses between 1996 and 2008. The trend has continued despite the very large number of tourists coming for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City festivities.

As of February 1, 2009, 34 of the 66 employers in the area were participating in the RTC's employer program, yielding a total of 3,794 monthly passes—an increase of 42% over one year.

The steering committee suggested including the VivaCité pedestrian trail in the travel management plan, and extending the minibus service as a way of mitigating the removal of on-street car parking spots to make way for a lane reserved for buses and bikes.

In Old Quebec, accidents involving cyclists declined 55% in 2008 from the annual average of the previous six years, but there was a 27% increase in accidents involving pedestrians.

The minibus was very visible in the media and it won the city numerous provincial transportation and environment awards.

Satisfaction surveys

Two satisfaction surveys were conducted of residents, workers and tourists, dealing with travel and quality of life in Old Quebec. The first, in May 2008, measured the existing situation while the second, in May 2009, looked at things 11 months after the minibus started operating.
In 2009 as compared to 2008, there was an increase in satisfaction with quality of life factors:

  • Noise: increase of 12.9% in people satisfied;
  • Vibration: increase of 9.9%;
  • Air quality: increase of 3.3%.

A survey of eco-minibus users found that 82% were satisfied or very satisfied with the service.

With some of the objectives, the degree to which they were met will not be measured until 2011. This is so for example with the objective of determining the reliability of the technology (average number of vehicles not experiencing malfunctions), which requires gathering data for two years.




Problems encountered

Several challenges had to be met during the first months of service:

  • Running a fleet on the basis of how long the batteries last before they have to be recharged, while operating 19 hours in a row, 7 days a week.
  • Training drivers in the habits needed to operate an electric bus, which is very different from a conventional bus.
  • Training technicians to maintain an electrical engine based on an entirely new technology.
  • Dealing with battery overheating arising from the combined effect of passenger overloads (there are sometimes 30 instead of 20 passengers), steep slopes and drivers' lack of practice.
  • Handling technical discussions with a foreign supplier who is used to different technical standards.
  • Adapting certain components of the vehicle because of unforeseen wear and tear in winter conditions.

Conclusion

The operating conditions and environmental benefits of a European electrical vehicle were evaluated during actual use in a Canadian city. The City of Quebec and the RTC achieved a 76% reduction in the number of conventional buses entering Old Quebec during the summer and a 60% reduction during the remainder of the year, resulting in numerous environmental benefits and improvements in the local quality of life.

Despite the difficulties encountered during the first weeks of operation, the RTC has found the vehicles to be very reliable, and it plans to continue operating them after the showcase period. For tourists, access to frequent minibus service is an ideal complement to a walk on the Promenade.

Date modified:
2010-08-25