The Big Move - History

History

The Big Move was one of Metrolinx's first deliverables. The plan builds on 52 GO train, subway, light rail and bus rapid transit projects proposed by the Government of Ontario in its MoveOntario 2020 plan announced on June 15, 2007, and includes new projects to support them.

An initial stage of the RTP process was to release a series of 'green papers', documents covering key issues for the RTP. These green papers were developed and consulted upon in late 2007 and early 2008, with the purpose of presenting information on transportation trends, challenges and opportunities for the GTHA:

• Paper 1: Towards Sustainable Transportation
• Paper 2: Mobility Hubs
• Paper 3: Active Transportation
• Paper 4: Transportation Demand Management
• Paper 5: Moving Goods and Services
• Paper 6: Roads and Highways
• Paper 7: Transit

The next stage was the release of two white papers in May 2008. Paper 1 - Visions, Goals, and Objectives, presented the basis for the final RTP, with specific goals and objectives that could be used for its development and evaluation. A broader proposed vision for the entire system was also presented. Paper 2 - Preliminary Directions and Concepts, looked at various policies, programs and tools that could be utilized in the RTP. There were also various transportation system concepts that were modelled and evaluated based on resulting transit ridership, urban congestion, and the emission of greenhouse gas and other air pollutants.

A draft version of the Regional Transportation Plan was provided to Metrolinx on September 26, 2008. A final version was approved on November 27, 2008.