TTC to offer 3 routes to each Pan Am Games venue in Toronto

The TTC will offer at least three routes serving each of the seven Pan Am Games venues in Toronto, as part of a transportation plan to help get residents and visitors get around the city during the upcoming event.

TTC deputy CEO Chris Upfold said the transit commission worked on its plan for five years, in an effort to make sure the plan is flexible and responds to changes in demand. He also said the TTC “extensively” tested emergency situations.

Subways will also open at 6 a.m. on Sundays for three of the game-time events.

“We have a tremendous amount of extra service that is going out on routes we already run. We are putting new routes out there,” Upfold said.

There will also be a “huge presence” of staff, including back-office staff, at various stations to make sure customers “get to where they want to go.”

“Even if there are problems on the road, even if we do find that one of our routes is getting exceptionally busy, not only do we have extra buses to put on those routes, we can direct our customers using the staff we have on the ground to a different route to get to that venue,” Upfold said.

Senior transportation planners detailed the transit enhancements at an information session on Tuesday.

Thousands of spectators, athletes, volunteers and officials are expected to flood the region for the games — adding an influx of traffic to major arteries around the city and bringing more people onto public transit.

As part of the “Keep the Region Moving” plan, officials said a big part of the Pan Am Games transportation plan is public awareness and getting people to plan ahead.

The transportation plan includes three key goals:

• Keeping the region moving with temporary traffic measures
• Safe, accessible and positive experience for spectators and volunteers
• Get athletes, officials and media to events safely and on time

Organizers notified 100 major employers along Games’ route network asking them to be flexible with staff and deliveries to reduce traffic.

Transit is also being encouraged as the preferred choice to get to the venues, with several venues linked to a transit service — where public transit is offered.

Tickets to Pan Am Games events include free access to public transit for that day on the TTC, GO Transit, and other transit agencies in the GTA. It will only be valid for trips to and from the event on a specific date.

Chris Burke, the director of service planning at Metrolinx, said for the soccer stadium in Hamilton, GO Transit will offer one to two train trips per game to the new West Harbour GO Station.

Matrolinx is offering an online trip planner Triplinx to help people get to the venues.

Those who choose to drive to a venue, the trip planner 2015gamestriplanner.ca includes information on where to park, although some venues won’t have parking.

Toronto police and the Pan Am officials have created a document outlining various closures, complete with maps and pertinent information regarding routes. Click here for a mobile-friendly version.

Pan Am/Parapan Am road closures

During the Pan Am games, the temporary high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes — which run from June 29 to July 27, between 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. — will be open to vehicles with three or more people, public transit, taxis, emergency vehicles, and accredited games vehicles.

For the Parapan Am Games, the HOV lanes run from July 28 to Aug. 18 between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m., and will be open to vehicles travelling with two or more passengers.

Police said the fines for incorrect use of HOV lanes are $110 fine plus three demerit points.

In some locations, lanes used for regular traffic will be re-purposed to HOV lanes. Lane markings will indicate where motorists can enter and exit the lanes.

The Pan Am Games will take place from July 10 to 26, and the Parapan Am Games from Aug. 7 to 15. They will feature 51 different sports taking place among 16 host municipalities in and around Toronto.

With files from Amanda Ferguson and Momin Qureshi