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PortsToronto celebrates anniversary of Billy Bishop ped tunnel
PortsToronto recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the award-winning pedestrian tunnel that connects Toronto’s mainland to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Billy Bishop Airport).
August 3, 2016 By PortsToronto
The pedestrian tunnel, which enables passengers to walk between the mainland and the airport, 100 feet beneath the surface of Lake Ontario, has delivered on its promise to improve convenience and efficiency at the airport by significantly improving passenger flow and reducing lineups both within the terminal and on the mainland.
Prior to the tunnel, passengers arrived at and departed from the airport in waves every 15 minutes according to the ferry schedule, causing choke points for travellers and surges in traffic demand at the mainland terminal and along Eireann Quay, the entrance road to the airport. Enabling passengers to come and go on their own schedule has eliminated these issues.
A recent modality study conducted by Dillon Consulting on behalf of Ports Toronto found that more than 90 per cent of travellers opt to take the free, convenient, six-minute walk through the tunnel. This change in access has resulted in a 75 per cent decrease in vehicles queued northbound along Eireann Quay.
The study also noted a more even distribution of shuttle ridership, virtually eliminating overcrowded or empty departing shuttle-runs; and a more frequent and gradual turnover of taxis, meaning increased availability of taxis for passengers.
In April 2016 a new enhanced GPS-enabled shuttle service was also introduced to offer more frequent and convenient shuttle service to/from the airport. On average, 40 per cent of travellers walk, bike or take transit to and from the airport – representing a significant number of the 2.5 million passengers (approximately 500,000 of which are connecting passengers) the airport now serves annually, further reducing congestion on surrounding roadways.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this important milestone which highlights a successful and significant component in our strategy to both enhance customer service and dramatically improve traffic management at our popular and award-winning airport,” said Geoffrey Wilson, CEO of PortsToronto. “We are immensely proud of the pedestrian tunnel – a unique piece of new infrastructure for Toronto – which has delivered on its promise to provide passengers with a seamless travel experience – from curb to gate and beyond – as well as our commitment to the community to identify measures to alleviate traffic and congestion pertaining to the airport.”
