Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Impact on Small Communities

In this article written for TAC News, Heide Schlegl, Coordinator, Traffic & Parking at the Town of Milton and Ali Khan, Supervisor, Traffic, Parking & By-laws, City of Welland, write about how the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games impacted transportation services in their communities.  Prepared on behalf of the TAC Small Municipalities Task Force, this article is part of a series of feature articles on the issues and challenges affecting smaller communities.

The Town of Milton, located west of Toronto, played host to track cycling events during the 2015 Games in July and August. The City of Welland, located in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, hosted the canoe and kayak sprint disciplines.

Approximately 7,700 athletes from 41 nations across Latin America, South America, the Caribbean and North America participated in the Games, which included 51 competitive sports (36 Pan Am and 15 Parapan Am) including the disciplines hosted by both referenced communities.

Event Planning at a Municipal Level

An event of this magnitude requires a strong focus to prepare and execute a well-orchestrated plan. Similar steps were used in both communities to coordinate efficient transportation services and road closures to minimize disruption during the Games.

1. Hold regular meetings between the municipality and event planning committee to develop an implementation plan
2. Develop a communications plan to advise the public of road closures and rerouting
3. Hire a consultant to develop detour plans and a traffic control company to remove barricades and road closure signage
4. Orchestrate transit shuttle service and temporary parking restrictions for spectators, media and athletes
5. Implement temporary traffic measures to keep traffic flowing and reduce congestion

The Town of Milton hosted track cycling events at the Cisco Milton Pan Am/Parapan Am Velodrome in addition to individual road time trials, where athletes must race against the clock, leaving ramped starting gates at one-minute intervals.

The planning of these events involved a number of meetings both in Milton and in Toronto.  A  Venue Transport Working Group was formed with representation from Town of Milton, the Region of Halton, Halton Regional Police, Milton Transit, Go Transit and the Integrated Security Unit.  Monthly meetings were held for approximately 1 ½ years. Milton and Halton Region staff also attended monthly meetings in Toronto.  Staff spent many hours meeting with affected local businesses to help them develop a communications plan to advise the public of closures.

Events held at the Velodrome relied on the Town of Milton transportation staff to orchestrate transit shuttle service for tickets holders as no onsite parking was available. Both conventional and accessible transit service was provided. The Games Committee (TO2015) operated the park and ride location which was extremely helpful to the Town of Milton due to limited resources.

The individual time trials involved extensive road closures along major arterial roadways under the jurisdiction of both the Town of Milton and the Region of Halton.  A consultant was hired to develop detour plans and a traffic control company was hired to set up and take down barricades and road closure signage.

Temporary traffic measures were used throughout this period to keep traffic moving, reduce congestion near venues and ensure athletes, media visitors and spectators traveled safely to and from events.

Orchestrating the Games also involved a large time commitment by key staff members who were on call during competition days to address any transportation issues, while completing their daily responsibilities.

City of Welland Canoe and Kayak Events

The City of Welland hosted the canoe and kayak sprint events from the Welland International Flatwater Centre (WIFC). This facility allowed for on-site and accessible parking for over 500 vehicles. Coaches, athletes and family members were shuttled in by TO2015.

Prior to the Games, the City of Welland was chosen as the first stop in the Niagara Region on the Pan Am Torch Relay route. With the assistance of the Niagara Regional Police and TO2015 Games Committee, the torch ran to the Welland Community Wellness Complex for a brief 5-minute ceremony and then the relay continued to the WIFC where it was kayaked across the canal.

The impact to surrounding roads and businesses during the Pan Am Games was minimal thanks to the isolated location of the WIFC. Public Works staff installed more than 40 temporary signs throughout the City guiding the spectators and athletes to the venue.

Temporary parking restrictions were implemented on neighbouring streets to ensure local businesses were not negatively impacted by overflow parking and for spectators to have easier access to the venue. Coordination between Niagara Regional Transit and Welland Transit provided additional off-site parking in north Welland and shuttle service for spectators.

The Greater Niagara Circle Route paved trails run along both banks of the canal, which allowed for active transportation options for spectators. The west side trail was closed to the general public as it fell within the Games’ overlay area ; temporary signage was therefore installed guiding pedestrians and cyclists to the east side trail which remained open during the Games.

Hosting this type of large-scale event helped strengthen working relationships between both communities and surrounding areas, including transit authorities and regional police.