Traffic Impact Studies in York Region

Understanding the Transportation Requirements for Your Development

A Transportation Mobility Plan (TMP) assesses how a proposed development will affect the existing and future transportation network in York Region. Unlike a traditional Transportation Impact Study (TIS), which primarily focuses on vehicle traffic and road capacity, York Region’s TMP evaluates four major travel modes: automobiles, public transit, walking and cycling.

The Region’s 2025 Transportation Mobility Plan Guidelines support development approvals by identifying transportation constraints, establishing infrastructure requirements, recommending measures to manage travel demand and demonstrating how a proposed development can contribute to a connected, sustainable and complete community.

A TMP is required to support development applications including Official Plan Amendments, Secondary and Block Plans, Zoning By-law Amendments, Draft Plans of Subdivision and Site Plan applications where transportation impacts must be assessed.

This guide is relevant for traffic impact studies within Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Whitchurch-Stouffville and Vaughan. These municipalities may have additional information to supplement these guidelines.

What Does the TMP Process Involve?

1. Establishing the Study Scope

The process begins with consultation with York Region and the applicable local municipality to confirm the scope, study area, analysis periods, forecast years and technical requirements. The level of detail depends on the application type, development scale and location. Early coordination helps identify Regional and municipal requirements before the detailed assessment begins.

2. Assessing Existing Transportation Conditions

The consultant reviews traffic volumes, intersection operations, transit routes and service frequency, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, cycling facilities and network connectivity. Existing conditions are evaluated using quantitative and qualitative measures to establish baseline performance for each travel mode and identify existing deficiencies.

3. Forecasting Future Travel Demand

The study forecasts travel demand from the proposed development alongside background traffic growth, surrounding developments and planned transportation improvements. Trips are estimated and distributed across all four modes, with future performance assessed for each relevant forecast year. The analysis must consider how different travel modes interact and how development phasing relates to planned infrastructure.

4. Evaluating Impacts and Developing Mitigation Measures

The consultant identifies existing and future transportation deficiencies and recommends improvements. These may include intersection modifications, turning lanes, improved pedestrian crossings, connected cycling facilities, new or modified transit stops, transit-supportive infrastructure and changes to site access or circulation. Solutions should address transportation needs across modes rather than improving vehicle capacity at the expense of other users.

5. Preparing the Report and Implementation Plan

The final TMP documents the analysis, forecasts, findings, recommended measures and implementation strategy. It includes a comparison of existing and future transportation performance, functional designs for proposed improvements, a Transportation Demand Management Plan and identification of the parties responsible for implementing recommendations. The submission must follow the Region’s reporting checklist and applicable local municipal requirements.

What Makes York Region’s Requirements Distinctive?

A genuinely multimodal assessment: York Region requires separate performance evaluations for automobiles, transit, pedestrians and cyclists. The guidelines establish mode-specific targets, including Level of Service D or better for automobile operations in urban areas and Level of Service C or better for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Transit has separate targets for access to stops, service headways and intersection performance. Where targets are not met, reasonable mitigation measures are expected.

A mandatory Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan: TDM is a required component of the TMP, and the Region’s TDM checklist must be completed for proposed development applications. Measures can include transit incentives, cycling and pedestrian connections, ride-matching programs, carpooling and other initiatives to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips. The plan identifies implementation responsibilities and ongoing monitoring, with adaptive measures where mode-share targets are not achieved.

Planning for complete communities: The assessment considers more than immediate intersection capacity. It examines connectivity between adjacent developments, a finer-grained street network, missing active transportation links, future transit requirements and opportunities to increase sustainable travel. Larger area studies, such as Secondary Plans and Block Plans, require broader network planning and development-phasing strategies.

Detailed implementation and functional design: Recommendations must be supported by an implementation plan that addresses timing, responsibilities and infrastructure delivery. Proposed improvements require functional designs, and development phasing must be coordinated with planned transportation infrastructure. This helps translate identified deficiencies into practical improvements that can be delivered as development proceeds.

Coordination across nine local municipalities: The guidelines provide a consistent Regional framework while recognizing that local requirements still apply. Parking, loading, urban design and internal site circulation are generally governed by the local municipality, making early consultation with both Regional and municipal staff essential.

Plan Ahead for Development Approval

Early consultation with York Region and the applicable local municipality helps establish the correct study scope, identify infrastructure requirements and integrate multimodal improvements into the initial site design. A well-prepared TMP can help developers anticipate implementation obligations, manage transportation impacts and support a more efficient development application review.

Reference: York Region — Transportation Mobility Plan Guidelines for Development Applications (2025). Requirements and study scope depend on the application type, development context and consultation with Regional and local municipal staff.

Our team has in-depth expertise at conducting these assessments. Contact us today to find out how we can help with your project.