Posted July 21st, 2010 by Michael Druker
As of the beginning of July, Google Maps now offers directions for travel in Waterloo Region by Grand River Transit. GRT joins agencies like GO Transit, Guelph Transit, and Hamilton Street Railway in allowing trip planning just by typing an origin and destination into Google Maps and clicking the “by public transit” train icon.
If you’ve wanted something that works better on your mobile phone than EasyGO, that has a better user interface, and that provides more options for your trip — well, this may give you what you’re looking for. Below is a sample trip from east Kitchener to Preston.
View Larger Map
We believe Grand River Transit will be publishing their transit schedule data in a standard format within a matter of weeks, which will open up some exciting possibilities for app development.
Thanks to Kourtney Short for the post idea.
In Buses, News, Transit | No Comments »
Posted July 17th, 2010 by Michael Druker
Light rail has been getting most of the attention lately, but some of the most significant improvements to transit are actually coming in the form of the new Regional Transportation Master Plan (RTMP), which got final Council approval on June 30. The Region of Waterloo is getting serious about curtailing sprawl by directing planned growth to the urban areas. Regional planners figure that continuing the status quo transportation-wise would result in the need for 25 new Hespeler Roads. However, instead of endless road widening, the Region is pursuing a new focus on transit.
A schematic map by Duncan Clemens illustrating some of the transit
improvements specified in the RTMP. Click through to see a larger image.
Read the rest of this entry »
In Buses, News, Transit | 1 Comment »
Posted July 16th, 2010 by Tim Mollison
KITCHENER – The Tri-Cities Transport Action Group (TriTAG) has launched a public campaign aimed at encouraging citizens of Waterloo Region to ask the Federal Government to match the Province of Ontario’s $300 million commitment for the Region’s Rapid Transit Project.
“The Province’s commitment has, unfortunately, fallen short of the Region’s request made last year and the repeated hints at two-thirds funding,” said Tim Mollison, a TriTAG founding member. “In falling short of the two-thirds funding convention provided to similar projects in the City of Toronto, the McGuinty Government has added much fuel to local controversy about whether this project has enough funding to move forward.”
TriTAG is inviting citizens of Waterloo Region to use its website to contact their representatives in Ottawa in support of the Region’s initiative. “We believe it is important to facilitate communication between people and their government, especially on issues of such importance,” said TriTAG founding member Taylor Byrnes.
“Despite the gap left by the province, we hope that the Federal Government can step up to bat and match the Province‘s contribution, as was done in the City of Ottawa,” said Mollison. “The Federal Minister of Transport’s office has said the Region will get its ‘fair share’ — it’s time to find out what that means to the Government of Canada.”
The Tri-Cities Transport Action Group is a citizens’ group dedicated to making Waterloo Region a more livable place through better transit and active transportation. For more information, please visit their website at http://tritag.ca
For media inquiries, please contact Tim Mollison at (519) 886-5339.
In Light Rail, News, Transit, TriTAG | No Comments »
Posted April 19th, 2010 by Sylvan Mably
Pedestrian friendliness isn’t always something that can be measured. Many streets in Kitchener-Waterloo lack sidewalks, but other streets, even those with sidewalks on both sides, remain hostile to pedestrians in more subtle ways. To see whether or not a street truly welcomes and respects its pedestrians, you need to get out and walk.
This post serves as a photo-document of a pedestrian trip from the northwest end of downtown Kitchener along King Street West to the Waterloo border. I live near this route and walk it frequently. This stretch of King Street is the first of Kitchener’s mixed-use corridor zoning areas, which aim to shape development to support higher-density, pedestrian friendly streets with a mix of complementary uses. Over the long term, Kitchener’s planners hope that the mixed-use zoning will help bring vitality to the street. In the short term, what is holding King Street West back? Let’s go for a walk and find out. Read the rest of this entry »
In News, Walking | 5 Comments »
Posted April 14th, 2010 by Michael Druker
This is an open letter that was sent today to Cadan, Inc., the developer of the Lang Tannery project; Ken Seiling, Regional Chair; Carl Zehr, Mayor of Kitchener; and Rob Horne, Regional Commissioner of Planning, Housing, and Community Services. It was also copied to other interested parties.
Dear community and business leaders,
I am writing to you regarding Cadan, Inc.’s Lang Tannery project in Kitchener, specifically the planned demolition of four old industrial buildings in the block bounded by Victoria, Oak, and Joseph Streets to allow for a gravel parking lot and a future parking structure. This plan has been recently written about in The Record.
It seems to me that no one wants to see these reusable heritage buildings demolished to add another parking lot to downtown Kitchener. In an earlier Record article, Roland Rom Colthoff, the architect of the redevelopment, said that the parking requirements of the Tannery could be reduced if public transit improves. But at the same time that the Region of Waterloo is planning major transit improvements to attract people out of their cars, the Tannery plans to add new surface parking to the downtown.
I believe there is a better way, one that is better for Cadan, Inc., better for the community, and better for the environment. Read the rest of this entry »
In News, Transit | 3 Comments »
Posted April 6th, 2010 by Michael Druker
Today the Region of Waterloo’s Planning and Works Committee is meeting at 9:00am in Council Chambers at 150 Frederick St., Kitchener. Here’s a run-down on important projects and reports that are being brought forward. Read the rest of this entry »
In Cycling, News, Transit, Walking | 1 Comment »
Posted March 7th, 2010 by Michael Druker
It can be insightful to take another perspective on something we’re used to. Yesterday I walked the length of Kitchener-Waterloo’s Iron Horse Trail and photographed it from its most common vantage points — the roads crossing it. There is little immediately evident in these photos, but I will explain below. Read the rest of this entry »
In Cycling, News, Walking | 3 Comments »
Posted January 20th, 2010 by Michael Druker
If you are interested in what we are doing in Waterloo Region and would like to share your suggestions in person, or better yet to figure out how you can contribute to TriTAG’s activities, please come out to our public meeting next Wednesday. We will discuss transit and active transportation issues we expect to be dealing with, and chart a course for ongoing action.
The meeting will be at the main Kitchener Public Library in Meeting Room B, on Wednesday, January 27, at 7:00pm. (Details are also on Facebook.) We hope you will join us.
(This time has changed from the initial posting.)
In Cycling, News | 1 Comment »
Posted January 14th, 2010 by Michael Druker
He’s said it before, and he’ll say it again: John Shortreed likes buses. You might say he even wrote the book on the subject! Mr. Shortreed is a retired civil engineering professor, who worked for decades within the context of the post-war transportation planning mindset. During the tenure of Mr. Shortreed and other transit planners of the same era, streetcars were replaced with buses, transit use plummeted, highways got built through downtowns, and sprawl became ubiquitous. And actually, it’s not really true that he likes buses, since he’s publicly admitted that he doesn’t “have time to take transit” (though he lives next to the Route 7 mainline). Is this really someone who is fit to give transportation advice for the 21st century?
But he’s written his screed against light rail, and it deserves a response, so I will provide one by considering his points one at a time. Read the rest of this entry »
In Light Rail, News | 3 Comments »
Posted January 13th, 2010 by Michael Druker
In 2009, Regional Council did not support a recommended budget issue to address overcrowding, so Grand River Transit transferred 4000 annual service hours to its heaviest used routes from its lighter-used ones — yet overcrowding remains a serious problem. Regional Council is again being presented with a budget issue to address ongoing overcrowding, with a request for a meagre 2900 additional service hours in 2010.
When a bus leaves a would-be rider behind, that helps turn that rider off transit as a viable means of transportation. At a time when Waterloo Region is actively attempting to promote transit services and increase ridership this is not acceptable. By hindering the perception of transit, persistent overcrowding also has the potential to decrease support for transit funding, thereby exacerbating the problem. Particularly during a time of recession, it is critical that transit is available to those who need it. And considering the longer term, investment in transit is more cost-effective than is the road expansion that insufficient transit spurs. Hard economic times are an opportunity for the encouraged growth of transit, and there is a cost to failing to take advantage of that opportunity. Hopefully Council realizes this and approves the recommended budget issue.
This November, we asked people to send in photos for the Sardine Challenge, and we’d like to thank all who participated. The below photos should help illustrate the situation on a number of Grand River Transit’s routes.
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People Loading Onto the iXpress at Charles St Terminal – 7:00pm
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An Overcrowded Route 7 bus travelling from Uptown to Downtown – 4:00pm
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People Waiting at a Route 12 Bus Stop – 10:00pm
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An Overcrowded Route 12 Conestoga Mall Bus – 11:30am
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An Overcrowded Route 12 University and King Bus – 9:15am
In Buses, News | 2 Comments »
