Category Archives: Light Rail

Rapid Transit Media Round-up

The past week or so has seen a lot of talk about Rapid Transit in Waterloo Region. A round-up of media reports and opinions follows.

On Tuesday morning, staff presented a “Preliminary Preferred Rapid Transit Implementation Option” to Planning & Works Committee.

Reporting prior to the meeting:
Support for light-rail trains gets boost – The Record
City wants trains: Officials surprised by public opinion in Cambridge – Cambridge Times

Reporting on the meeting:
Region chair, Cambridge mayor bow out of rapid transit votes – The Record
Same plan: New LRT plan same as old one – Waterloo Chronicle
Councillors still trying to gauge if there’s support for light-rail transit – The Record
High cost of trains will delay better buses – The Record
Regional councillors pull out of voting on transit plan – CTV
Seiling says conflict on LRT proposal never crossed his mind – The Record
Councillors clarify conflict of interest concerns – CTV

Developments in Cambridge:
EDAC wants LRT scrapped – Cambridge Times
Cambridge Chamber of Commerce’s thoughts on the report
Cambridge council motion rejects paying for light rail – The Record

Developments in Waterloo:
An email regarding a planned “anti-LRT rally”
LRT meeting rescheduled – 570 News
Mayor Halloran’s clarification on Twitter

Recent opinion pieces of note:
Cambridge Times editorial – No shock as LRT goes ahead
The Record editorial – Transit debate about to resume
Waterloo Chronicle editorial – Who’s to say?
The Record editorial – A clash of interests at the region
Sean Geobey – We’re more than a collection of taxpayers (The Record)
Ruth Haworth – Questions about rail plan go beyond money (The Record)
Kate Daley – Without the right questions, transit plan could fail (The Record)
Cherise Burda – Light rail transit suitable for high-tech hub (Pembina Institute)
Bill Romahn – Many benefits for city in preferred LRT option (Cambridge Times)
Matt Tiessen – Follow Berlin model (The Record)

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Comments on Rapid Transit Options

All the consultation centres for Rapid Transit implementation options have taken place, but you still have until tomorrow (Friday the 25th) to make your opinions count! The official Rapid Transit site has the information which was presented at the centres and you can find the comment form here.

We fully support a Light Rail Transit based approach. That said, there are two main issues of concern to us at this stage, and we encourage you to add your thoughts on them to your comments or to otherwise contact Rapid Transit staff to convey your own concerns. The issues are detailed below.

The first one is the routing of proposed Light Rail Transit through Uptown Waterloo. The plan has the two directions split, the southbound track going along Caroline and Allen and the northbound along King and Erb. We believe locating the stops on separate streets is problematic and a missed opportunity for a better, more consolidated design. Staff tell us that there are difficulties with right-of-way size, underground utilities, parking, and the BIA that have resulted in the current planned alignment. We believe a better option would run both directions up King Street and then turn near the current freight tracks, and that this could initially be done using a single track on a small piece of the corridor. This would allow a consolidated station right at the public square. Another option is to run both directions on Caroline Street, again using a single track to deal with narrow right-of-way (namely, at William Street).

Our other main issue is with the mid-block location of several stations in Waterloo: one is to be at Seagram Drive, one at UW Davis Center, and one at the R&T Park. We’ve been told that Wilfrid Laurier University insists on a Seagram stop, and that Grand River Transit and GO Transit are intending for a major terminal off Phillip Street, next to a UW Davis Centre stop. We believe these choices contradict the aims of creating a grid-based network which is understandable by users. A mid-block terminal between Columbia and University would either force buses on those streets to go out of their way or would force a poor connection between cross-corridor routes and the LRT line. We also do not believe Seagram Drive has anywhere near the potential of developing as a corridor that University Avenue does. In the not-too-distant future University Avenue is likely to be a candidate for Rapid Transit itself, so it’s important that we are planning for future connections.

Our preferred alternative would be to eliminate the Seagram Drive station, and to instead have stations at University Avenue, at Columbia Street, and at Bearinger Road. If a Seagram Drive station must be included, it would best be added to the above three, instead of forcing the other stations to mid-block locations. Finally, if stations cannot be changed, we propose that instead of the terminal being off Phillip Street, that a busway be constructed between University Avenue and Columbia Street to facilitate access to the terminal.

Finally, we would like to see consolidation of stations at Charles & Borden, an extra station at Mill & Ottawa, and curbside painted bus lanes on Hespeler Road for the iXpress / aBRT – to be implemented as soon as possible.

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Public Consultations on Ten Rapid Transit Options

Between March 1 and March 10, Waterloo Region will host public consultation centres on options for Rapid Transit. Residents will have the option to consult directly with the Rapid Transit team, and share in the decision about which of the ten revised rapid transit options now on the table should be given further consideration by Regional Council.

In 2009, Council had approved in principle a rapid transit option combining light rail through the Kitchener-Waterloo urban corridor, with bus rapid transit connecting to Cambridge. Provincial and Federal funding fell short of projected costs, and so the Region has developed a comparison of ten options, ranging from LRT through the entire corridor to an “as is” comparison in which we do not implement any light rail. The remaining eight options contain a combination of LRT and BRT or aBRT (adapted Bus Rapid Transit). You can read a summary of these options in the Record or download the staff report.

The consultations provide the best forum for interested citizens to ask questions and bring up concerns about any of the current options or about the rapid transit plan in general. Each meeting will be attended by regional staff who are directly involved in the project and who will be prepared to answer questions. Public input from these consultations will inform staff’s decision on which one or two options to bring back to council for further deliberations. In short, attending these meetings and voicing your opinions is the single best way to influence the course of rapid transit in Waterloo Region. It is also the best resource for becoming informed about what is actually being proposed.

The meetings will be held at locations in St. Jacobs, Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge:

St. Jacobs:

Tuesday, March 1, Calvary United Church, 48 Hawkesville Rd. 3-8 p.m. (Facebook event.)

Waterloo:

Thursday, March 3, Albert McCormick Community Centre, 500 Parkside Dr., 3-8 p.m. (Facebook event.)
Wednesday, March 9, First United Church, 16 William St. W., 3-8 p.m. (Facebook event.)

Kitchener

Thursday, March 3, Region of Waterloo Headquarters, Front Lobby, 150 Frederick St., 3-8 p.m. (Facebook event.)
Thursday, March 10, Faith Lutheran Church, 247 Westmount Rd. E., 3-8 p.m. (Facebook event.)

Cambridge

Wednesday, March 9, Region of Waterloo Cambridge Office, 150 Main St., 3-8 p.m. (Facebook event.)
Thursday, March 10, United Kingdom Club, 35 International Village Dr., 3-8 p.m. (Facebook event.)

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TriTAG statement to Regional Council, 19 January 2011

Chair Seiling, Members of Council,

Light Rail Transit was never chosen because it had a lower capital cost than a bus-based solution. The project was chosen because it requires fewer wages to operate than buses, and because the rails it runs on attract private-sector investment. Why would Council, which voted in favour of this project on its merits alone in 2009, vote to reconsider? Has Council not done its due diligence? Or, was the value of the project, and its sister project, the Regional Transportation Master Plan, not properly explained to citizens?

(more…)

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Toronto doesn’t want LRT? We’ll take it!

The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Transportation
77 Wellesley St. W.
Toronto, ON M7A 1Z8

Re: Possible Toronto LRT project cancellations

Minister Wynne,

While it is with concern that I read of possible LRT project cancellations in Toronto with the inauguration of Mayor Rob Ford, I would like to take the opportunity to identify a very deserving recipient of the Province of Ontario’s infrastructure funding should Transit City indeed be cancelled.

As your government has already graciously funded Phase 1 of the Region of Waterloo’s Rapid Transit project, as well as the expansion of GO Transit rail service to Kitchener, I humbly submit to you that Phase 2 of the Region of Waterloo’s Light Rail Transit project, as well as GO expansion to the city of Cambridge, should be the first recipient of any moneys rejected by Mayor Ford.

(more…)

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Rally for Rails Roundup

Resounding success at Rally for Rails! At least 200 of you braved the freezing cold for an hour to support the Region of Waterloo’s LRT project. The Rally was covered on CTV, and in The Record.

Remember, the train doesn’t stop here – your friends, neighbours, relatives and local businesses need to know the truth about LRT, and we need your help. If you have run out of double-sided information pamphlets, you can download more for printing at the (PDF) links below:

LRT Info Pamphlet – Greyscale

LRT Info Pamphlet – Colour

Finally, thank you all for coming out today. Each and every one of you who attended helped make this a resounding success!

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Rally for Rails Resources

On December 5th TriTAG will be hosting the Rally for Rails in partnership with Wonderful Waterloo and Waterloo Students Planning Advisory. It runs from 12pm to 1pm in Waterloo Public Square, at the corner of King St S and Willis Way. You can take a look at the Rally for Rails event on Facebook.

For those of you that want to help us advertise the rally we have created “ticket” leaflets that you can distribute and posters than you can put up. All of these are PDFs which should be printed with Page Scaling set to None on the Print Options dialog. The posters will look best if trimmed to size, as they are shorter than standard letter paper.

  Colour Version Greyscale Version
Rally Tickets
These print 4 to a page. Cut them up and distribute them to friends and family, or set them out at work, school, or anywhere else people will see them.
Download Rally Tickets (colour) Download Rally Tickets (greyscale)
Rally Posters
These print 1 per page. Trim them after printing for best results. Put them up at work, school, or anywhere else people will see them.
Download Rally Poster (colour) Download Rally Poster (greyscale)

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LRT Investment is the Right Choice

(Photo: William Murphy / Flickr)

As most people have heard, two weeks ago Prime Minister Harper announced Federal funding for Waterloo Region’s Rapid Transit project. The amount is 1/3 of project costs, up to $265 million, for the first phase of light rail (LRT) and express bus line. But the conversation in local media and by many municipal candidates has shifted to the so-called shortfall. That, horror of horrors, the lower-tier municipality would have to contribute a portion (around $235 million, or less than 1/3) of the capital costs of a long-term transit and growth management project. This post addresses several common themes in objections to funding light rail.

From seeing some discussion of the LRT, you would think this is something that would be built for today’s needs. Infrastructure, however, can’t be built overnight, and can’t influence much until it is built. But while the project would be a well-used part of a transit system on opening day, the larger purpose is to manage future growth of the Region. The area continues to grow rapidly, and is to add 200,000 to its existing half-million population. LRT is about building the transportation infrastructure that will attract development to the urban core areas and that will be able to handle the resulting travel demand. Failing to do this would result in major development occurring on greenfield sites and pressure to push out the urban boundary to accommodate more sprawl. The costs of the road widening and other infrastructure needed to support that sprawl are far higher than the costs of the LRT system. Avoiding building any new transportation infrastructure will result in serious traffic congestion and lost economic productivity in the Region. (more…)

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RELEASE: TriTAG Campaign Urges Ottawa to Match Provincial Light Rail Funding

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 (226) 476-1313 x 801.

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Numbers Definitely Add Up for Light Rail Transit

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. (more…)

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