Category Archives: TriTAG

High Demand for Weekend GO Trains

Intercity Transit, News, TriTAG 9 Comments

Recently we made a short survey regarding GO Transit service available through our social media networks. It was described as being about the service extension, and we avoided describing its purpose. That purpose was two-fold: to get a sense of the demand for the upcoming GO train service from Kitchener to downtown Toronto and – more importantly – to see how much demand there is for weekend service, which GO Transit is not currently planning.

We had 84 respondents to the questionnaire – 48 from Kitchener, 32 from Waterloo, 2 from Cambridge, and one each from Elmira and Guelph. Some conclusions from these data follow. More details are at the bottom of the post.

While current bus service seems to meet weekend travel needs as well as weekday travel needs, people don’t use VIA Rail service on weekends for travel from Kitchener to Toronto. This is not surprising, given that a return trip costs over $50 and that there is only one available round-trip – which leaves Toronto rather early for a weekend (5:40pm). This suggests a high latent demand for train service suitable for weekend trips.

There is a sizable weekday travel demand from Kitchener-Waterloo to downtown Toronto, and GO trains are poised to capture a substantial portion of it. However, the weekend demand from K-W to downtown Toronto is about twice as high as the weekday one, and survey responses indicate that weekend GO train service from Kitchener is more than justified.

Though GO Transit has historically been a commuter service, its extension to Kitchener has reached beyond the GTA to what is a self-contained urban area. Few people commute daily to Toronto from Kitchener-Waterloo. However Toronto is close enough to be a destination for non-commuter travel. It’s about time for GO Transit to acknowledge and embrace the intercity travel market, and not pigeonhole Kitchener-Waterloo into an ill-fitting role as a suburb.
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Rally for Rails II a Success

Light Rail, News, TriTAG

(Photo by Andre Recnik.)

Rally for Rails II was fantastic! Thank you to the 250+ people who came out to Rally for Rails II and stayed despite the rain. And a special thanks to everyone who spoke, who helped us with organization, equipment, and setting up — and to those who have donated already. (It isn’t too late to help out!)

Andre Recnik has some excellent photos of the rally, and there is media coverage so far from The Record, CTV, and The Cord.

Make sure your Regional Councillors have heard why you support LRT, and consider sending a 200-word (maximum) letter to the editor to your favourite local papers.

This Wednesday, June 15, Regional Council is expected to finally vote on moving forward with rapid transit. The meeting will start at 7 pm at 150 Frederick St, Kitchener. Join us there to watch history in the making for Waterloo Region, and to show your support. (See also the Facebook event.) If you can’t make it, the meeting should be broadcast on Rogers TV and those in attendance will hopefully be livetweeting using the #LRTvote hashtag.

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We Have 4 Weeks to Bring LRT to Waterloo Region

Light Rail, News, TriTAG 1 Comment

Friends and Neighbours,

On June 15, 2011, four weeks from today, Waterloo Regional Council will make a pivotal choice that stands to alter our community for better or for worse.

The decision to build Light Rail Transit will create vibrant, walkable, LRT-supported growth that will help our community wean itself off the gas pump.

The decision not to build Light Rail Transit will mean painful, sprawling alternatives; traffic conditions like the GTA, and the likely clawback of over half a billion dollars by the federal and provincial governments for more “shovel-ready” projects such as LRT in Hamilton.

Friends, neighbours – we are running out of time, and Waterloo Region’s LRT needs your help.

LRT is under serious attack by anti-transit “No to Everything” NIMBYs.

They’re hijacking community meetings, they’re spreading misinformation – anything to keep Waterloo Region from investing more money into transit and better quality of life. They took out an ad in the Waterloo Chronicle last week (http://bit.ly/iB6jrf) that misrepresents the local cost of the project and lies about its tax impact.

Regional Council will not vote for LRT without hearing your support.

Please help support Light Rail Transit one last time – Regional Council votes on LRT on June 15, 2011. You can help out by e-mailing your Regional Councillor, speaking up at a public meeting, composing a letter to the editor, donating money to help TriTAG print posters and run newspaper ads, and showing up to our Rally for Rails II so people watching at home can see just how much of our community supports Light Rail.

Taking one or all of these five steps today can help sway undecided council votes:

1. Tell your Regional Councillor to support LRT. We have a mobile-friendly form where you can send an email to your representatives on Regional Council here: http://tritag.ca/m/LRT

2. Register to speak at the LRT public meetings, even if you only speak for 1 minute. Call 519-575-4420 now (yes, even after business hours) to register with the Regional clerk for meetings on May 31 (Tuesday) at 6pm or June 1 (Wednesday) at 4pm.

Both meetings will take place in Regional Council chambers at 150 Frederick Street in Kitchener. Registration deadline is the May 26 at 4pm – don’t wait until the last minute, call now!

3. Please donate money to help us print posters and put our ads in newspapers.
The opposition is buying advertising space to whip up fear about LRT with the hopes that tax-weary citizens won’t ask if the “No to Everything” crowd has a better plan.

Help counter this misinformation by sponsoring poster printing and ad buys in The Waterloo Chronicle, Imprint, The Cord, The Record, and The Cambridge Times. Whether you can help with $20, $50, $100 or even $200, every dollar helps and will go directly to the cost of advertising. You can view the kind of ads we’re going to run at http://bit.ly/lTqimG, and you can donate by visiting http://www.tritag.ca/about/donate/ or e-mailing donate@tritag.ca.

4. Write letters to the editor. Pick up your favourite local newspaper and write them 200 concise words about why LRT will be good for you and your community.

5. Attend the rally! The community needs to see your support right up to the vote on June 15, so what better way to support LRT than a party? Saturday, June 11 at noon, held at Speakers’ Corner (King and Frederick) in Kitchener – let’s show Waterloo Region what we’re made of!

Thank you for your time, and we hope to see you soon,

TriTAG (The Tri-Cities Transport Action Group)

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Is the Waterloo Chronicle Misinforming Waterloo?

Light Rail, News, TriTAG

Tonight the Waterloo Chronicle put up an article and an editorial about last Friday’s LRT-related meetings in Waterloo. These pieces are from tomorrow’s print edition, which goes to most homes in Waterloo. Unfortunately, the article as currently written contains falsehoods, and quotes which bash TriTAG. We were not contacted for this piece and were not given space to respond to the accusations.

Let’s set the story straight.

Last Wednesday we were forwarded an email originally by Ruth Haworth, spokesperson for Taxpayers for Sensible Transit, which consisted of the following: (more…)

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TriTAG statement to Regional Council, 19 January 2011

Light Rail, News, Transit, TriTAG

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?

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January Volunteer Meeting

News, TriTAG 4 Comments

This entry has been updated for a 7:00pm start. We will also be joined by UW planning professor Jeff Casello.

If you’re interested in helping out with what TriTAG is doing, come out to our first regular volunteer meeting. We’ll bring you up to speed on the issues and what needs to be done. Main issue will be light rail, but there are others as well.

The meeting will be at Whole Lot-A Gelata in Waterloo on Tuesday, January 18, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. (Facebook event is here.) You are welcome to come earlier to have time to get some coffee or gelato.

We plan to hold volunteer meetings monthly.

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

Intercity Transit, Light Rail, News, Transit, TriTAG

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.

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