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TriTAG Blog

High Demand for Weekend GO Trains

Posted September 26th, 2011 by Michael Druker

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.
Read the rest of this entry »

In Intercity Transit, News, TriTAG | 9 Comments »

GO Transit Kitchener Survey

Posted September 15th, 2011 by Michael Druker

This survey is no longer active. Thanks to those who responded!

We’ve put together a very short survey (about 3 minutes) relating to the extension of GO Transit train service to Kitchener. Please help us out and fill out the survey by clicking here.

In Intercity Transit, News, Transit | Comments Off

Fischer-Hallman Express Stations Uncovered

Posted July 26th, 2011 by Michael Druker

Waterloo Region’s second iXpress route, along Fischer-Hallman Road, will begin service in September. It will start at 30 minute headways Monday through Sunday, and have 15 minute headways during peaks. We hear that the route branding will be something like “Route 201 iXpress”, though it would be more useful if it were simply iXpress Fischer-Hallman or iXpress [colour].

The stop locations have not been publicized, however it turns out that they appear in a Request for Proposals for transit shelters for the route, from several months back. The full proposal details (PDF) include a list of stations and drawings of exact shelter locations (Appendix 2).


View Fischer-Hallman Express in a larger map

From south to north, the stations are: Forest Glen Plaza, Block Line / Laurentian, Block Line / Westmount, Westmount (on Fischer-Hallman), Activa, Ottawa, McGarry, Highland, Victoria, Stoke / Hazelglen, University, Thorndale, Erb, Keats Way, Columbia, Columbia / Beechlawn, Columbia / Hagey, Columbia / Phillip, University / Phillip (one way), Hazel / University (one way). (Note: the list in the PDF has a mysterious “University / Conestoga College” stop, which all signs point to actually being Hazel / University.)

The list really is pretty boring – the route stops mostly at major intersections, stays on Fischer-Hallman instead of entering the Highland Hills terminal, and keeps a stop distance around the 600-1000m range. It doesn’t stop at Columbia and Westmount, instead stopping at Beechlawn just west of it. That location allows for better access from both sides of Columbia Street but it requires a terrible pedestrian crossing (link to Street View), which is going to be dangerous without at least a pedestrian island.

The main thing the line is missing is an anchor at the south end to help make it a line with demand in both directions all day. Currently the route will mostly serve to connect residential lands in the south with employment and the universities in the north. But it’s a long and quick route on a major corridor, so there will likely be many other kinds of trips as well.

In Buses, News | 4 Comments »

Car-Free Sunday and Cycling in Style

Posted June 15th, 2011 by Michael Druker

Cycling in style. (Photo: Flickr / Amsterdamize)

This Sunday the city of Waterloo will be closing King Street to cars between Erb and Union Streets from 11am to 3pm, opening it up for people to enjoy and hosting a number of events in that space as well. There will be four such Sundays this year, and Kitchener plans to join the party — making it really “square2square” — only on July 17th. The event has a website and an organizational/informational Facebook page. If you can help out, the organizers are still looking for volunteers.

Please come out to Waterloo’s first Car-free Sunday and tell everyone you know to come! Success of the first one will help increase momentum and business support for the upcoming ones – perhaps we could eventually see businesses pushing for car-free spaces here. The event is important symbolically as a conscious step towards reclaiming the streets as a place first and foremost for people and not just for cars.

We also invite you to join some of TriTAG and others on a stylish ride down King Street to celebrate the first Car-free Sunday. We’ll meet around 11:30am on Sunday, June 19th at the north end of the car-free area in Waterloo (King & Erb), and ride south/east to downtown Kitchener. Around noon we’ll head out from the Kitchener City Hall plaza for a tour of several of Kitchener’s cafes. Attire: nice street clothes – not spandex! If you’ve got an old 3-speed in the back of the garage, now’s the time to haul it out. There is a Facebook event as well.

In Cycling, News, Walking | No Comments »

The Future of Transit in Waterloo Region [Update]

Posted June 14th, 2011 by Duncan Clemens

Map designed by Duncan Clemens.

On June 15, 2011, Regional Council will be voting on whether to approve Light Rail as the preferred option for rapid transit in the Region of Waterloo. As we find ourselves on the eve of one of the most important votes in the region’s history, it is important to remember that our Councillors are not only voting to fund a light rail transit line running from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener, but also on a funding strategy for the Regional Transportation Master Plan.

The RTMP provides a framework for transit funding improvements for the next 20 years, with steady annual increases in the per-capita level of funding for transit. By 2031 funding for transit operations will have tripled over current levels, and the modal share for transit is expected to triple to 17%. The document includes a guide for planned service increases and improvements, which will be reviewed as each year’s plans are put into action.

This plan approved by Council last year includes plans to implement a number of cross-corridor express routes which will supplement and feed passengers into the central rapid transit spine. In fact, the first of these new iXpress-style bus routes is due for implementation this September, and will run from the university district to Forest Glen Plaza along Ficher-Hallman Road. A number of other trunk express bus routes will soon follow on King-Coronation, University Ave, Ottawa Street, Maple Grove Road, Highland Road, and Victoria Street North.

Although not shown on this map, the RTMP also includes plans to restructure local bus routes in the suburbs so that they are more direct and reliable. Routes 7, 12, and 29 are all seeing routing changes this year that will improve on-time performance and create more direct routes between origins and destinations.

Also arriving this year is GO train service from Kitchener to Toronto at the existing Kitchener VIA station. The Region has also purchased lands at the corner of King and Victoria to construct a new inter-modal terminal for GO, VIA, LRT, GRT, and other intercity coach services all in one location.

Cambridge is also not being left out of tomorrow’s vote. Regional staff are recommending that the region put forward $1 million a year to implement transit-supportive strategies in Cambridge to increase ridership. In addition, staff are recommending that Phase 2 from Fairview to Ainslie begin its project assessment in 2014, that land be purchased for Phase 2 as soon as feasible, and that a location for an inter-modal terminal for GO rail service and GRT be explored.

The agenda for tomorrow’s council meeting, including the details of what is being voting on, can be found at this link. If you would like to attend, the public Council session will begin at 7pm at 150 Frederick Street in Kitchener (the building with the orange roof). If you want, you can RSVP to the Facebook event here.

If you can’t make it, we will be covering the event live on Twitter with #LRTvote, and it will be broadcast on Rogers Cable 20.

In Buses, Intercity Transit, Light Rail, News, Transit | No Comments »

Rally for Rails II a Success

Posted June 13th, 2011 by Michael Druker

(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.

In Light Rail, News, TriTAG | No Comments »

Broad Support for Light Rail Plan

Posted June 9th, 2011 by Michael Druker

We’ve updated and expanded our page of supporters of Waterloo Region’s LRT proposal, with links to specific statements where we could find them.

Many businesses and organizations of all kinds have come out in support of the staff-recommended Rapid Transit plan. At the bottom of that page we’ve also added a section listing organizations that have come out against the plans – it turns out to be a very short list!

If we’ve missed any organizations or endorsements, please let us know.

In Light Rail, News | No Comments »

Brochure Distribution

Posted June 8th, 2011 by Tim Mollison

We have about 7,000 brochures that need to get out the community before next Monday. Here is a map of what volunteers have covered so far: http://goo.gl/maps/RVuG . Can you put 100 in mailboxes around your neighbourhood? Do you live in a 200 unit apartment building? Please be in touch with us *now* at volunteer@tritag.ca ; brochures are available for pickup downtown near KPL main branch, or we can deliver to you between 8pm and 10pm on weeknights.

In News | No Comments »

Today’s Record article

Posted May 31st, 2011 by Tim Mollison

In follow-up to my WonderfulWaterloo post yesterday and today’s front-page Record article written by Jeff Outhit, I have a recording of that interview.

If you ever wondered how interviews get distilled into what gets printed, please ask me by e-mail at tim.mollison@tritag.ca , because we have not obtained consent to broadcast the interview, and that would include posting it here.

In Light Rail, News, TriTAG | No Comments »

Tuesday Morning Links

Posted May 31st, 2011 by Michael Druker

Planning for Car-free Sundays: Planning is well underway for making portions of King Street in Kitchener-Waterloo free of cars for four hours on four Sundays this summer — the first of which is June 19. The Record and Open File have coverage of the plans in general. If you want to help out, today there will be an meeting on planning events, organizing volunteers, sponsors, and so on. It will be from 4pm to 6pm at Council Chambers, 3rd floor of Waterloo City Hall, 100 Regina Street. There will also be a volunteer orientation and sign-up session on Tuesday, June 14. There is also a Facebook page for the Car-free Sundays events, which have been branded square2square.

K-W Chamber supports LRT…: The Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce offers conditional support for LRT. There is coverage from 570 News, CTV, and The Record, but there doesn’t appear to be a press release available. Basically, the K-W Chamber supports moving forward with LRT, but wants there to be due diligence in the design, construction, and phasing.

…but Cambridge Chamber doesn’t: The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce wants Waterloo Region to adopt a full Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, which they say would be “fair and equitable”. It isn’t, however, an option that has any whole-hearted support in any of the cities.

Cambridge Council isn’t happy, wants gadgetbahn: Cambridge Council doesn’t want to pay for an LRT-based system if Cambridge doesn’t get LRT in the first phase, and it wants a referendum on the plans. (The Record) Cambridge Council also wants the Region to postpone making any decisions in order to study a gadgetbahn technology that has been getting local hype. The full Cambridge-for-Aerorail motion (page 5 of the meeting agenda) is, frankly, embarrassing. In The Record piece, Councillor Nicholas Ermeta claims a referendum question could be on the provincial election ballot in October, which is false; by law, the vote could come no earlier than 6 months after the question is set. Councillor Frank Monteiro says a referendum would cost only a million dollars, which is misleading since the inflation cost of waiting translates into at least a $10-15 million impact on the cost of the project.

Regional Councillors’ election quotes: Jeff Outhit of The Record tries to demonstrate or create conflict between politicians’ campaign promises and current stances on LRT. The piece features quotes from our own candidate questionnaire. Councillor Jane Mitchell responds on her blog.

And…: Why LRT makes sense to City of Waterloo Councillor Karen Scian. The Dearlove on the connection between transit and equality of opportunity. The Record wants long-term thinking about roads. A column by Kevin Thomas of GREN – Rapid growth requires rapid transit. Letters: Corner-lot resident thinks the city should be cleaning its own sidewalks; Mayor Halloran should do her job and make an LRT decision instead of asking voters to do it; A referendum is a recipe for gridlock; Don’t cheap out, build LRT all the way; Before supporting a referendum, Regional Councillors should ask themselves two questions.

In Light Rail, News | No Comments »

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