News roundup: January 18, 2026

By Tri-Cities Transport Action Group

It’s a new year, and we’ve consolidated our news posts, IONizeWR, and our newsletter under one publishing platform. That means we’ve got a new page for subscribing or updating your newsletter subscription, and everything will look a bit different. Please give us a shout if you see something that doesn’t work!

With that out of the way, here’s the latest in walking, biking, and transit news for Waterloo Region.

What's happening

• WAYFINDING: The City of Kitchener is continuing its plan to identify, brand, and improve cross-town walking and biking routes. (The Record) They are seeking feedback on Route 2 between Uptown Waterloo, Downtown Kitchener, and Stanley Park.
  • Share your input on EngageWR by January 31st
• HSR: Alto has shared the study corridors for high-speed rail routes between Toronto and Québec City, and is looking for public input.

Walking, biking, and streets

• Regional staff shared a new set of street design guidelines that prioritizes safety and experience for walking and biking, including in constrained corridors. It seems to signal a shift from multi-use paths to one-way cycle tracks along arterial roads. Some particularly interesting bits include multi-use paths along rural roads, and designs for roads with transitways. (Region of Waterloo agenda)
• The Region will be doing consultation this year towards a new Integrated Mobility Plan that will shape transit, road, and path network investment. (Region of Waterloo agenda)
• The Record: Collisions are falling on smaller Waterloo streets, but traffic hot spots remain. Barred from using speed cameras, city hall is looking at other ways to calm traffic in 2026
• The Record: Waterloo Region’s speed cameras are still watching and gathering data
• With automated speed enforcement banned, Councillor Matt Rodrigues is asking staff for options on reallocating the Road Safety Reserve for school zone safety measures. (Region of Waterloo agenda)
• The Record: Opinion | Making a parking spot even smaller is a recipe for stress

Transit

• CTV News: Grand River Transit riders frustrated with delay in snow clearing at bus stops
• After a heated public input session, Regional Council amended its bylaw for 100 Victoria St N to soften the conditions and defer the clearing date to April 1, while the encampment is subject to court proceedings. The Region needs to clear and prepare the site for Metrolinx’s work on the Kitchener Central Transit Hub. (CBC, Regional Agenda)
• CBC News: Transit fares are going up. Why do Canadian cities struggle to keep it affordable?
• CTV News: Changes to Grand River Transit and GO Transit starting this month
• Transport Action Ontario & Environmental Defence: New Report: Transit over Traffic – Hard Truths for Addressing Gridlock in the GTHA

The shape of our cities

• Cambridge’s planning staff leadership outlines a vision of transit-oriented density, especially around ION on Hespeler Road. (The Record)
• Reece Martin argues the new Waterloo hospital is too far from ION (Next Metro)
• The Record: Waterloo Region is growing. Will it hit one million people as politicians predict?
• One Million Neighbours has launched a new map of neighbourhood-level access to services in Waterloo Region (CTV News)
• The Waterloo Region water capacity crisis is throwing a wrench into planning in the region. Plans like ION expansion are oriented around directing growth, but are undermined if anticipated growth is blocked by insufficient water capacity.
  • The Record: Trust and accurate information needed to resolve Waterloo Region water crisis, urban planner-developer says
  • National Observer: Ford's permit approvals have driven Waterloo to its water-taking limit
  • The Record: Ontario government receptive to helping with region’s water supply crisis
  • The Record: Opinion | Waterloo Region’s water supply crisis, explained
  • Region of Waterloo: Water Capacity issue FAQ

Elsewhere

• CTV News: Construction on Toronto-Quebec City leg of high-speed rail line slated for 2032: CEO
• About Here & Sightline Institute via Youtube: North America's Elevator Problem
• London Free Press: Call for better passenger rail service backed by London chamber
• Works in Progress: The United States needs fewer bus stops. Bus stop balancing is fast, cheap, and effective. It can turn a service people tolerate into one they’re happy to use.