News roundup: January 31, 2026

By Tri-Cities Transport Action Group

Here’s the latest in walking, biking, and transit news for Waterloo Region for the last two weeks. (If you’re reading this on the web, you can subscribe to get updates delivered directly to your inbox!)

What's happening

• WINTER BIKE: The City of Kitchener is holding a Winter Bike To Work Day with hot drinks and a group ride along some of the city’s separated and winter-maintained bike lanes. It starts on Friday, February 13 at 7:30am at Frederick & Duke. (City of Kitchener, Instagram) 
• PARKING: The City of Cambridge is reviewing its residential parking by-law, specifically regarding parking in the space between the roadway and sidewalk. Survey closes February 8. (EngageWR)
• PLOWS: The City of Kitchener needs help choosing the best snow plow names (EngageWR)
• SIDEWALKS: Are there still uneven and impassable sidewalks or crosswalks in your neighbourhood? Our cities largely rely on complaints to react, so do your part and let them know:
  • City of Waterloo contact portal or call 519-747-8785
  • City of Kitchener contact form or call 519-741-2345
  • City of Cambridge contact form or contact by-law at (519) 623-1340 ext. 7907
  • Grand River Transit contact form for uncleared bus stops or ION access
• TriTAG: We will have an informal social tomorrow - Sunday, February 1st 2-4pm at ABE ERB in the Tannery in Downtown Kitchener. You’re welcome to drop by. We will have some IONizeWR shirts on hand ($25) and those who pre-ordered can also pick theirs up.
• WAR ON CARS: Cycle Toronto presents a live show of the War on Cars in Toronto, on Thursday, February 5 at 7pm. Tickets and details from Cycle Toronto. 

Walking, biking, and streets

• On Monday morning, two vehicles plunged from the Highway 7 to 8 flyover, killing one person. Crucially, the fatal second crash was possible because the road was reopened without addressing the root causes. (CityNews, The Record)
• The Fairway-Rockway trail connection in Kitchener is on hold as staff evaluate Bill 60’s impacts. (EngageWR)
• The Record: ‘All modes, all roads’: Waterloo Region embarking on integrated mobility plan. The new document will encompass business plans for ION Stage 2 and Grand River Transit and replace the 2018 Transportation Master Plan.
• CBC: Cambridge snow woes: Residents call for clear streets and sidewalks, question new city campaign. Some residents say Lenny Awards campaign misses the mark as concerns persist about snow clearing
• The Star: Opinion | I fought for safer Toronto streets after my friend was killed five years ago. Now Doug Ford is undoing that work
• CBC: 'We're far from OK,' father of child killed in fatal Cambridge collision says after driver charged

Transit

• CambridgeToday: GRT working to enhance bus stop snow removal times by reworking contractor agreements.
• ION’s success getting some attention in relation to Toronto’s LRT woes
  • Sean Marshall: ION: An Ontario LRT that somehow works
  • CityNews: Advocates say lessons from Kitchener and Waterloo’s Ion LRT could help Toronto transit projects
  • Toronto's Finch West LRT opening, how we can learn from Waterloo's ION LRT success, and the bigger conversation of prioritizing speed in our generational transit investments (Urban Plus Ultra)
• Region of Waterloo approves up to $600K for a permanent public art installation at the Kitchener Central Transit Hub. (Regional agenda)
• The Record: A Cambridge councillor is asking the Region of Waterloo to return money Cambridge residents have paid toward the ION light rail system (City of Cambridge agenda)
• A new transit advocacy podcast discusses the GRT bus service cuts and other transit advocacy occurring in Canada (Dwell Time Podcast)

The shape of our cities

• Water Crisis
  • CBC News: More staff and a lot of money: What the Region of Waterloo says it needs to address water capacity issue: Report says future capital projects could cost $81M
  • The Record: Drying wells and dying wetlands: The growing water crisis beneath the Waterloo Moraine
  • The Record: Water supply crisis sparks call to reform how Waterloo Region is governed
  • CityNews: Local advocates want to see a ‘Blue Belt’ created to protect groundwater
• Citified: The Upside (January 2026): Let's focus on good things happening in and around Waterloo Region

Elsewhere

• Toronto Star: Off the rails: The inside story of how the Eglinton Crosstown LRT went from transit dream to cautionary tale
• TVO Today: Is it Time to Be Hopeful About Transit in Ontario? | The Rundown
• Globe & Mail: Opinion | Back on track. Across Canada, there is a grassroots clamouring for the return of railway lines that once provided a reliable and affordable alternative to cars and planes 
• Rail Fans Canada (YouTube): We Visited the Alto High-Speed Rail Open House: Here's What We Learned
• New York Times: Free Buses? How About Expanding the Subway by 41 Miles Instead? Some transit advocates are wary of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to subsidize bus fares and argue the money would be better spent on a major subway expansion.