Our Region is going to change in the coming years, with the advent of the LRT, which was approved in June 2011.
A map to the proposed stops can be found here: http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/maps.html The stops tend to be along King Street in both Waterloo and Kitchener.
This is going to involve quite a bit of construction in Uptown and Downtown in the coming years, and will likely have an effect on the property values for those homes near the stops.
The frequently asked questions and answers from the Region can be found here: http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/faq.html
Call or email me if you have questions regarding how this will affect you and hour home.
Waterloo spur line trail will connect downtowns
Terry Pender, Record Staff Feb 13, 2012
KITCHENER — Building a multi-use pathway for more than two kilometres beside the Waterloo spur line is now the region’s top priority for off-road trail development.
Detailed planning will be completed this year on the trail that will run from Regina Street in Waterloo to Wilhelm and Weber streets in Kitchener, Graham Vincent, the region’s director of transportation planning, said in an interview Monday.
“We want to get the project on the shelf in case infrastructure programs become available at either the federal or provincial level we can look at this as a project,” Vincent said.
“In the 2013 budget process we will look at timing and identifying potential funding sources,” Graham said.
It will cost about $2.5 million to build the trail.
There is a well-worn path beside the railway tracks now. For decades people have walked and cycled the route. It links the downtowns of Kitchener and Waterloo and is flanked by long-established residential neighbourhoods.
“We really think there is a good opportunity here for a route that is convenient and usable for people,” Vincent said.
The trail will run alongside the railway tracks known as the Waterloo Spur Line. When Weber Street is expanded to four lanes between Guelph and Victoria streets in 2015, a segregated multi-use pathway will be built on the east side of Weber, from Wilhelm to Water Street. This will connect the spur-line trail with downtown Kitchener.
“The majority of cycling traffic on the trail we believe will be destined for downtown Kitchener,” Vincent said.
The off-road trail will officially start at Weber and Wilhelm. A pedestrian crosswalk with a refuge island in the middle of Weber Street will be built so cyclists and pedestrians can easily get on the pathway that will be constructed on the east side of Weber.
At the north end, the trail will end at Regina Street, and on-street bike lanes and sidewalks along Willis Way and Caroline Street will connect to the Iron Horse Trail and the Laurel Trail. This route must be used because the buildings that flank the railway tracks between Regina and King do not leave enough room for a multi-use trail.
The region plans to build a large, multi-modal transit station at King and Victoria streets. GO trains, light rail trains, city buses and intercity buses will all be running in and out of that station. The region wants to link this central transit station to the spur-line trail.
“We are looking at the entire station area and how we can improve the pedestrian and cyclist connections,” John Hill, the region’s lead sustainable-transportation planner, said.
There are several reasons the development of the spur-line trail is the region’s top priority for off-road pathways, Hill said.
The trail is already used by a lot of cyclists and pedestrians.
“We know we can enhance the connections in the area with this trail,” Hill said. “It’s also between two light rail transit station areas and it is the most direct link between downtown Kitchener and Uptown Waterloo that is off-road.”
At the end of January the region’s planning, housing and community services committee approved the feasibility study for the trail.
“The Waterloo spur line is identified in the Regional Cycling Master Plan as a core off-road route,” says the regional staff report on the feasibility study. “Core routes are the highest priority cycling links as they connect major nodes.”
Bart Forewell, an avid cyclist who sits on advisory committees for both the Kitchener and the region, said he is thrilled to see a new spur-line trail slowly moving toward reality.
“I am very enthusiastic about it,” Forewell said of the feasibility study. “It’s a crown jewel I believe on the east side of the city that has never been developed. It will be a very well used trail.”
Regional council OK’s private partner for rail transit
Jeff Outhit, Record Staff, Feb 7, 2012
WATERLOO REGION — Politicians have voted 8-1 to seek a private partner to build, maintain and operate rail transit, planned to open in 2017.
In doing so Tuesday, regional councillors rejected a chorus of concerns that public transit is best operated publicly.
Councillors contend that partnering with a for-profit firm is the best way to build rail transit faster and cheaper and operate it better, at less risk to taxpayers.
“They don’t get paid unless the job is done right,” Waterloo Coun. Sean Strickland said. “This is a model that is being used worldwide.”
Business leaders agree. “It’s the best choice to deliver on time and on budget,” Ian McLean, president of the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, told councillors.
Kitchener Coun. Jean Haalboom cast the only opposing vote. She’s concerned a private partner may bail out if rail transit is not lucrative enough, and she fears council may have to battle a partner if performance falls short.
“This is a public venture,” Haalboom said in an interview. “So why are we giving it away holus-bolus to one private corporation?”
A dozen public delegates urged council to delay, conduct more research or keep public transit public. Critics included labour, transit and environmental advocates. About 40 people attended in council chambers.
“The region would be better served by using regional employees,” said Janice Richards, of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
“We need a world-class system here in Waterloo, not the cheapest system possible,” Kevin Thomason said, urging caution.
Regional government intends to own rail transit, set fares and schedules, handle customer service and pay a partner in instalments. Payments would be withheld if the partner fails to perform.
Still undetermined is the length of the operating contract, contract details and the actual partner. Politicians intend to invite firms to bid for the contract.
Transportation giants Bombardier and Siemens have expressed interest. Potential partners have met with transit planners.
Council approved the controversial $818-million rail transit system last June. It’s a redevelopment plan to draw homes and jobs to central neighbourhoods. Residents will see electric trains on the streets of Kitchener and Waterloo by 2017 and enhanced buses in Cambridge by 2014.
A regional report says an expert partner will save taxpayers 18 per cent over 33 years while reducing taxpayer risks by 62 per cent. That’s based on a secret value-for-money audit that regional government refuses to release, saying it belongs to the consultant who wrote it.
Delegates complained to politicians about the secrecy and questioned value-for-money findings they are unable to examine.
“Basically, it’s unbelievable,” retired transportation professor John Shortreed warned in dismissing the report. He urged council to reconsider rapid buses. “Redo the risk analysis and do it correctly this time.”
Not releasing the full report “shows disregard” for public input, Michael Druker said.
Regional chief administrator Mike Murray warned that parts of a transit contract may also be kept secret, saying this could include confidential information supplied to regional government by a partner.
Regional council intends to work with an expert Ontario agency to prepare for bidding and to draft a contract.
Private firms operate rail transit around the world, but partnerships do not always succeed.
Ottawa is seeking a private partner to build and maintain but not operate its $2.1-billion rail transit system. A $2-billion rail transit line in Vancouver is hailed as a partnership success, built cheaper and faster and drawing more riders than planned.
Failed partnerships include a bankrupt Las Vegas monorail and an underperforming transit line in London, England, that the government had to buy out.
What it’s costing you
Regional property taxes are rising by up to 12.3 per cent by 2018 to install street-level trains and expand buses.
By 2018 it’s estimated an average house will have paid $821. By then annual taxes are estimated at $189 higher on a house valued today at $254,000.
So far an average house has paid $63 to launch trains and add buses.
Source: Budget documents, Waterloo regional government
How they voted
Yes to seeking a private partner for rail transit (8):Cambridge Coun. Jane Brewer, Kitchener Coun. Tom Galloway, Wellesley Mayor Ross Kelterborn, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, Kitchener Coun. Jim Wideman, Kitchener Coun. Geoff Lorentz, Waterloo Coun. Jane Mitchell, Waterloo Coun. Sean Strickland.
No (1):Kitchener Coun. Jean Haalboom.
Absent (5):Woolwich Mayor Todd Cowan, Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong, Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran, Cambridge Coun. Claudette Millar, North Dumfries Mayor Rob Deutschmann.
Declared conflicts (2):Chair Ken Seiling, Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig.
Politicians weigh taking private partner in rail transit
Jeff Outhit, The Record Feb. 6, 2012
WATERLOO REGION — Politicians are poised to make the next big decision on rail transit, after approving the controversial project last year.
After hearing public input, regional councillors may decide Feb. 7 to seek a private partner to build, maintain and operate the $818-million system for up to 30 years.
Regional council would own the system, set fares and schedules and pay a partner in installments. Payments would be withheld if the partner fails to perform.
Trains launch in Kitchener and Waterloo in 2017 in a plan meant to draw homes and jobs to central neighbourhoods. Cambridge is to get enhanced buses by 2014.
Private operation is recommended by transit planners and business leaders. They contend for-profit expertise will see rail transit built faster and cheaper and operated better, at less risk to taxpayers.
“It provides the best opportunity to deliver the project on time and on budget,” said Ian McLean, president of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
Kitchener Coun. Jim Wideman agrees. “Clearly this model will deliver that,” he said.
Transit advocate Tim Mollison is concerned about regional government’s ability to write and enforce an iron-clad contract lasting 30 years. He argues it’s too soon to limit options.
“Get the private sector to provide multiple bids for multiple scenarios,” said Mollison, of the Tri-Cities Transport Action Group.
A regional report says partnering with a for-profit operator will save taxpayers 18 per cent over 33 years (three years construction and 30 years operating) while reducing taxpayer risks by 62 per cent. Risks transferred to the private operator include cost overruns and vehicle breakdowns.
This finding is part of a secret value-for-money audit that regional government refuses to release, saying it’s owned by Deloitte, the consulting firm that wrote it. A Deloitte employee would not comment on the report.
“I trust them. I trust the numbers,” Wideman said. “I don’t need to see all of the background documentation.” He denies government transparency is at risk. “We have gone overboard in being transparent.”
Light rail transit debate
When: Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. in regional council chambers, 150 Frederick St. in Kitchener.
Who: Some public delegates have pre-registered to speak. Councillors may allow others to speak. To register ahead call 519-575-4420.
Transit Project Assessment - Public Consultation Centres
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is proposing a rapid transit system to enhance transit service in high-demand transportation corridors and to guide and manage long-term growth within the Region. Stage 1 of the rapid transit system consists of light rail transit from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park Mall and adapted bus rapid transit from Fairview Park Mall to the Ainslie Street Terminal.
As part of the Ontario Regulation 231/08 Transit Project Assessment Process, the Region's rapid transit team is hosting three public consultation centres. Information will be available at the centres regarding potential impacts that the rapid transit project may have on the environment. Public comments and feedback will be collected at each centre.
Tuesday January 24, 2012, 3 to 8 p.m.
First United Church, 16 William Street West, Waterloo
Wednesday January 25, 2012, 3 to 8 p.m.
The Region of Waterloo, 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener
Thursday January 26, 2012, 3 to 8 p.m.
The United Kingdom Club, 35 International Village Drive, Cambridge
All locations are accessible by transit; please see www.grt.ca or call 519-585-7555 for routes and schedules. These events are also accessible for people with disabilities. If you require assistance to participate or to access information in alternative formats, please contact the Rapid Transit Infoline below at least five days prior to the consultation that you plan to attend.
All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agencies regarding this project are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making decisions on this project. The project follows Ontario's Transit Project Assessment Process. Under the Environmental Assessment Act and the Municipal Act, personal information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record and may be released if requested. If you have questions about the potential release of your information or about the collection of personal information, contact the Rapid Transit Infoline.
Rail transit, fact and fiction
Jeff Outhit, The Record, November 26, 2011
1. It will hike regional taxes by seven per cent over seven years.
Council pledged last June to limit annual tax increases to one per cent through 2018. It was a sales pitch. Budget documents show council is increasing regional taxes by 1.5 per cent to pay for rapid transit in 2012. Over seven years this adds to 10.5 per cent, more like 11 per cent as annual increases compound.
To promote the illusion of a smaller increase, council claims two preplanned savings will ease costs. These include a mortgage payoff and welfare savings provided by the province. These long-anticipated savings are unrelated to transit. Applying them as council has done is budgetary misdirection.
2. Rail transit is about moving people.
It’s mostly about luring buildings to central neighbourhoods. The plan states: “Primarily, the project is intended to foster intensification and redevelopment within the Region’s primary reurbanization area.”
3. Rail transit is an expert-driven plan.
Experts have had their say but this plan is driven by politics. Council proposed it in 2002 without public input as a funding pitch to senior governments. After that pitch failed, council launched research to support the same political goal, to get senior governments to pay for urban redevelopment.
4. Most people want rail transit.
There’s no community consensus. Many like the idea of trains on streets. Many do not.
Three scientific public opinion polls conducted last spring found 18 to 32 per cent of residents disagree with rapid transit. The rest have mixed views, some leaning to trains, some to rapid buses, depending partly on costs.
5. Politicians are on board.
Barely. In 2009 municipal politicians embraced rail transit, hoping to persuade senior governments to pay all costs. When funding fell short and the public groaned, politicians rushed away from rail transit in the 2010 municipal election.
Safely re-elected, politicians stampeded back to trains, unwilling to abandon up to $565 million from senior governments. Then one in three declared conflicts of interest while rail transit supporters recast approval as a referendum on political vision.
Rail transit plans quietly take shape as region pursues its vision
WATERLOO REGION — The wheels are turning as regional council begins the long ride to rail transit, planned to launch by 2017.
Council approved the $818-million project in June in a bid to draw jobs and homes to central neighbourhoods. It calls for street-level electric trains in central Kitchener and Waterloo and express buses in central Cambridge.
“I’m optimistic that we’re on track,” said Coun. Jim Wideman of Kitchener, who chairs regional planning meetings. “It needs to be on time and it needs to be on budget. I’ve staked my stake in the ground on that issue.”
Since approval in June:
• Grand River Transit has launched a new express service on Fischer-Hallman Road in Kitchener and Waterloo. It’s the first of several express routes meant to help feed passengers into trains.
• Councillors have fast-tracked by two years the $51-million widening of Weber Street to four lanes through north Kitchener. Pending land acquisition, the new plan aims to start construction by 2013. Widening will provide an underpass at Victoria Street, limiting traffic disruption by soon-to-launch GO commuter trains, and provide lanes to replace lanes lost to tracks on King Street.
• Crews have been surveying utilities, roads and sidewalks to guide design and determine what needs to be relocated to accommodate trains and buses.
• Regional government is preparing to hire or contract up to 25 people to help implement rail transit, expanding the current team of five. “We are very small and have been running very lean and mean,” said Thomas Schmidt, regional transportation commissioner. A mix of staff and consultants is expected.
• Councillors voted this week to spend $440,000 on better technology for buses to trigger green lights. Many buses would use it including Cambridge express buses, now expected to launch by 2013 as part of the rail transit system.
• Planners continue to finalize rail transit details on many fronts.
For example, planners are reviewing the proposed train route in central Waterloo after it came under fire. Residents will be invited to workshops Sept. 27 to consider rail impacts at King and Erb streets and in the area of Caroline and Allen streets.
Planners are preparing a final transit report that’s expected to go to three public meetings in November before heading to the province for final approval. It’s expected to be the same plan council approved in June. They’re also developing a strategy to buy, install and operate trains and buses. This may include private partnerships. Council is expected to consider a procurement strategy later this year.
And planners are finalizing a work plan to guide the project until shovels go in the ground in 2014. They are also finalizing the agreement to secure up to $565 million pledged by senior governments.
Regional taxes will rise seven per cent by 2018 to fund local costs to build and operate rail transit, and to expand regular bus service by 25 per cent. Further local costs equal to 3.5 per cent in taxes are to be funded through other regional sources.
Planners continue to discuss utility relocations with city governments, and are also considering ways to boost transit ridership in Cambridge, drawing on $10 million to be spent for that purpose over 10 years.
Rail plan passes
Jeff Outhit, The Record, June 15, 2011
WATERLOO REGION — In six years, expect to see trains on city streets, carrying passengers to work, home and school.
In a historic decision, regional council voted 9-2 Wednesday to build an $818-million rail transit system, the largest public works project ever undertaken in the region.
Council believes the leap to rail transit will:
• Persuade investors to build homes and workplaces in central neighbourhoods. It’s expected this will happen within 800 metres (walking distance) of stations.
• Draw residents from their cars and reduce by $500 million the anticipated spending to expand roads.
• Help curb suburban growth into green fields as the regional population swells to 729,000 by 2031, up from 544,000 today.
“This is a long-term vision of what our community will require to sustain itself,” Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr said.
“I ask for our entire community to stop waiting for the future to happen. Instead, join us in creating it.”
“It is rare that an opportunity comes along that we can truly make a transformational decision,” said Coun. Sean Strickland of Waterloo. “It is time to seize the day. It is time to face the future with boldness and courage.”
“It can help to shape the look of our urban centres, to make them look more vibrant, more green,” said Coun. Jean Haalboom of Kitchener.
Critics fear trains will prove a costly blunder in a car-friendly community where commuters shun transit. Some critics argue rapid buses — at $702 million — are a cheaper, more flexible way forward.
“It is not what I believe our citizens want,” Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran said, in opposing trains. “Vision means different things to different people.”
Halloran said she was overwhelmed by public opposition to trains and their cost during the municipal election last October. She pledged then to oppose the plan and is sticking to her campaign promise.
“Right off the bat, we heard door after door after door, our citizens’ complete opposition to the light rail transit system,” Halloran said.
“That is the message that many of us heard while campaigning. What has happened to the voice of our citizens?”
“I stand alone for Cambridge,” Coun. Claudette Millar of Cambridge said, in voting against the $818 million plan. “It’s not that we want to be snippy. It’s the facts as we have heard them.”
About 140 people packed into council chambers to watch council approve trains. Most stood to applaud after the vote.
Observers have likened the rapid transit debate to the grand vision that launched the local expressway in the 1960s, also amid controversy and expense.
The approved plan and latest timeline suggests that by 2017 you will see electric trains, drawing power from overhead wires, running 19 kilometres between Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and Fairview Park mall in Kitchener.
The trains will run in dedicated lanes, displacing traffic. They will travel at the speed of traffic, averaging about 30 km/h, and will share signalized intersections with traffic. They will trigger green lights while cross-traffic waits.
Trains will pass every 7.5 to 15 minutes and stop at up to 18 platforms. Mall-to-mall travel time is estimated at 39 minutes, up to nine minutes faster than the schedule for express buses today. Fares are undetermined.
Trains will split onto separate streets in the downtowns of Kitchener and Waterloo, operating curbside rather than in the middle of the street.
From Kitchener, buses driving in mixed traffic will carry passengers 17 kilometres into Cambridge, linking to the Ainslie Street terminal. Buses will operate every 10 to 15 minutes and could begin to launch next year.
Cambridge is getting buses instead of trains because transit ridership is lower there, redevelopment potential is less, and rapid transit is being implemented in stages to save money.
Unlike trains, buses will not have dedicated lanes. Instead they will have features to bypass congestion, for example bypass shoulders on highways, special lanes to bypass queues at intersections, and the ability to trigger green lights.
Cambridge travel time is estimated at 33 minutes, up to two minutes faster than today’s scheduled express buses. There’s a new stop at Sportsworld Drive and a new route on Hespeler Road.
Council pledged to also launch trains in Cambridge in a later stage that has no funding or launch date. This delay has upset many in Cambridge.
“They feel very discouraged and disenfranchised,” Cambridge Coun. Nicholas Ermeta told councillors.
To pay for all this, council voted 10-1 to hike your regional property taxes by up to seven per cent, phased in over seven years.
An average home assessed at $254,000 will pay a total of $450 between 2012 and 2018. By 2018, property taxes will be up to $113 a year higher than today.
“I do not believe it to be an onerous amount,” Zehr said. “This is a reasonable figure.”
Waterloo’s Halloran opposed the tax increase.
The increase covers construction and operating costs for trains and expands Grand River Transit bus service by 25 per cent, to help feed suburban residents into central trains.
To ease costs, politicians have delayed the original plan to expand supportive buses by 60 per cent. This expansion will now happen after trains launch.
Senior governments are paying up to $565 million, leaving $253 million to local taxpayers.
To limit the tax increase, council has pledged to pay about one-third of increased costs out of current regional spending, drawing on paid-off mortgages and welfare costs soon to be assumed by provincial taxpayers.
To further limit tax increases, developers may be charged higher fees on new homes and buildings. This will require provincial approval.
Regional council will spend $10 million over 10 years on projects meant to help build transit ridership in Cambridge.
Council also voted 10-1 to review the proposed route in downtown Waterloo. Strickland and Coun. Jane Mitchell said they have heard concerns about trains using the intersection of King and Erb streets.
Halloran opposed the review, saying Waterloo council favours the route as proposed. “It came as a complete surprise to us,” she said about the route review.
Politicians have already spent $7 million to develop the rail proposal over nine bumpy years.
Council proposed trains in 2002. Senior governments refused funding but agreed to pay for more studies, leading to the proposal finally approved and funded Wednesday.
Four councillors declared conflicts of interest this year because they, their children or their employers own properties near stations, where land values are expected to rise.
Candidates stampeded away from rail transit costs in the municipal election last October, as residents trashed the plan on doorsteps.
After the election, politicians reconsidered buses, ordered more public consultation and rejected a late call for a referendum. The plan they approved is the same plan council approved in 2009, before funding was known.
Three councillors who voted for rail transit acknowledged they had been critical of the plan and its costs during the 2010 election.
They said they have since been persuaded to support trains, responding to planners, research and public support.
“I started putting it in perspective,” Woolwich Mayor Todd Cowan said.
“I think people have a better understanding of the whys and whats of LRT,” said Coun. Geoff Lorentz of Kitchener. “There is no question that the steps we will take tonight are the right ones.”
“I can support this,” Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong said. “There is good work here.”
Council’s approval delighted Tim Mollison of the pro-rail Tri-Cities Transport Action Group.
“We’ve taken the first steps in changing how our community thinks about people who use transit,” he said. “It’s important that we continue to keep the pressure on regional council to follow through on the promises that they’ve made to Cambridge today.”
Leading technology, business and environmental organizations have endorsed trains. This includes Communitech, representing local technology firms, and the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
Cambridge council and the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce endorsed rapid buses, arguing this would be fairer because all three cities would get the same transit system right away.
Three scientific public opinion polls conducted this spring found the community divided over transit options, with 18 to 32 per cent of residents seeing no need for any rapid transit.
According to the polls, residents who favour rapid transit in principle lean more to trains than buses. However, residents are also concerned about the high cost of trains.
A poll by The Record found trains are more appealing to the young than the old, and more appealing to men than women.
Planners estimate trains will not launch before 2017. Between now and then, council has to conclude more studies, decide how the project will be built and by whom, formalize funding agreements with senior governments, sign contracts and order vehicles.
Politicians have not yet decided how deeply to involve private investors in the project.
Work to relocate or encase utilities beneath streets could launch by next year, to prevent ruptures and maintenance from disrupting transit. Track construction could launch by 2014.
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