ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit

[bravado]

Lots of chit chat from Mayor Liggett (bleh) about changing the route of Phase 2. It's a bit odd since her insane plan would cause the LRT to stop right near my house, but it's still a moronic plan to spend 10 figures on a low density suburb. The mayor thinks that spending all this money to support a future neighbourhood (that isn't currently zoned for it, nor are there more than ~5 projects planned) is a better use of money than supporting a downtown that already exists and can start using the LRT instantly - and has dozens of projects in the pipeline that depend on transit.

The Strong Towns approach says that you should stop building infrastructure before the destination exists. You need people to start using and paying for the service, otherwise you're just making new financial boondoggles. It should not need to be said that transit should go where people are, not where they will/might be.

https://archive.is/Q5QPl

https://www.therecord.com/opinion/column...259ca.html

The staff have now offered an alternative option. Instead of having the trains come into downtown Galt with its narrow streets, consider having the train turn off Hespeler Road at Avenue Road, and head southeast along Dundas Street instead, with its terminus at Dundas and Main streets, staff suggest.

Liggett told other regional councillors that this is where the city’s future growth will be — so that’s the better option for growth in transit, whether it is rapid buses or trains.
“The south part of Cambridge is going to be as big as Preston or Hespeler alone. That tells you where the population is going to go that needs a rapid bus transit or an LRT system,” she said.