12-17-2019, 03:04 PM
LRT is at least as justifiable along the B Line as it was along King in KW. I say this as someone who lived near Main Street in Hamilton and have experience with the 5's and 10's overcrowding, and routine pass-bys.
I'm not sure if it would have been politically possible for Hamilton to chip in for LRT. For sure it would have been difficult. And, with the funding model that we pursued in Waterloo Region, Hamilton would not be experiencing what it is this week. It's harder to mess around with multiple other funding partners, and harder to discuss ballooning costs when multiple other levels of government remain committed.
I don't think this Hamilton decision has a tonne of bearing on Ion Phase 2. In fact, I think that this provincial government would be eager to pitch in three or four hundred million dollars against a billion dollar transit project in Waterloo Region, in order to say that they are willing to fund transit projects when they are well-managed financially.
I'm not sure if it would have been politically possible for Hamilton to chip in for LRT. For sure it would have been difficult. And, with the funding model that we pursued in Waterloo Region, Hamilton would not be experiencing what it is this week. It's harder to mess around with multiple other funding partners, and harder to discuss ballooning costs when multiple other levels of government remain committed.
I don't think this Hamilton decision has a tonne of bearing on Ion Phase 2. In fact, I think that this provincial government would be eager to pitch in three or four hundred million dollars against a billion dollar transit project in Waterloo Region, in order to say that they are willing to fund transit projects when they are well-managed financially.