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+--- Thread: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit (/showthread.php?tid=683)
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - mpd618 - 07-13-2017
The actual formal EA is pretty fast with the accelerated Transit Project Assessment process. But the approved alignment required CP to agree to the use of their corridor, which I guess they were dragging their feet on. The project needs a compelling business case, and broad enough buy-in from Cambridge stakeholders. Those are the things the Region needs to work through. As long as they get to their ask under the current Ontario government they will probably get their funding.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - MidTowner - 07-13-2017
"As long as they get to their ask under the current Ontario government they will probably get their funding."
It's almost August 2017. The current provincial government is dissolved in June 2018, about ten months from now. Cambridge councillors are evidently in campaign mode fifteen months or so ahead of the 2018 municipal elections, and will only dig in more to whatever position they may have endorsed as their election approaches.
So, how could everything be prepped to submit an ask under the current government? Only by changing the route (at minimum). Pheidippides' prediction makes sense to me: they will wait until after the municipal elections, to give Cambridge councillors the opportunity to reconsider with the benefit of four long years ahead of them for people to forget. Unfortunately, if the current provincial government is replaced, that might make approval somewhat less likely at that point.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - rangersfan - 07-13-2017
Article from the President of Conestoga College stating that he believes that LRT should stop at the school's main campus.
http://www.570news.com/2017/06/29/conestoga-college-wants-light-rail-trains-pull-main-campus/
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - timio - 07-13-2017
Perhaps we should take the same methodology for the preferred route as was used for the roads in Waterloo Region. Tap a keg, gather around a table, dump a bowl of sauerkraut out and say "that looks like a great route for the lrt"
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - MidTowner - 07-13-2017
I think those are good points in support of excellent public transit to Conestoga College, but Ion to Cambridge can't serve it. Not directly, anyway.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Coke6pk - 07-13-2017
(07-13-2017, 08:40 AM)MidTowner Wrote: I think those are good points in support of excellent public transit to Conestoga College, but Ion to Cambridge can't serve it. Not directly, anyway.
I'll start by playing the "subsidy/fairness" game going full force in General Road thread...
There are 3 post-secondary institutions, and two of them are connected to iON. Tibbits is well within his rights to complain he is being treated differently. A look at the iON map shows the train starting on King St, going out of the way to the two universities before returning to King St. (I know this is overly simplistic, and is no different than the "train from mall to mall" argument).... but why can't we make a detour for 45,000 passengers then head on down Fountain into Preston.
Coke
(I would like a spur line added for the airport as well
)
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - ijmorlan - 07-13-2017
(07-13-2017, 09:40 AM)Coke6pk Wrote:(07-13-2017, 08:40 AM)MidTowner Wrote: I think those are good points in support of excellent public transit to Conestoga College, but Ion to Cambridge can't serve it. Not directly, anyway.
I'll start by playing the "subsidy/fairness" game going full force in General Road thread...
There are 3 post-secondary institutions, and two of them are connected to iON. Tibbits is well within his rights to complain he is being treated differently. A look at the iON map shows the train starting on King St, going out of the way to the two universities before returning to King St. (I know this is overly simplistic, and is no different than the "train from mall to mall" argument).... but why can't we make a detour for 45,000 passengers then head on down Fountain into Preston.
Coke
(I would like a spur line added for the airport as well
I initially thought Conestoga College was way too far out of the way, but what’s wrong with this routing, starting from Fairview:
- Wabanaki
- Manitou
- Homer Watson
- through the campus
- across the 401 and down or parallel to Morningside
- Fountain St.
- across the river
- straight along Eagle St.
- rejoin existing proposed route
I don’t like that it misses the bus terminal at Sportsworld, but that could be relocated, maybe to be directly off the 401 at the College. Maybe the bus terminal could even be the College’s LRT stop, which would also mean they would get direct intercity bus service.
This doesn’t entirely address the Preston issue but the real point I’m trying to examine is whether Conestoga College is really too far out of the way.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - jamincan - 07-13-2017
Consider as well that the College is probably the largest transit destination between Kitchener and Cambridge. I wouldn't be surprised if more people go to Conestoga from Kitchener and Cambridge than between Kitchener and Cambridge. If they crossed the 401 at around Morningside, it would be close enough to Conestoga to serve it without going to far out of the way, imo. Not sure how they would route between Sportsworld and Conestoga though without pissing off some golf courses and neighbourhoods.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - panamaniac - 07-13-2017
Frequent shuttle buses from Conestoga to Sportsworld (and, perhaps, Ainslie termnal) would fill the need, no?
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - danbrotherston - 07-13-2017
Lol, well, that would also be one way to completely mess with the multiplex discussion again.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - white_brian - 07-13-2017
Well at first I laughed at the thought but routing out that way would spur development and also help deal with all the complaints about the new student ghetto!
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - MidTowner - 07-13-2017
Yes, they would. The only problem with ijmorlan's proposed route is that it does include Hespeler and all the redevelopment potential there. I don't know how big of a problem that is, but I don't think anyone can deny that Hespeler is a preoccupation of the Region.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - ijmorlan - 07-13-2017
(07-13-2017, 11:00 AM)MidTowner Wrote: Yes, they would. The only problem with ijmorlan's proposed route is that it does include Hespeler and all the redevelopment potential there. I don't know how big of a problem that is, but I don't think anyone can deny that Hespeler is a preoccupation of the Region.
I’m not suggesting a change to the Hespeler Road part of the proposal — the idea is it would go across Eagle St. and re-join the existing proposal. That’s why I say it doesn’t address the Preston issue — I have a feeling many of the same people would still have the same complaints.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - KevinL - 07-13-2017
Tibbits' argument would be stronger if the students he represents hadn't rejected the option of a universal transit pass.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - tomh009 - 07-13-2017
(07-13-2017, 12:25 PM)KevinL Wrote: Tibbits' argument would be stronger if the students he represents hadn't rejected the option of a universal transit pass.
Yes ... although the students might well support the transit pass were there to be LRT service to the campus.