ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit

[Viewfromthe42]

I think you could pretty quickly dismiss this idea for the grade changes required and road costs. Imagine how much everyone would love the idea of the current expansion of the 401, only all over again to fit a couple trains in the middle. You would need to be sufficiently high enough to cross Speedsville bridge, since you aren't taking out the support pillars, or you would need to expand the bridge we just paid how many tens of millions to create, in order to shift all the lanes wide enough to accommodate it at the highway grade, while needing to go low enough to get under speedsville, but high enough to rise over the 401 lanes and the Hespeler Road bridge in order to get back onto Hespeler. It sounds nice when you don't think about it, only it would further put stations in no-development areas. It's amazing, but I really don't recall there being this much opposition to the expropriation and destruction of many homes needed to widen Weber St. from Guelph to Water, and yet I would not be surprised if not even that many homes would be removed for a project worth more than 20 times as much.

[timc]

It's amazing, but I really don't recall there being this much opposition to the expropriation and destruction of many homes needed to widen Weber St. from Guelph to Water, and yet I would not be surprised if not even that many homes would be removed for a project worth more than 20 times as much.

Remember that you're comparing Kitchener and Cambridge here. For better or for worse, there seems to be more public opposition to this sort of thing in Cambridge.

[danbrotherston]

It's amazing, but I really don't recall there being this much opposition to the expropriation and destruction of many homes needed to widen Weber St. from Guelph to Water, and yet I would not be surprised if not even that many homes would be removed for a project worth more than 20 times as much.

Remember that you're comparing Kitchener and Cambridge here. For better or for worse, there seems to be more public opposition to this sort of thing in Cambridge.

I do however think there was vastly more opposition to the LRT than there was to any given road project in the region.

[kps]

It's amazing, but I really don't recall there being this much opposition to the expropriation and destruction of many homes needed to widen Weber St. from Guelph to Water, and yet I would not be surprised if not even that many homes would be removed for a project worth more than 20 times as much.

On Weber, they were individual houses on a street that had already long ago ceased to be attractive to single-family dwelling.

[MidTowner]

That wasn't the case with all of those homes. At the time, I remember that there were the usual human interest pieces about different families who would be displaced. For instance, one had made significant alterations to the house to accommodate a family member with a disability.

I think there might have been some questioning about whether a given property absolutely needed to be demolished, but not questions about whether the street should have been widened. I don't think you could have found a city councillor willing to propose a motion to stop the widening to preserve those homes, and that's an understatement.

[Coke6pk]

It's amazing, but I really don't recall there being this much opposition to the expropriation and destruction of many homes needed to widen Weber St. from Guelph to Water, and yet I would not be surprised if not even that many homes would be removed for a project worth more than 20 times as much.

Remember that you're comparing Kitchener and Cambridge here. For better or for worse, there seems to be more public opposition to this sort of thing in Cambridge.

Unless it's being built elsewhere, in which Cambridge has no opposition to it, wants it badly and fights that they are paying for something they cant use. 

Coke

[KevinL]

It is notable that the Weber demolitions were in service of widening a road, for the road project alone. Somehow that gets an inevitable understanding from the public as a necessity, even though more traffic lanes move fewer peaople than similar space for rapid transit does. It's very frustrating.

[panamaniac]

It is notable that the Weber demolitions were in service of widening a road, for the road project alone. Somehow that gets an inevitable understanding from the public as a necessity, even though more traffic lanes move fewer peaople than similar space for rapid transit does. It's very frustrating.

To be fair, road widenings are a dime a dozen and people are very used to them.  By contrast, we don't have a great deal of LRT experience.

[DHLawrence]

I was more opposed to cutting through a park to get it across the river. If they have to detour around Preston entirely I'd rather they went along Maple Grove and Speedsville instead of along the 401; it's still greenfield routing but there's going to be more ridership potential there than along a highway.

[Coke6pk]

I was more opposed to cutting through a park to get it across the river. If they have to detour around Preston entirely I'd rather they went along Maple Grove and Speedsville instead of along the 401; it's still greenfield routing but there's going to be more ridership potential there than along a highway.

If we are by-passing Preston, lets go right along Fairway Road out to the airport and down Speedsville.  Toyota plant is already car-centric, and I want trains out here! LOL

Coke

[KevinL]

I was more opposed to cutting through a park to get it across the river. If they have to detour around Preston entirely I'd rather they went along Maple Grove and Speedsville instead of along the 401; it's still greenfield routing but there's going to be more ridership potential there than along a highway.

If we are by-passing Preston, lets go right along Fairway Road out to the airport and down Speedsville.  Toyota plant is already car-centric, and I want trains out here! LOL

Coke

All the way down Kossuth? I guess the butterfly conservatory can get a station...

[Bob_McBob]

After all, ION is a waste of money because it doesn't directly serve every square cm of the region, according to the fine thinkers on Facebook.

[DHLawrence]

You guys *do* know there are other factories along Fountain and Maple Grove, right? Not to mention that big development they want to put behind the police station.

[dunkalunk]

Semi-serious question. If Cambridge doesn't want to run LRT through Preston, why extend the route to Cambridge at all? If it gets the point where we are offered provincial funding and we are still undecided on a route through Cambridge, I'm of the opinion that should extended as far as the 401 and a build a transit terminal and Park and Ride. Having an ION park and ride down by Gateway Park is a far better opition for those coming from out of town thanks the current terminus at Fairway. As a "Fairness for Cambridge" measure the region could also lobby the province to commit funds for the Cambridge East Boundary road as a way to get Provincial truck traffic off Hespeler Rd and Franklin Blvd.

[Canard]

Absolutely agreed with everything you just said.

Have always wanted a Park-and-Ride to capture ridership from commuters (and visitors!) coming from out of town. No one is driving to Fairway (if they're coming from 401) and then parking there and coming downtown; they'll just drive the whole way. Not the case if there's a convienent Park-and-Ride option.

"You're having cake?? I want a piece! Unfair!"
"This was the last piece, there's none left, but we'll bake another."
:: cake bakes ::
"But I don't want that flavour of cake!"

It's funny to compare the "unfairness" thing to what I see in theme park forums about what parks in a chain get new coasters. It has nothing to do with "fairness" and everything to do with ROI and logic. They complain that their home parks are neglected and "deserve" a new ride, even though the park attendance figures don't show it's necessary to keep drawing visitors.