Downtown project directory

[ktmbtsmrt]

Well we had the interurban Preston and Berlin Railway in 1857. By 1904 we had the Preston and Berlin Street Railway, our version of trams. 1888 we had the downtown Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway, another tram network. The old villages of Cambridge had a tram network. 1914 we had the interurban Grand River Railway.

We have plenty of experience and history building train based public transit in Waterloo Region. As you say, the context is now different. We abandoned all these great railroads and embraced the car, destroying our city in the process. We never fixed it up until, I'd argue, the early 2000s with streetscape improvements downtown. A lot more also happened, but that is one visual catalyst you can use to see the change. Then a few lofts came. We knew we had a broken city but could change it with transit oriented development. That's great, I support it, but I simply believe the LRT was a very mediocre effort for a region of our size. We need to make sure to improve it as we evolve. When it comes time to build another line, spend more and make it truly rapid so it can fulfill the needs of people as much as it can. As it is, the ION is slow and weirdly engineered. It's like it was some beginner playing City Skylines trying to desperately build an LRT with little money.

well who knows...Hamilton is getting some funding, so maybe an additional line or three can be built here too. I think we have the population and spatial supports, just not the political and societal will. Which is why I think context is so important. It's a lot easier to suggest an expansion in a city that already has a well-functioning system. Anywho, hope things get better here!