ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Rainrider22]

Just finished reading another horrible and negative opinion piece by Peter Taylor who always has to qualify himself as the contributing editor at Maclean's magazine (like this should make his opinion more valid)

https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/...-the-hero/

While he does make some valid points, his negativity and almost hopeful failure of the project so he can say "I told you so", out weighs any ability for me to take him seriously. I used to read Maclean's but refuse to now solely based on his continued negative opinion pieces in The Record. I may soon have to stop reading The Record if they continue to utilize him...

[plam]

Just finished reading another horrible and negative opinion piece by Peter Taylor who always has to qualify himself as the contributing editor at Maclean's magazine (like this should make his opinion more valid) 

https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/...-the-hero/ 

While he does make some valid points, his negativity and almost hopeful failure of the project so he can say "I told you so", out weighs any ability for me to take him seriously.  I used to read Maclean's but refuse to now solely based on his continued negative opinion pieces in The Record.  I may soon have to stop reading The Record if they continue to utilize him...

It's probably an op-ed, i.e. not commissioned by The Record. They did decide to run it...

[KevinL]

Mike Boos did an excellent dissection of that column this morning.

<twitter> https://www.twitter.com/mikeboos/status/...1648513026 </twitter>

[ijmorlan]

Just finished reading another horrible and negative opinion piece by Peter Taylor who always has to qualify himself as the contributing editor at Maclean's magazine (like this should make his opinion more valid) 

Every author in the Record (and many other publications) has a brief description which appears at the head or foot of their articles. His is hardly atypical.

Other than that, yeah, it’s a pretty dumb article. The headline point is actually true: we can’t really tell yet how successful it is; we’ll see what ridership both on Ion and on the whole public transit system is around the end of the year. But the overall tone has the same passive-aggressive negativity that we all know and love from Jeff Outhit’s articles.

He should have left out that stupid “mall-to-mall” phrase: it’s idiotic.

Also I have to disagree with the quoted planning professor and others who say the same thing, that Ion is not to move people but to shape development patterns. It can only shape development patterns if it moves people. The fact that it can shape development patterns is a reason to build it even if current ridership doesn’t truly justify an LRT rather than a bus, but even there the purpose of building it is to move lots of people in the future who choose where to live partly because LRT is available.

[MidTowner]

I likewise agreed with the title but not much else. We'll see if it's a success at year four and year ten. But it is a success on day one- without having had the ability to carry passengers before operating, it has nevertheless attracted development, which is a secondary objective.

It's hard not to be a bit offended when people suggest that only students use transit in Waterloo Region. I don't understand people's insistence that this is the case. Plenty of us use it for all kinds of different reasons, and not "reluctantly."

[KevinT]

[Rainrider22]

I likewise agreed with the title but not much else. We'll see if it's a success at year four and year ten. But it is a success on day one- without having had the ability to carry passengers before operating, it has nevertheless attracted development, which is a secondary objective.

It's hard not to be a bit offended when people suggest that only students use transit in Waterloo Region. I don't understand people's insistence that this is the case. Plenty of us use it for all kinds of different reasons, and not "reluctantly."

You nailed it.  It is this attitude which creates a stigma for transit users.  I wish I could use it more...

[jeffster]

I likewise agreed with the title but not much else. We'll see if it's a success at year four and year ten. But it is a success on day one- without having had the ability to carry passengers before operating, it has nevertheless attracted development, which is a secondary objective.

It's hard not to be a bit offended when people suggest that only students use transit in Waterloo Region. I don't understand people's insistence that this is the case. Plenty of us use it for all kinds of different reasons, and not "reluctantly."

You nailed it.  It is this attitude which creates a stigma for transit users.  I wish I could use it more...

Ok, so I'll put it out there: even it was semi-true, isn't that the point? Why does it matter who uses it? So what if it was 75% student? They be people too!

That said, I truly believe that the Ion is going to be a game changer for the region, much like the 401 was a game changer for Ontario, and the Expressway a game changer for K-W.

Having gone onto the Ion, I feel much more inclined to ride it again, if for anything a day trip. I can see it being a game changer for people that decide to live and work close to the Ion route, and ditch the car entirely, a much better ride than the bus, and I am glad we never to BRT, even if it was similar to what Ottawa had.

[timio]

My family walked from our home to the nearest 204 stop, went downtown, transferred to Ion, and then had a picnic lunch in Waterloo Park on Monday. We have a car and could have driven there in a fraction of the time, but as an outing, it was fun and environmentally sustainable.
We plan on doing it again, even now that it's no longer free.

This is the type of use that I can see others who are not transit users doing. It's now part of the adventure instead of just a means to get somewhere.

[Bob_McBob]

You nailed it.  It is this attitude which creates a stigma for transit users.  I wish I could use it more...

Ok, so I'll put it out there: even it was semi-true, isn't that the point? Why does it matter who uses it? So what if it was 75% student? They be people too!

It matters to the people who say it because they believe students don't pay any taxes and are getting a massive free ride from actual taxpayers. Just like everyone who claims cyclists don't pay for roads but drivers pay some mysterious "road tax" that completely covers the cost of the infrastructure. A lot of the general public is profoundly ignorant about this sort of thing and doesn't want to hear anything that doesn't confirm their preconceived notions about all the members of society they look down on.

[bgb_ca]

I had my first encounter with a fare inspector on my way home. He just walked up and asked for the proof of fare. No one gave them any grief. I just handed my easygo card, they tapped on some tablet thingy and handed it back.

[jeffster]

Ok, so I'll put it out there: even it was semi-true, isn't that the point? Why does it matter who uses it? So what if it was 75% student? They be people too!

It matters to the people who say it because they believe students don't pay any taxes and are getting a massive free ride from actual taxpayers. Just like everyone who claims cyclists don't pay for roads but drivers pay some mysterious "road tax" that completely covers the cost of the infrastructure. A lot of the general public is profoundly ignorant about this sort of thing and doesn't want to hear anything that doesn't confirm their preconceived notions about all the members of society they look down on.

The way I see it is that these students, especially any that are in high school and close to the line (Cameron Heights, St. Mary's, KCI -- maybe to a lesser extent WCI) will benefit greatly using the Ion, and many will make decisions on where to live and work based on their experience, which I'd assume would be fairly positive. As for University and College kids, their positive experience will also be huge factors for them. It is sad, though, that many can't see that.

[MidTowner]

You nailed it.  It is this attitude which creates a stigma for transit users.  I wish I could use it more...

Ok, so I'll put it out there: even it was semi-true, isn't that the point? Why does it matter who uses it? So what if it was 75% student? They be people too!

The line from the article was "given the great reluctance of anyone other than students to ride the existing transit system." That suggests both that the lion's share of ridership is students (it's a little less than half), and that the small relative number of other people who use it do so "reluctantly." This all has to do with the arguments about "choice" ridership, and to what extent our transit system should be lifeline.

I'll answer your question "Why does it matter who uses it?" It matters because different people want different types of service. If you buy the author's argument and believe ridership is 75% student (it's not), and that the remainder of the people are on there because they have little choice, then you'll support service a certain way. And that would make sense, if it were true. That matters to me, because I want to take transit, I want good transit service, I'm a commuter not a student, and I don't live near the Universities.

[timio]

What happened to the documentary?

It was screened at KPL the other night with a second screening for tomorrow.

[Acitta]

What happened to the documentary?

It was screened at KPL the other night with a second screening for tomorrow.

 It was really well done. Worth seeing. Here is the information. Free Flicks: Growing Up: The Story of ION Light Rail in Waterloo Region
It will uploaded to YouTube sometime in the future, they said at the first screening.