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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 - bravado - 10-15-2025
If transit isn’t even available for most, how do you know people just love to drive so much? There aren’t any alternatives.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - danbrotherston - 10-15-2025
(10-15-2025, 07:13 AM)Momo26 Wrote: Hard to disagree with that...in north America especially, people use public transit because they have to, not because they want to lol
In 90% (approx) of Can and USA, public transit isn't even an option.
Why does it matter if 90% of the country (low estimate) does not have public transit? Those places have no people. The majority of Canadians live in large and midsized cities where transit is available and is an option with varying degrees of trade offs. Large cities (most people) have a reasonable transit option
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - tomh009 - 10-15-2025
(10-14-2025, 05:56 PM)ac3r Wrote: Because as you increase capacity and headways, ridership generally goes up. Single LRVs that are standing room only half of the day and 10-15 minute frequencies isn't really enticing anyone to leave their cars in the driveway, especially if they've gotta rely on the loser cruisers to get to and from the stations which themselves had abysmal schedules. I'd guess at least 90-95% of passengers only use it because they have to, not because they want to.
Headways, sure. But vast majority of the time there are seats available for nearly everyone on the train.
And I don't think most subways (which you think we should have built) have seats for everyone, either.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - MidTowner - 10-15-2025
Saying people "have to" use transit is not very meaningful. In reality, people weigh a number of different factors when deciding. They decide what given trade offs are worth to them.
Demand for transit, for most people, is elastic. Demand will be induced by better service, whatever other factors, and the value of the trade-offs between transit and other modes. Only very few people will take transit if it is truly terrible (which it isn't in most of our region). And of course a few will insist on driving no matter how much better transit is.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - plam - 10-15-2025
(10-15-2025, 03:16 PM)MidTowner Wrote: Saying people "have to" use transit is not very meaningful. In reality, people weigh a number of different factors when deciding. They decide what given trade offs are worth to them.
Demand for transit, for most people, is elastic. Demand will be induced by better service, whatever other factors, and the value of the trade-offs between transit and other modes. Only very few people will take transit if it is truly terrible (which it isn't in most of our region). And of course a few will insist on driving no matter how much better transit is.
It has to be harder to drive (or park), also, which is part of the trade-off. Transit should be more convenient than driving, but that also includes making driving less convenient. Because we can't actually afford to have enough parking.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - MidTowner - 10-16-2025
(10-15-2025, 07:30 PM)plam Wrote:(10-15-2025, 03:16 PM)MidTowner Wrote: Saying people "have to" use transit is not very meaningful. In reality, people weigh a number of different factors when deciding. They decide what given trade offs are worth to them.
Demand for transit, for most people, is elastic. Demand will be induced by better service, whatever other factors, and the value of the trade-offs between transit and other modes. Only very few people will take transit if it is truly terrible (which it isn't in most of our region). And of course a few will insist on driving no matter how much better transit is.
It has to be harder to drive (or park), also, which is part of the trade-off. Transit should be more convenient than driving, but that also includes making driving less convenient. Because we can't actually afford to have enough parking.
Yes, showing people the true cost of parking and charging it to the people parking their cars would be a good development.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - bravado - 10-16-2025
It seems like a lot of our problems come from the fact that it’s politically valuable to hide the subsidies that people get when those people are electorally powerful. If people had the truth about the actual costs of housing and transportation types, we might make different choices in the macro.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - danbrotherston - 10-16-2025
(10-16-2025, 02:08 PM)bravado Wrote: It seems like a lot of our problems come from the fact that it’s politically valuable to hide the subsidies that people get when those people are electorally powerful. If people had the truth about the actual costs of housing and transportation types, we might make different choices in the macro.
Ironically our current city of residence, Amersfoort is having a full on tantrum about the fact the municipal government has started charging for parking permits city wide (most people don't have parking on their property, and rely on street parking).
Or I should say, they were having that tantrum, but now everyone is freaking out that there is a new asylum centre planned...and also being utterly shocked and surprised that there are already two in the city that nobody knew about because it's not a big deal.
Netherlands cities are very different, but the people are the same. People here ask about culture shock and I'm like...uhh...didn't really notice any.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - KevinL - 10-29-2025
Regional staff have collated the results of the survey, which solidly supports LRT on the full route, and are recommending Council proceed with that option.
https://pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=6da8bcbd-3c97-40a4-8ac7-bee2c90d95d9&lang=English&Agenda=Agenda&Item=33&Tab=attachments
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Acitta - 10-29-2025
(10-29-2025, 04:52 PM)KevinL Wrote: Regional staff have collated the results of the survey, which solidly supports LRT on the full route, and are recommending Council proceed with that option.
https://pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=6da8bcbd-3c97-40a4-8ac7-bee2c90d95d9&lang=English&Agenda=Agenda&Item=33&Tab=attachments
Extend LRT all the way to downtown Cambridge, region staff say
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Momo26 - 10-30-2025
https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/region-to-recommend-full-lrt-route-to-cambridge-next-week-11414335
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - ac3r - 11-01-2025
That's a shame but at least I'm no longer a tax payer in this region.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - creative - 11-02-2025
I thought that you said you own a home here.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - creative - 11-03-2025
Did you even read the article. He was stating facts from others, not his opinion. You don’t have to like the article but to label it as a hit job is totally wrong. This is partially what is wrong with our society. We only want to read things that align with our beliefs. This is the same as those that state that the cbc is totally one-side and never watch or follow the cbc.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - creative - 11-03-2025
So I guess that means that you didn’t. Which facts in particular were wrong? I believe that the ION extension is a good thing. The timeframe for its true benefit could be decades. Shoebox and dog crate condos are never coming back. ION phase one was all about boosting development along the line. Moving people was a secondary benefit. Purpose built investment housing is basically dead. Until the government and developers get together and build what people want at an affordable price, nothing other than luxury rentals is going to be built.