ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[ac3r]

Well I'm certainly not surprised they'd do this. As to why...I don't really get what possible reason they could have used. It certainly doesn't entice people to use rapid transit if they know for a portion of the year when it's beautiful outside with lots of places to go that they would have an even harder time to get around. People will just use their cars or trucks where it's there whenever they want.

[danbrotherston]

It's amazing. We fight and lobby for years and years to get improvements in service, which go through multiple rounds of public consultation, through multiple council approvals.

And reductions happen in a black fucking box with zero transparency to what the process even is...

[ac3r]

I'd e-mail to ask but I know I'd just get back a "just trust us, bro" reply with zero explanation.

[bravado]

I'm currently listening in on the Region's Zoom call for the latest Official Plan updates and John Lubczinski (a regional planner) specifically talked about Ottawa St as a major east-west route that is to be intensified heavily and even hinted directly at it being the next option for Ion Phase 3. It was interesting, to say the least.

[timc]

Maybe I don't understand how these things work, but isn't the agreed schedule part of the ION contract? Like, didn't we already lay out how much we are paying and figure out the financing for that service level?

[neonjoe]

I'm currently listening in on the Region's Zoom call for the latest Official Plan updates and John Lubczinski (a regional planner) specifically talked about Ottawa St as a major east-west route that is to be intensified heavily and even hinted directly at it being the next option for Ion Phase 3. It was interesting, to say the least.

A full length Ottawa St LRT with Grand River bridge could be a way to bring it to the Airport.

[taylortbb]

Maybe I don't understand how these things work, but isn't the agreed schedule part of the ION contract? Like, didn't we already lay out how much we are paying and figure out the financing for that service level?

No, that's not how the contract was setup. The contract specifies a formula for costing a schedule, the notice periods for schedule changes, etc, but the region retained control over setting the schedule (or at least setting the service levels, exact scheduling may be with Keolis).

The region did budget a certain amount, but that was based on a certain ridership. As ridership is lower than forecast (I don't think we have recovered to full pre-pandemic ridership) they have to either find more money (e.g. raise taxes) or cut service. I think the cut service option is quite short sighted, but with current budget pressures I'm hardly surprised.

[timc]

Didn't we get some money from upper levels of governments to cover pandemic-related costs?

[danbrotherston]

Maybe I don't understand how these things work, but isn't the agreed schedule part of the ION contract? Like, didn't we already lay out how much we are paying and figure out the financing for that service level?

No, that's not how the contract was setup. The contract specifies a formula for costing a schedule, the notice periods for schedule changes, etc, but the region retained control over setting the schedule (or at least setting the service levels, exact scheduling may be with Keolis).

The region did budget a certain amount, but that was based on a certain ridership. As ridership is lower than forecast (I don't think we have recovered to full pre-pandemic ridership) they have to either find more money (e.g. raise taxes) or cut service. I think the cut service option is quite short sighted, but with current budget pressures I'm hardly surprised.

conservative council

Budget pressure are fixed, but how we respond to them isn't. It is the fact that we have a largely conservative council that pushes us to make cuts instead of investments.

That being said, I still want to know why and how this decision was made. Like I said, for a service increase, we are looking at years of public consultation, multiple council votes, yet a reduction is done unilaterally with no input, and AFAIK no vote at council? How is it possible for staff to have this authority. If it was by a council vote, how did it fly under the radar so.

It feels like a very uphill battle. But you folks already know I gave up on fighting the war a while back so you folks know I have sympathy for you. (FWIW...there are similar situations here, train service is being cut, but if I told you from what to what, you'd hate me).

[ac3r]

I'm currently listening in on the Region's Zoom call for the latest Official Plan updates and John Lubczinski (a regional planner) specifically talked about Ottawa St as a major east-west route that is to be intensified heavily and even hinted directly at it being the next option for Ion Phase 3. It was interesting, to say the least.

Ottawa is slowly seeing densification, so it would actually be a viable route to take.

YKF Station, Breslau Station, Grand River Station (as in the rec complex school), Stanley Park Station (the mall), Auditorium Station, maybe King/Ottawa Station to provide a quick link to Borden, turn Mill Station into an interchange, run it down maybe Homer Watson though there's little to develop there unless industrial businesses began to sell, Pioneer Drive Station and Constoga College Station. If I had a magic wand I'd have it continue on over the river along Fountain Street so it could connect Preston Centre and Cambridge Memorial, both of which are not going to be connected to Line 2/the Cambridge extension.

You could always have it skip going south to Conestoga College (down Homer Watson) and carry on Ottawa, but then all it would really connect to are existing single family home neighbourhoods and very popular power centres for shopping, both of which do great business and wouldn't ever redevelop anytime soon. Not good areas for densification...but Home Watson has a lot of industrial areas that could one day be good real estate.

[KevinL]

I'm currently listening in on the Region's Zoom call for the latest Official Plan updates and John Lubczinski (a regional planner) specifically talked about Ottawa St as a major east-west route that is to be intensified heavily and even hinted directly at it being the next option for Ion Phase 3. It was interesting, to say the least.

I've been riding the 205 more and more lately, and this is making sense. The bridge to Breslau option mentioned elsewhere is also a great idea.

What might work well is splitting into two branches from Breslau village, and sending one to the airport and the other to the new GO station.

[Bytor]

Everybody should be flooding Redman and Galloway's emails asking why LRT service cuts were done.

[Bytor]

Don't know where else to post this, but anyways.

After repeated emailing council members and Regional staff of an answer on why LRT service was cut for the summer, I got a bounce back from Peter Zinck's email address. Apparently he has retired as the Director of Transit Services and the new person is now Neil Malcolm.

I can imagine this post-it note on the monitor in Peter 's old office that Neil now gets warning him of me. ;-)

[ac3r]

Everybody should be flooding Redman and Galloway's emails asking why LRT service cuts were done.

I managed to get an answer: https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/...#pid103267

[Bob_McBob]

I managed to get an answer: https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/...#pid103267

What was the answer?