Wonderful Waterloo Archive

This site is maintained by Sam Nabi as a record of the vibrant Wonderful Waterloo community, which was taken offline in 2014. This site is a partial archive, containing some posts from 2009-2013. To read more about the recovery effort and access the data in a machine-readable format, check out the GitHub page.

Moving Forward 2031

Post #303 01-03-2010 03:15 AM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647 WW Meet 2: Saturday May 29 4-7 PM	Moving Forward 2031 Regional Transportation Master Plan Waterloo Region http://www.movingforward2031.ca/ Public Workshop Presentation - Transportation Network Development June 2009: http://www.movingforward2031.ca/down...n_June2009.pdf Existing Transportation System - Context Overview - DRAFT - April 20, 2009: http://www.movingforward2031.ca/down...ANS_SYSTEM.pdf Region of Waterloo TMP Launch Event Video: http://www.movingforward2031.ca/video_1_large.html Draft Reports: http://www.movingforward2031.ca/doc_reports.htm
Post #304 01-03-2010 03:15 AM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647 WW Meet 2: Saturday May 29 4-7 PM	NOTICE OF STUDY COMMENCEMENT Moving Forward 2031 Regional Transportation Master Plan The Region of Waterloo is initiating a study to develop a new Regional Transportation Master Plan (RTMP) to guide the development of the transportation system in the region for all modes to the year 2031. The RTMP addresses all aspects of the transportation of people and goods within the region. In the course of producing a new RTMP, the study will incorporate a consultative public process to scope issues, develop a transportation vision, forecast future travel demands, identify deficiencies, recommend new transportation facilities, establish priorities and develop an action plan for implementation. A key component of the study will be public consultation through five rounds of Public Forums. These Public Forums will provide members of the public with an opportunity to meet the Project Team, review the study scope and discuss issues related to the project including the policy framework, environmental considerations, travel demand management, transit strategies and network deficiencies. Watch for details regarding the upcoming Public Forums and other project events on the project website www.movingforward2031.ca. Information requests or questions may be directed to: The Moving Forward Team Region of Waterloo 150 Frederick St., 8th Floor Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4J3 Phone: 519-575-4572 Fax: 519-575-4449 Email: movingforward@region.waterloo.on.ca
Post #305 01-03-2010 03:16 AM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647 WW Meet 2: Saturday May 29 4-7 PM	WATERLOO REGION: What Moves You? Where : Delta Kitchener, 105 King St. E., Kitchener When: Thursday, November 22, 2007 Who: Open Invitation, including Regional and Municipal Councilors, area residents, local employees, and business owners (RSVP will be requested) Evening Agenda: 6:00 p.m. Registration and Open House 6:45 p.m. Welcome and Multimedia Presentation 7:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker – Glen Murray (former Mayor of the City of Winnipeg and Chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and Energy ) 7:45 p.m. Panel Discussion Jody Decker, WLU (Cultural Heritage) Glenn Ferguson, Intrinsik (Human Health) Graham Vincent, Region of Waterloo (Transportation) 8:15 p.m. Roundtable Discussions 8:45 p.m. Closing Remarks
Post #306 01-03-2010 03:16 AM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647 WW Meet 2: Saturday May 29 4-7 PM	Transportation review travels down the road to 2031 November 24, 2007 JEFF OUTHIT - RECORD STAFF http://news.therecord.com/article/273892 Local politicians have launched another major review of how we get around, just eight years after completing the last one. Moving Forward 2031 is critical to economic success and quality of life. We are all on the move every day. Communities thrive or falter, based on how effectively people and products can get from A to B. Transportation reviews are often conducted every 15 years. A study done here in 1984 was followed by one completed in 1999. But the pace of change is faster now. The last review is already outdated. The 1999 plan looked to 2016. It concluded that the car is king here, that this is not going to change soon, and that trying to force drivers from their cars, by not building more roads, would not work. Accordingly, it recommended: Various road expansions. Doubling the number of people taking transit, riding bicycles and walking, in order to limit automobile growth to 32 per cent. Otherwise, traffic would soar 43 per cent. This was a sensible plan and it's been working. Road upgrades have been completed or are underway, to handle increasing traffic. Transit ridership is on track to double by 2016. So what's changed in just eight years, and why do we need to look at this again? The underlying premise is still sound. The car still rules. We own more cars than people in most Canadian cities and we drive them more often. Looking to 2031, people will not accept a plan that ends road-building. However: There's a heightened awareness that driving damages the environment, in particular air quality. There's new interest in rapid transit, which is being studied after being ruled out as premature in 1999. There's a stronger recognition that how we get around has an impact on how we use land, which in turn shapes our quality of life. Senior governments have started funding roads and transit again, and the province has ordered the region to become more compact. The takeover of public transit by regional government, in 2000, opens the door to a more co-ordinated and vigorous transit expansion. The latest transportation review, launched last Thursday at a splashy public event, is expected to conclude in 2009. You can find details at www.movingforward2031.ca. What's likely to emerge is a measured road expansion, plus a stronger push to make public transit faster and more convenient, to lure more drivers from their cars. This will be expensive. But more people will choose transit if it meets their transportation needs. The wrong approach would be to stop building roads, force more gridlock, and lecture drivers about how they're killing the planet. People don't deserve to be hectored about how they choose to get around. They deserve better options.
Post #307 01-03-2010 03:20 AM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647 WW Meet 2: Saturday May 29 4-7 PM	In the region, car is king, but that should change February 09, 2008 JEFF OUTHIT, RECORD STAFF http://news.therecord.com/article/306819 Luring residents from their cars is a worthy goal. It helps to curb air pollution, fight global warming, and improve public health. How to achieve this will be tackled at transportation workshops held this month by regional government. Planners are seeking public advice on "how walking, cycling, transit, roads and highways will fit into our vision" for 2031. Note how roads are mentioned last. The reality is they always come first, because the car is king. The latest proof comes in a new study by Statistics Canada. It found 81 per cent of local adults travelled by car for every trip they made, on a day in 2005 when their travel habits were recorded. This is one of the highest driving rates in Canada. Among eight bigger cities, the closest was Edmonton, where 77 per cent drove everywhere. In eight mid-sized cities that are more our size, 75 per cent drove everywhere, on average. This group includes Hamilton, London, and Windsor. Statistics Canada has also found that in 2006, 86 per cent of local households owned or leased a motor vehicle. This is the highest ownership rate in Ontario, matched by Windsor and St. Catharines. In only three Canadian cities are residents more likely to have cars: Saskatoon, Abbotsford B.C., and Gatineau Que., which is near Ottawa. Why are we so addicted to driving? Many local residents live in suburban neighbourhoods, where homes are segregated from faraway jobs and shops. People can't reasonably walk or cycle to work or to the store. Buses are just too infrequent to be useful. This is partly because the community is too sprawling to support an efficient transit system. Also, getting around by car remains fairly easy. People gripe about traffic, but this community is not plagued by widespread congestion. Rather, it has pockets of congestion in Cambridge, where the road network is underbuilt, and it has a few bottlenecks in Kitchener. Ontario benchmarks show local roads carry fewer cars than many comparable Ontario cities, including Windsor, Hamilton, London, Mississauga, Thunder Bay, Toronto and York. Looking ahead to 2031, let's hope reasonable ways can be proposed to get people out of their cars. For more information on the upcoming workshops go to www.movingforward2031.ca But remember, Waterloo Region residents drive everywhere, almost all the time, more than almost anybody else in Canada. It's wishful thinking to expect them to stop any time soon. Road Ahead is a weekly column on traffic and transportation issues. Jeff Outhit can be reached at 519-894-2250 ext. 2654 or jouthit@therecord.com INSIDE MORE ON THE FUTURE OF TRANSIT IN THE REGION - B2
Post #308 01-03-2010 03:29 AM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647 WW Meet 2: Saturday May 29 4-7 PM	MOVING FORWARD 2031 - REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN UPDATE AND JUNE 2009 PUBLIC WORKSHOPS June 2, 2009 http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web/region.nsf/8ef02c0fded0c82a85256e590071a3ce/F9E1FB94C3DFA5D6852575C5004DE58F/$file/P-09-053.pdf?openelement SUMMARY: The Region of Waterloo’s “Moving Forward 2031 – Regional Transportation Master Plan” Study (RTMP) is continuing with additional public input at the next series of public events. These events are specifically designed to gain feedback on the proposed study direction for transit ridership targets, future preliminary transportation alternative networks, along with the proposed evaluation criteria. There have been several public events to confirm our workplan and major goals and objectives to guide the development of the remainder of the plan. A future preliminary network analysis shows that, without further enhancements to our transit system, at least 100 additional lanes of traffic will be required, which would be equivalent to 16 six-lane arterials (similar to Hespeler and Fairway Roads) to accommodate our future travel demands. This amount of road construction is impractical for the following reasons: Construction, rehabilitation, maintenance and land costs would be extensive; A limited ability to widen or build new roads within narrow existing road allowances; Social impacts, including neighbourhood division by wider roads; Impacts on the natural environment and cultural heritage resources; Impacts on health by decreasing air quality and discouraging active travel, including cycling and walking; Large amounts of valuable land would be needed for widening and building new roads; and, Extensive road construction that encourages outward growth. Therefore, the Regional Transportation Master Plan is proposing a more focused transit oriented network with strategic road improvements, while encouraging more cycling and walking. It is recognized that the automobile will continue to be a prominent mode of travel and this approach will not eliminate the need for road improvements, but will reduce the amount of road construction required to about 34 lanes to accommodate future travel demands. Several preliminary alternative networks have been developed along with a set of evaluation criteria to assess the effectiveness of each network. A series of workshops are planned to gain public input on these preliminary alternatives and evaluation criteria. The workshops will be held on June 9, 11, and 16, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo, respectively. Notifications of these workshops have been placed in all local newspapers. Input received from these events will be key when continuing the development and assessment of our preliminary alternative transportation networks.
Post #309 01-03-2010 03:48 AM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647 WW Meet 2: Saturday May 29 4-7 PM	Public Workshop #3 http://www.movingforward2031.ca/consult_pw3.htm Public Workshop #3 will be held on: Tuesday, June 9, 2009 (Cambridge) Thursday, June 11, 2009 (Kitchener) Tuesday, June 16, 2009 (Waterloo) For more information see Public Workshop Notice Public Workshop #3 Notice Public Workshop #3 Comment Sheet Public Workshop #3 Goals & Objectives Public Workshop #3 Presentation Public Workshop #3 Booklet
Post #4295 04-09-2010 08:57 PM RangersFan Economic Moderator Date Jan 2010 Location Waterloo Posts 447	Big plan, big costs, big questions April 09, 2010 Road Ahead column by Jeff Outhit Regional council is expected to vote this spring on a 20-year plan to get more of us out of our cars, at a cost of $4 billion funded by regular tax increases. The price tag includes $1.5 billion to expand and maintain roads and $2.5 billion to expand and operate rapid transit and regular buses. This estimate does not include $790 million to build a proposed rapid transit system, consisting of trains in Kitchener and Waterloo and fast buses in Cambridge. Senior governments have yet to agree to pay most construction costs. The transportation plan is meant to guide the community until 2031, when the regional population is expected to reach 729,000. Details are online at www.movingforward2031.ca Public input is welcomed April 13 in Kitchener (St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 54 Queen St. N.) and April 15 in Waterloo (First United Church at 16 William St. W.) Both information sessions are from 6 to 9 p.m. Cambridge had a session April 8. The plan asserts the community will eventually choke on traffic congestion unless we ease up on driving. To generate $4 billion, regional taxes would rise about 1.2 per cent a year for the first five years, and then by 1.5 per cent a year for the next 15 years. Three preliminary issues to keep in mind: Are costs affordable? Planners have proposed easing into heavy transit costs. This delays some transit upgrades and advances some road expansions in the first five years. This is useful fine-tuning but the big question remains: Is it smart to spend two-thirds on transit and one-third on roads? This could be a hard sell. Are transit goals wishful thinking? A survey found 90 per cent of us agree people should drive less often. But half of us see this worthy goal as unachievable, while half think it could actually happen. The plan aims to make us more than three times more likely to ride transit by 2031. Transit would carry 17 per cent of all trips taken, compared to five per cent today. That’s a lifestyle revolution, and then some. It may be far-fetched. Are politicians ready to lead? The plan calls for better sidewalks to encourage walking, yet councillors balked at completing sidewalks on regional roads. The plan calls for higher parking fees to discourage driving, yet councillors provide free parking for regional employees at public expense. If you want to lead, it helps to practise what you preach. Jeff Outhit can be reached at 519-895-5642 or jouthit@therecord.com
Post #4829 04-16-2010 09:03 AM RangersFan Economic Moderator Date Jan 2010 Location Waterloo Posts 447	Originally Posted by leaffan Big plan, big costs, big questions Public input is welcomed April 13 in Kitchener (St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 54 Queen St. N.) and April 15 in Waterloo (First United Church at 16 William St. W.) Both information sessions are from 6 to 9 p.m. Cambridge had a session April 8. Did anyone go to any of these meetings? It would have been an interesting discussion, I would have gone except for work commitments.
Post #4830 04-16-2010 09:26 AM Spokes Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener Posts 2,027	I didn't make it. We have articles about what seems like the same thing in a couple different threads, two were just merged yesterday, am i wrong? Are these the same things? (http://www.wonderfulwaterloo.com/sho...-Transit-Plans)
Post #6144 05-04-2010 03:42 PM UrbanWaterloo Senior Moderator Date Dec 2009 Location Kitchener-Waterloo Posts 1,647	Upcoming Public Meetings with Council From: ROW Transportation Planning \| E-mail Received: May 4, 2010 You are receiving this email because of your expressed interest in transportation in Waterloo Region. Regional Council would like to invite all community members to come and share their thoughts on the Implementation Guidelines for the Design of Context-Sensitive Regional Transportation Corridor Guidelines and the Regional Transportation Master Plan at separate public meetings on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. The Regional Transportation Master Plan(RTMP) will determine investment priorities and supporting policy for transportation over the next 20 years. The RTMP has been conducted as a multi-step process, and results from each step have been shared with the public for input and brought to Regional Council. Please see below for all information regarding times, registering to appear as a delegation in front of Council,and how to find out more about these projects. Moving Forward 2031: Preferred Regional Transportation Master Plan Date: May 18, 2010 Time: 7 p.m. Place: Regional Council Chambers - 150 Frederick St., 2nd Floor, Kitchener If you wish to speak at either of these meetings on May 18, 2010, please register in advance by calling the Regional Clerk’s Office at 519-575-4420 by noon on Thursday, May 13, 2010. For more information about the Regional Transportation Master Plan, see the website here: http://www.movingforward2031.ca/ Thanks again for your continued interest in the future of transportation in Waterloo Region.
Post #6496 05-09-2010 09:03 AM RangersFan Economic Moderator Date Jan 2010 Location Waterloo Posts 451	Is anyone planning to attend this meeting?
Post #6857 05-15-2010 02:12 PM taylortbb Senior Member Date Jan 2010 Location Waterloo, Ontario Posts 107 Taylor Byrnes	Originally Posted by RangersFan Is anyone planning to attend this meeting? I am, and I very strongly recommend that everyone else does too. It's one of the most important meetings from a urban agenda perspective. I plan to endorse the Unmodified C plan.