Week in review: December 27, 2016

Posted Dec 26, 2016

By Mike Boos

3 min read

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Consultations and feedback deadlines

CBC KW has been interviewing several local elected representatives to talk about the past year. Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky talked about LRT construction, trails, protected bike lanes, and making transit more grid-like, Regional Chair Ken Seiling said ION light rail will give the Region a more European feel, and Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife lamented our sluggish and infrequent GO train service.
Chris Klein shares his insights on how to best affect change when serving on a municipal advisory committee.
The Record serves up an A-Z guide to local politics in 2016.

The Record editorial board makes a surprising, but very much welcome pitch for banning right turns on red lights to reduce collisions with pedestrians.
Lawyer Patrick Brown suggests in the absence of an Ontario vulnerable road users law, that cities declare all of their streets “Community Safety Zones” to provide an added deterrence to speeding and other forms of reckless driving.

Woolwich Council votes against spending more money to expand transit service in the township. A few councillors’ statements seem to betray a lack of understanding of transit - from how much it must be subsidized in low-density areas, to the fallacy of empty buses and the belief that smaller buses can cost considerably less than regular ones.
As GRT prepares for a delayed launch of the EasyGO fare card in the spring, it is figuring out how to best provide cards to social agencies that currently give out paper tickets to residents who need them.
The new Cambridge Centre bus terminal is now open. The ION aBRT route will now be able to operate more directly.
Metrolinx has developed a GO Rail Station Access Plan. It provides several recommendations for improving walking, cycling, and transit access for the Kitchener and Breslau stations (see pages 81-87).
ION light rail construction is now 90% complete, up from 29% at the beginning of the year, but the first ION vehicle which was due to arrive December 21 is now expected in February. With new development charges beginning next year, planned tax increases for light rail will be reduced in 2018 and 2019.
TransitCenter introduces the concept of tactical transit - low cost, temporary improvements to test and deliver enhanced transit corridors in the short term, rather than through extended assessment and procurement processes.

https://twitter.com/theomoudakis/status/812287559845969920

San Fransisco publishes the results of their testing of different styles of protected bike lanes. They recommend lanes that are level with the sidewalk, have a vertical curb, and provide buffer space between both cars and pedestrians.
The Toronto Centre for Active Transportation launches a new study on active transportation best practices for ‘outer ring’ communities outside the Greenbelt. We’re guessing they’ll be watching the future Uptown protected bike lanes with great interest.
Tom Babin shares insights from the Calgary downtown cycle track network pilot, which has now been made permanent.
It’s a small change, but the MTO has expanded its section in the driving manual on how to drive around people cycling.

Uber’s self-driving cars, operating without permission in California, have been caught performing dangerous ‘right hook’ turns in bike lanes.
In response, Linda Bailey, executive director of National Association of City Transportation Officials highlights the dangers of partially automated cars, while Joe Cortright of City Observatory suggests some tongue-in-cheek pedestrian safety “innovations” to avoid inconveniencing passengers of autonomous vehicles.

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