News roundup: January 14, 2025

Here’s the latest in walking, biking, and transit news for Waterloo Region for the last two weeks. Subscribe to get updates delivered directly to your inbox, and you can also follow us on Bluesky and Instagram.

What’s happening

• SURVEY: The City of Kitchener is developing a long-term parking strategy for downtown. A survey is up on EngageWR until January 31 (City of Kitchener)
• VOTE: WLU undergraduate students should plan to vote between January 28 and January 30 in student union elections which include renewal of the U-pass program (Laurier Students’ Union)

Walking, biking, and streets

• Waterloo has highest walk share after Toronto in 2022 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (The Record)
• Bill 197, Safer Roads and Communities Act, 2024 (Legislative Assembly of Ontario)
  • Ontario toughens penalties for impaired driving, stunt driving, racing, and motor vehicle theft (CBC)
  • Removes the term “power-assisted bicycle” and its related provisions. Replaced with new regulation-making powers that can establish vehicle classes and rules respecting these classes as needed. The implications are not yet known for e-bikes in Ontario.
  • Ontario backgrounder on the bill from May
• Cambridge mother advocates for safe sidewalks this winter for everyone (The Record)

Transit

• Laurier U-pass program renewal to be voted on by undergraduate and graduate students in upcoming referenda (Region of Waterloo agenda)
• Ford directs Metrolinx to study GO Transit expansion by diverting freight rails (CBC)
• Grand River Transit is celebrating 25 years since being formed from Kitchener Transit and Cambridge Transit (GRT)

The shape of our cities

• The Region’s Central Transit Corridor monitoring report shows the population in the corridor increased by 7.8% in 2023 compared with 3.1% outside it, and 28% of new construction was in the corridor (Region of Waterloo agenda)
• Tenant group rallies to support an anti-renoviction by-law in Kitchener (The Record, CTV News)
• City of Kitchener’s new lodging house by-law takes effect, with changes to licensing and safety measures (City of Kitchener)
• Settlement reached for a 13-year appeal of a 1000+ unit housing project in Cambridge (The Record)

Elsewhere

Transit operations

• A private bus service offering $10 one-way rides between Haldimand County and Hamilton has ceased operations three months into a pilot project, due to low ridership and lack of revenue (Simcoe Reformer)
• City of London is moving to hire an outside auditor to study London transit operations, with deputy mayor suggesting city should have more direct control over transit operations (CBC)
• Transit advocacy group criticizes City of Windsor’s tabled budget’s $0 transit investment and possible cuts to Windsor-Detroit tunnel bus (Activate Transit Windsor-Essex, Windsor Star, CBC)

Transit and road infrastructure:

• Congestion pricing starts in New York City, already improving bus travel times (Daily Record, StreetsBlogNYC)
• Delays and Trudeau’s resignation threaten Toronto-Quebec City high-frequency rail (CP24)
• Ford considering buying back Highway 407, still talking about a tunnel under 401 (CityNews Kitchener, Global News, CBC)
• TTC budget anticipates Finch West LRT August opening, but Metrolinx says it can’t confirm (CBC)
• Cost of infrastructure work in London rising twice as fast as Toronto according to Non-Residential Construction Price Index (NRCPI) over the past year (London: 6.6%, Toronto: 3.3%) (CTV News London)
• Ballooning costs for some of B.C.’s biggest infrastructure projects reignite debate over union requirements and community benefits agreements. (Vancouver Sun)
• Canadian transit projects, mired in delays and cost overruns, force a rethink on what’s gone wrong (The Globe and Mail)

Walking, biking, and streets

• More than half of Toronto drivers in U of T study didn’t look for cyclists and pedestrians before turning right (University of Toronto)
• A UBC study finds a four-fold increase in e-bikes and e-scooters in bike lanes over the last several years in Metro Vancouver (Bike Hub)
• Driverless taxis rolling closer to Toronto (The Star)
• California puts in place new safety regulations for e-bikes (Electrik.co)
• Speed cameras going live in Aberfoyle and Fergus this week (Guelph Today)