News roundup: January 29, 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 by January 30 in student union elections which include renewal of the U-pass program (Laurier Students’ Union)
• ENGAGE: Cambridge is planning to reconstruct part of Main Street, including adding a multi-use path on one side. An info centre will be held on February 12, and a survey is open until February 26. (EngageWR)

Walking, biking, and streets

• Opinion: It’s sheer luck more pedestrians haven’t been hit crossing ‘Ira Needles Racetrack’ (The Record)
• Region of Waterloo staff are working on a proposal for a new off-street multi-use path connecting Block Line Road and Manitou Drive (Region of Waterloo committee agenda)
• The Region is working on a redesign of the southernmost section of Westmount Road, and the new designs show much improved bike infrastructure facilities with boulevard-protected cycle tracks and a protected intersection design elements (Region of Waterloo committee agenda)
• Region recognized after Fischer-Hallman road works uncover indigenous artifacts (CityNews) and archaeological dig affects timelines for east boundary road construction in Cambridge (The Record)

Transit

• Ion stage 2 business plan to consider a BRT option as well, but councillors are cold to that idea (The Record)
• Calls for better GO Train service after delays keep Kitchener boy from first Maple Leafs game (CTV News)
• Ontario government to tunnel Brampton portion of Hazel McCallion LRT (CityNews Toronto)
• How a Toronto GO train station almost got renamed after an online gambling site (CBC News - Youtube)
• Metrolinx to have Alstom overhaul 181 bi-level cars (Ontario) and Ontario Northland refurbish 121 more (Ontario). Metrolinx also awarding a contract for at least 80 more buses from the same company that has built its entire bus fleet (MCI)

The shape of our cities

• Short-term rental property bylaw changed in Waterloo (CityNews) (City of Waterloo Council Summary)
• More properties sold to the region as fight for farmland grows: A new organization called the Wilmot Civic Action Network have created a documentary on the Wilmot Land Assembly (CityNews Kitchener)
• City of Waterloo action under Housing Accelerator Fund would reduce parking requirements for affordable housing with a series of rules, but won’t just remove them. (City of Waterloo council packet, p.37)
• City of Kitchener holding a public hearing on its Hidden Valley Land Use official plan amendment – updates include increased area designated high-rise residential near the ION stage 2 route, though without a station (City of Kitchener agenda)
• Region of Waterloo Airport again hits passenger record in 2024 (Region of Waterloo)
• Federal government signs deal with Waterloo Region to house homeless (CityNews Kitchener)
• ‘Conestoga effect’ drives Waterloo Region population estimate past 700,000 people in 2024 (The Record)
• Developing in southwest Kitchener: ‘It’s distressing to be building housing on top of our scarce water resources’ (The Record)
• Waterloo Region’s housing starts have been falling (The Record)

Elsewhere

Streets, roads, and more

• Sarnia council OK’s Michigan Avenue ‘road diet,’ bike lanes – but requires provincial approval (The Observer)
• Ford government moving ahead with engineering work on Toronto bike lane removals (CityNews)
• Ontario NDP would look to purchase Highway 407 and remove tolls if they win (Global News)
• EVs are now more expensive for Canadians with less rebates (CBC News)
• First 14 months of speed cameras in Guelph nets 14K tickets and reduced speeds (Guelph Today)
• Congestion Relief Zone is Also a Crash Relief Zone: Data (NYC Streetsblog)
• The story behind the NYC congestion pricing tracker (The Verge)
• Feds scrap Pickering Airport plans and use the lands to expand Rouge National Urban Park (The Narwhal)

Transit

• SNC-Lavalin, now AtkinsRéalis, facing $100M in legal claims in Ottawa from Trillium contractors (CBC News)
• $3 million asked for to study $1bn gondola transit system for Oshawa (Durham Post)
• Ontario transit projects are some of the biggest infrastructure projects in Canada (ReNew Canada)
• Activate Transit Windsor-Essex rallied to save the Windsor-Detroit tunnel bus (AM 800) and council voted to save it with higher fares (Activate Transit Windsor Essex) but the mayor may still override it (Windsor Star)
• Opinion: We get the transportation networks that we ask for. So let’s ask for better (The Globe and Mail)
• Opinion: What North America can learn from the greatest transportation system in the world: Switzerland. (The Globe and Mail)