News roundup: February 26, 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

• VOTE: Ontario Election Day is this Thursday, February 27, 2025 (ElectionsON)
  • Check out our our election questionnaire responses
  • Remember to bring your ID or voter card.

• ENGAGE: The Region of Waterloo is planning a new multi-use path along Schneider Creek from Block Line Road to Manitou Drive. More information and a survey is open on the new EngageWR site.

• FEEDBACK: A partnership between local municipalities and utilities has released a discussion draft of High-Performance Development Standards on environmental aspects of larger new developments. A survey is open until March 17.

Walking, biking, and streets

• Regional staff analysis of the 2022 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) shows increases in walking and biking rates. Staff also look at the dip in transit use in TTS data in light of the Region’s own transit ridership data. The TTS was done during the COVID pandemic, and GRT ridership recovered afterwards. (Region of Waterloo report)

• City of Waterloo staff report shows their speed reduction program has reduced speeds by 4-5 km/h on targeted streets. (City of Waterloo report, p.49)

• “Does setting slower speed limits on residential streets make them safer?” (Globe and Mail)

• City of Waterloo proposes to take over maintenance of Iron Horse Trail section between Park and Caroline streets from the nearby condo corporation. (City of Waterloo report, p.75)

• Snow Removal:

  • “How much does snow removal cost cities in the Region of Waterloo?” (CTV News)

  • “Kitchener and Waterloo extend snow events indefinitely as crews deal with ‘unprecedented’ amount of snow; parked cars are the main obstacle for crews trying to complete snow removal” (CBC News)

  • “On-street parking still not allowed as teams report exhaustion: Hundreds of city workers and contracted plow crews have been working around the clock over the past week clearing snow.” (City News)

  • “People with mobility issues struggle to navigate sidewalks as cities rush to clear snow” (CBC News)

Transit

• In separate referenda, WLU’s undergraduate and graduate students voted in favour of renewing their U-pass agreements with Grand River Transit. 76% of undergraduate votes and 66% of graduate votes were in favour. The GSA also shared historical ridership data from GRT for all Laurier students on the U-pass. (Region of Waterloo, WLUGSA)

• Waterloo Region releases a set of provincial election priorities to become “one-million ready”, which include more investment in transit projects and a new deal for municipal funding. (Region of Waterloo)

• Federal government advances plans for high-speed rail along Toronto to Quebec City corridor (Prime Minister of Canada, CBC News, Globe and Mail)

  • “‘Disappointed’: No high-speed rail coming to Windsor or Southwestern Ontario… Yet” (CTV News)

  • “NDP warns privatizing high-speed rail from Toronto to Quebec could kill passenger trains in rest of Canada” (CBC News)

• Ontario Liberals release transit plan for GTHA (Ontario Liberal Party)

The shape of our cities

• The Narwhal and The Record have learned the Wilmot farmland assembly is for a possible Toyota site (The Narwhal)

• “28-Storey Tower Proposed Along Kitchener’s Growing ION LRT Corridor” (UrbanToronto)

• City of Waterloo proposes to purchase church property on Lincoln Road in order to build affordable housing with good transit access (City of Waterloo report, p.9; The Record)

Elsewhere

• “We asked three experts about Doug Ford’s plan to build a Highway 401 tunnel. Here’s why it won’t stop congestion and why you might be retired before it’s done (Toronto Star)

• “After nearly a century, end of road for Windsor-Detroit tunnel bus after council vote” (Windsor Star)

• “A prize worth pursuing: has Elizabeth line shown what rail investment can achieve? Project has smashed forecasts on passenger numbers and created a story of regeneration along its route.” (The Guardian)

• “Sustainable Transportation Research Is Snagged In Trump’s Anti-‘DEI’ Dragnet” (Streetsblog USA)

• “Mobility scooter user calls out Guelph Transit after claiming to be stuck at a stop” (CTV News)

• NYC: “Congestion Pricing Reduced Traffic. Now It’s Hitting Revenue Goals.” (NYTimes)

• Edmonton: “’Record-setting’ boom in development driven by new zoning rules and new LRT” (CBC)