Feb 27, 2014 - preferred team recommendation. Transit Ridership on Track. A progress report on the Regional ... infrastr
ION Update February 2014 As 2014 progresses and we are closer to the start of ION construction, residents, business owners and stakeholders are encouraged to stay connected to our social media channels for the latest news and information on everything IONrelated in the Region of Waterloo. If you have questions or feedback on our update, please email
[email protected]
ION In The News “I’ll never give up my car, others say – not realizing that investing in more transit, not less, is the best way to preserve their hassle-free drive and prevent gridlock.” Anthony Reinhart from his February 13 Communitech column
Staff to Recommend Preferred Team On March 4, staff will recommend a preferred team to Council to design, build, finance, operate and maintain Stage 1 ION light rail transit (LRT). The recommendation, which is an exciting and significant next step, follows a comprehensive evaluation process of each of the submissions from the three short-listed teams. The preferred team will be identified in a Council report that will be available on the ION website and social media channels shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday, February 28. Planning and Works Committee will then discuss the report on Tuesday, March 4 at 3 p.m. Council will make a final decision on the preferred team on Wednesday, March 19. Stay connected to the ION website and social media channels for up-to-date information on the preferred team recommendation.
Transit Ridership on Track A progress report on the Regional Transportation Master Plan (RTMP) contains several interesting references to ION. The report, published on the Region’s website, indicates that transit ridership is already positioned to support ION, well in advance of the service launch in 2017. The projected year one daily ridership (number of rides per day) on ION is 25,000. Today, Route 7 and iXpress (which travel between Fairview Park Mall and Conestoga Mall) carry approximately 20,000 daily rides. The importance of active transportation in the Region was also highlighted in the report, as it confirmed that walking and cycling remain key modes of travel for residents within our community. Since 2006, cycling facilities on Regional roads (including on-road bike lanes,
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multi-use trails, shared lanes and paved shoulders) have nearly doubled, from 149 km to 289 km. Region-wide, the goal is to increase the share of walking and cycling during the afternoon rush hour from 7.8% in 2006 to 12.0% in 2031. Many ION stops are located close to the Region’s vast multi-use trail network and connections with ION will help the Region achieve these active transportation goals. The report also recognized that residents will continue to use their car and a well functioning road network remains critical to the local economy and is a key part of the RTMP and ION.
ION In The News “It’s the largest infrastructure project in the history of the region with the potential for knock-on development benefits years after completion. No wonder the industry is anxiously awaiting news of Waterloo Region’s light rail transit system.” From latest 2014 edition of the Grand Valley Construction Association’s Journal, which ranked ION as the number one story in 2013
Small Business Workshop a Success More than 50 individuals from the Region’s small business sector signed up for February’s workshop that assisted local business owners in developing marketing plans ahead of ION construction. The workshop was part of a continuing series that sees the Region partner with the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre. Further workshops will continue throughout 2014.
Ainslie Street Design Feedback In advance of ION aBRT, the Region of Waterloo, in partnership with the City of Cambridge, is planning improvements to the Ainslie Street Terminal. Residents are encouraged to join the Region and the City on Thursday February 27, 2014, from 58 p.m. at Cambridge City Hall to provide feedback on these planned improvements. Last summer, the Region received public feedback on how to ensure the transit terminal can be a more comfortable place for pedestrians and passengers. Based on public comments, the Region will present two design options that make the terminal a more comfortable and greener place to be.
Early Construction: Fairway Road Preparation for the burial of the existing overhead infrastructure along the Hydro One corridor that runs close to Fairway Road, from Courtland to Wilson has begun.
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ION will use the Hydro corridor to connect it’s Blockline stop with Fairview Park Mall.
ION Spotlight: Ainslie Street Terminal
Hydro One’s construction will continue until 2015, at which point ION construction will begin. To ensure public safety, the entire multi-use trail between Courtland and Wilson will not be accessible and the trail will be fenced off throughout construction. For more information contact TJ Flynn, ION Communications and Community Relations Coordinator at (519) 574-4757, ext 3095.
ION Facts: Regional Growth ION is a region-wide service that will serve the entire community. Currently, Waterloo Region is the fourth largest community in Ontario and the 10th largest in Canada. In fact, the Provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe recently increased its population projection for Waterloo Region from 729,000 to 742,000 by 2031. ION will play an important role in providing public transit to facilitate and manage this growth.
Set to launch in early 2015, ION adapted bus rapid transit (aBRT) service will connect the Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge with Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener. Ainslie Street provides the southern terminal for aBRT and will operate as a major transit hub, providing connections to local bus and iXpress services. Ainslie Street is part of a revitalized historic area of Cambridge and is a short walk to Cambridge City Hall, the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture and Galt’s busy commercial centre. The terminal is also a short bus ride to businesses in Preston and Hespeler. Ainslie Street is the starting point of aBRT where residents can connect to four further locations on Hespeler Road, one at Sportsworld and one at Fairview Park Mall, making up a 17 kilometre transit corridor. The service will run in mixed traffic and will feature queue jumps, bus by-pass shoulders and
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transit signal priority ensuring that ION aBRT remains on-time and operates consistently. The goal of aBRT is to build ridership numbers south of Fairview Mall to ensure funding for Stage 2, as well as encourage development along Hespeler Road. Council has already approved the allocation of $1 million per year for 10 years to enhance ridership and encourage development along the central transit corridor in Cambridge. As part of Stage 2 ION, the Region will convert the aBRT service to LRT, creating a 37 kilometre route of 23 stops between Cambridge and Waterloo.
About ION ION, the Region’s rapid transit service, as approved by Council in June 2011, is a visionary plan that will fundamentally shape our community for the future by bringing LRT in two stages. Stage 1, which is expected to open in 2017, includes a 19 km LRT route from Conestoga Mall to Fairview Park Mall, with stops in Downtown Kitchener, Grand River Hospital, UpTown Waterloo, both Universities and Waterloo Park. It also features a 17 km route of adapted Bus Rapid Transit (aBRT) from Fairview Park Mall to the Ainslie Street Terminal, with four stops along Hespeler Road. The aBRT service will begin operating in early 2015. Stage 2 will convert the aBRT line to LRT, creating a seamless 37 km ION service of 23 stops between Cambridge and Waterloo.
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