I was privileged this morning to talk transit with the Federation of Students at the University of Waterloo. The Feds have identified a number of areas of improvement in bus service and bike infrastructure that they believe would make life in our community better for the 35,000 students they serve, and that would encourage more of them to settle here after they graduate.
The Feds would like to see increases to frequency of bus service, with more heavily used routes running every 10 to 15 minutes. They would like to see expanded hours of service, with buses that feed the iXpress running between 7:30 am and 11 pm. And they would like to see enhanced capacity of service, so that riders aren’t left stranded at stops because buses are too full to accommodate them. The Feds are in full support of the new ION Light Rail Transit, but would like to be consulted by Regional transit planners about future decisions that might affect student ridership.
Many students rely on bikes as their primary method of transportation, and the Feds are recommending that the Region adopt the Ontario Traffic Manual Book 18 on Cycling Facilities, and take other measures to ensure the safety of cyclists.
The Feds’ transit goals align closely with the priorities I’ve heard expressed by low-income working people elsewhere in our community. Many spend hours each day commuting to and from their jobs by bus. Others can’t use public transit at all because of the location or hours of their work. Some have even told me they’ve turned down shift work because they simply can’t afford to own the car they’d need to get there.
I’m grateful to the Federation of Students for sharing with me, and I’m pleased to say that I support their recommendations.
The Feds would like to see increases to frequency of bus service, with more heavily used routes running every 10 to 15 minutes. They would like to see expanded hours of service, with buses that feed the iXpress running between 7:30 am and 11 pm. And they would like to see enhanced capacity of service, so that riders aren’t left stranded at stops because buses are too full to accommodate them. The Feds are in full support of the new ION Light Rail Transit, but would like to be consulted by Regional transit planners about future decisions that might affect student ridership.
Many students rely on bikes as their primary method of transportation, and the Feds are recommending that the Region adopt the Ontario Traffic Manual Book 18 on Cycling Facilities, and take other measures to ensure the safety of cyclists.
The Feds’ transit goals align closely with the priorities I’ve heard expressed by low-income working people elsewhere in our community. Many spend hours each day commuting to and from their jobs by bus. Others can’t use public transit at all because of the location or hours of their work. Some have even told me they’ve turned down shift work because they simply can’t afford to own the car they’d need to get there.
I’m grateful to the Federation of Students for sharing with me, and I’m pleased to say that I support their recommendations.