Public transit or a free car? The choice should be obvious

March 04, 2010

By Peter Shawn Taylor

In 2004 two economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis crunched the numbers on a transit situation similar to Waterloo Region. Molly Castelazo and Thomas Garrett examined the massive annual subsidies and government grants required to build and operate St. Louis’ costly MetroLink light rail transit system and found it would have been cheaper to give every low-income rail rider a new car every five years.

Click title to read full article.

LRT Is Not On Track
Klaus Biemann
Union In Politics
CAW 4304

Construction on LRT (Light Rail Transit) was set to begin sometime in 2012 and completed in 2014. The projected cost today runs around $800 million of our tax dollars, or about $1500 for every resident in the Region of Waterloo. At the time of completion in 2014, the overall cost could double to $1.6 billion. A doubling in the projected cost over the construction period is the norm in many capital projects.

LRT would be a public-private partnership. A private consortium would build and operate the system, and your tax dollars will fund it. It is anticipated that LRT would operate at an annual loss of at least $10 million into the foreseeable future. This would represent an added burden to the Regional taxpayer.

How extensive would the system be? This is an area that to date hasn't really been discussed openly by Regional Government. As the plan goes, it is envisioned that tracks will not only go down the middle of King Street, but down the following portions of roadways as well: Weber Street, Erb Street, Northfield Drive, Caroline Street, Courtland Avenue, Charles Street, Duke Street, and Fairway Road. If in fact this is so, one can only imagine the traffic nightmare of continuously crossing over tracks, not to mention that these tracks will seriously affect motorist and pedestrian access to businesses located along those railway corridors.

A strong case for LRT cannot be made. The combined population of Kitchener-Waterloo (approx.340, 000) simply isn't large enough to make such a system sustainable. Kitchener and Waterloo have one of the poorest defined and underused downtown cores of any metropolitan area of comparable size in North America. On a percentage basis and on a per capita basis, workplace usage within the Central Business District (CBD) in Kitchener-Waterloo cannot possibly warrant an extensive LRT as envisioned by Regional Government. Indeed, at peak service, it is anticipated by The Region that triple-articulated, 90-foot long behemoths would transit these tracks approximately every 6 - 7 minutes going each way. How realistic is that?

Some estimates state that even by 2050, the combined population of Kitchener-Waterloo would not make LRT sustainable. In fact, to quote a Mr. Halim, a transportation engineer at Carleton University, he stated in an article: "Advances in web tech and telecommunications will have such a dramatic impact that up to 50% of the urban workforce will work from their homes. Fewer people will travel to work."

If this trend is in fact happening, the rationale behind extensive LRT usage goes down the toilet. To date I must commend the Provincial and Federal Governments for holding off on such a dubious project. At a time of aggressive deficit-cutting measures by both levels of government, it makes absolutely no sense to fork over such a vast amount of money for a project that is bound to fail right at the outset.

In my opinion government funding would be considered a liability and embarrassment as these levels of government seek to explain why so much is being squandered on LRT while other constituents continue hurting economically and financially.

To The Region I say: Get real, do the math.

Klaus Biemann
Degree in Geography,
Class of '74,
University of Waterloo

Train within nowhere- MacLeans.ca

by Paul Wells on Friday, January 29, 2010 2:53pm -

Peter Shawn Taylor has found a transit project so questionable I actually think even I wouldn’t support it: a light rail transit system in the Waterloo, Ont. downtown core.

I’ll let Peter (who often writes editorials, and sometimes articles, for us here at Maclean’s) make his argument for himself.

Peter Shawn Taylor: Waterloo's train to nowhere
(How to tell if Harper's serious about balancing the budget)

Basically the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge triangle is so diffuse there’s no critical mass of LRT ridership. Peter, being a good fiscal hawk, sees this as reason enough not to support any kind of big marquee transit project within Waterloo. I, on the other hand, am an extreme left-wing infrastructure empire-builder, so I have a fallback proposition. What KW really needs is a dramatically expanded transit system for getting people to and from the tri-city area. I believe there are two VIA milk runs per day from Toronto, and they take more than two hours to make the one-hour trip. Even by the existing standards of Go Transit, that’s nonsensical.

High-speed rail to KW, then? Not necessarily. Tripling the standard Via run would be nice. Opening a Go line would be nice. Even opening a dedicated lane on the highway and running a shuttle-bus service would help. Peter, who lives in Waterloo, is skeptical of its City-of-the-Future! self-image. I visit the region frequently enough to strongly suspect it really does have growth potential. But not if it remains hard to get at. So take some of the money that was going to go to LRT within Waterloo and use it for modest but real transit improvements between Toronto and KW. Yes? No? Discuss.

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WILL LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT WORK IN OUR REGION, OR IS THERE A SENSIBLE ALTERNATIVE?

Proposed LRT on King Street @ Pine

"...dangers occur when those who make decisions about the
expenditure of public funds become promoters of a project...
Rather than remaining focused on achieving levels of service within costs that are acceptable to those who pay for these services, decision makers can fall into the trap of ‘boosterism’ that puts ego and status ahead of public interest..."

~Robert Hilton and Christopher Stoney - Dreams, Deception and Delusion:
The Derailing of Ottawa’s Light Rail Transit Plans~

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December 23, 2009
Region considers private partner in rapid transit

WATERLOO REGION — Regional council may seek a private partner to build and operate a proposed rapid transit system costing up to $800 million. Rival grassroots lobby groups agree this is a bad idea.

“I don’t want a private company taking money off the top of the fare box,” said Tim Mollison of the pro-rail Tri-Cities Transport Action Group.

“I think it’s too much of an opportunity for people to pick the taxpayers’ pockets,” said Peter Gay, of the anti-rail Taxpayers for Sensible Transit.

Regional Chair Ken Seiling said council must consider private partners as a condition for seeking federal funding for rapid transit.

“I’m open to take a look at all the options,” he said. “Whatever serves the public the best is what we need to do.”

Potential public-private partnerships, called P3 models by planners, are discussed in a 72-page rapid transit business case that’s being prepared for senior governments. The document was released to The Record in draft form. The business case says a partnership would transfer some financial risks to the private sector. However, the public is likely to hold regional government accountable for rapid transit even if it is built, operated and maintained privately.

Council is proposing rapid transit as an urban renewal scheme to draw jobs and homes to neighbourhoods near stations. The plan calls for electric trains in Kitchener and Waterloo and fast buses in Cambridge. It would open in 2014. Mollison figures electric trains will draw people from their cars and help make the community more compact. Gay favours better buses. He worries trains will be a costly failure in a small community where transit draws few commuters.

The draft business case for rapid transit was written in October. It is being reviewed by federal and provincial officials but has not been submitted in final form to senior governments. It reveals the region is seeking up to $768 million from senior governments to build rapid transit. This includes up to $512 million from the province and up to $256 million from the federal government. Senior governments have pledged to pay most rapid transit costs. The province is currently handing cash to other cities for transit projects, including $600 million to Ottawa this month. No amount has been finalized for the local scheme.

The business case says local taxpayers would pay $23 million to buy property for the route and maintenance yard. They would also pay undetermined overhead costs and consulting and legal fees. As well, council intends to spend up to $10 million to promote transit-related development in Cambridge.

The business case asserts rapid transit is expected to secure 27,000 daily boardings upon launch in 2014. That’s more than double the expected ridership of 11,000 in the same corridor without rapid transit.

“I don’t know where those people are going to come from,” said Gay, who sees wishful thinking in the ridership estimates.

“I think their ridership estimates are ambitious,” Mollison said. “I don’t think that they’re unattainable.”

Mercury news services

Jeff Outhit can be reached at 519-895-5642 or jouthit@therecord.com

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NOVEMBER 14, 2009

TheRecord.com - Local - Size matters for local rail transit

T4ST – TAXPAYERS FOR SENSIBLE TRANSIT

T4ST is a local group of citizens made up of business owners, professionals and regular taxpayers who have joined together to oppose the $800 million LRT proposal for Waterloo Region. They have numerous concerns surrounding the high cost, complications and inappropriateness of light rail transit in our Region.

T4ST held a general meeting at the Delta Hotel on October 20, 2009. Klaus Biemann and I were able to attend this meeting and obtained the following information from the presentation given by Peter Gay, Co-Chair of T4ST.

The 2003 Regional Growth Management Strategy provided 8 options. Out of these options the Region chose the most stringent urbanization option with the expensive LRT option to intensify a new Central Transit Corridor.
$2.5 million was approved to conduct technological and environmental assessment studies. These studies ran 60% over budget at an actual cost of $4 million.
Capital costs for this project are estimated at $800 million.
1/3 of these costs will be funded by the federal government and 2/3 will come from provincial government funding.
Statistics show that large infrastructure projects generally run 1.2 to 1.5 times over budget. Based on these statistics real costs for this project would fall between $1,000,000,000.00 to $1,250 Billion dollars.
THESE EXCESS COSTS WILL FALL TO REGIONAL TAXPAYERS.
Once this project is complete it will operate at a $10.5 MILLION DEFICIT PER YEAR.
Extending the LRT to Cambridge will cost an estimated $500 million.
Once LRT is extended into Cambridge, LRT will then run at a $15 MILLION DEFICIT PER YEAR.
LRT is expected to replace the Ixpress.
The Region conducted [3] open houses in 2009, of which only 520 people attended.
2006 statistics show 356,000 registered voters in the Region.

ARE YOU IN FAVOUR OF LRT?

These light rail trains are expected to run on a 6” platform down the centre blvd of our streets. People stations will be over 100 feet long. The trains are expected to be 90 feet long and articulated. They will carry 150 to 180 people and will run 7.5 minutes apart in each direction. Fare is yet unknown.

If the Region chooses to run a portion of LRT down Fairway Road (option to run down hydro corridor) this will reduce access to businesses as traffic will only have access from one direction.
It is proposed to run down Courtland Ave, left onto Hayward and then right along the CPR rail way. This project requires land purchase, tunnel widening and permission is yet to be obtained from CP Rail.
The rail line will turn onto Ottawa and run between Mill and Courtland requiring the appropriation of land from homeowners along this stretch.
Plans to run this along King Street will reduce access to Grand River Hospital and require a reduction in lanes, affecting emergency services, i.e. ambulances.
Another section is planned to run along Erb Street, opposite one way traffic.
In the Waterloo/University area the Region has chosen the most expensive option of routing with the least business access.
LRT will not service the Airport, Hospitals, Kitchener Auditorium, Farmer’s Market, Centre in the Square, Wilfred Laurier, Conestoga College and a host of other businesses and government buildings.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED MAPS ON REGIONAL WEBSITE

T4ST will be hosting another meeting for the General Public. It will be on November 5, 2009, from 7 – 9PM, at the Delta Hotel – 105 King Street East, Kitchener, ON (Free Parking off Charles Street)

Special Guest Speaker, Andy Haydon, former Regional Chair of Ottawa-Carleton and architect of Ottawa’s internationally acclaimed Bus Transit way will be in attendance and speaking on why he explicitly rejected an LRT system for Ottawa.
And
Guest Speaker, Mr. John Shortreed, local transportation engineer and former University of Waterloo professor.

For more information on T4ST please visit www.t4st.com or email info@t4st.com

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME?

On a professional level, as a Grand River Transit Driver, there is talk of a P3 option (privatization); these will not be our jobs! Funding for increased service hours to transit has been denied by council. Buses are being re-allocated, planners are determining how to re-route buses out of the main terminal to service LRT people stations and these changes WILL affect our working conditions. Reduced lanes, changes in break locations, washroom access, and start/finish locations are a few of the ways we will be affected. On a personal level, as a Regional taxpayer, we will experience tax increases associated with LRT.

INFORM YOURSELF!!

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