A regional councillor hopes Go Transit from Waterloo Region to the GTA will take a big step forward this week.
Regional councillor Jim Erb is one of many pushing for a transit line to better connect Waterloo Region to the GTA, and says plans to connect Cambridge to Guelph and beyond will be discussed again this week.
“This connection and the work on all-day round-trip transportation is just one piece of a big puzzle in creating a very efficient transportation network between here and the GTA,” Erb said.
The Pinebush Go project team will present a report to the Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee on Tuesday.
The team will recommend that the committee approve the concept study, direct region staff to develop a detailed plan and request that Metrolinx incorporate the concept into the regional transportation plan.
“A 2020 study found that there is some preference for a connection between Cambridge and Milton, but there have been significant barriers to implementation and the connection to Guelph seems to make the most sense,” Erb added.
Erb added that if local, regional and federal governments are serious about tackling climate change, creating widely available public transportation is critical to discourage people from using private vehicles and thereby contributing to air pollution.
“Do we want to grow to a million people in Waterloo Region and have all of those people commute to work and back home by car?” Erb asked.
Forecasts predict that the population of Waterloo Region will grow to over one million residents in the next 25 years.
