<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Helvetica;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
margin-top:0cm;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:0cm;
margin-left:36.0pt;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1615746676;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-427885030 269025297 269025305 269025307 269025295 269025305 269025307 269025295 269025305 269025307;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-text:"%1\)";
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-18.0pt;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0cm;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap: break-word;-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;-webkit-line-break: after-white-space'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>I rejiggered my op/ed piece a little since the consulting period is over and sent it to John Roe today. Repetition works and I think we should keep repeating this message to everyone and sundry – get it to the TriTag people and other people we know who support the LRT but first vet it past GREN members for comment, and then meet with all fence-sitting and nay-saying Regional Councillors and send the shortened version to all the local papers – New Hamburg, Elmira, etc. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I think that’s doable.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Susan K<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I was very glad I attended Gil Penalosa’s presentation at Waterloo City Hall on March 17. The goal of his organization, 8-80 Cities <a href="http://www.8-80cities.org">www.8-80cities.org</a>, is to help create vibrant cities and healthy communities with great public places that are pedestrian and bike-friendly. He offered countless real-life examples, such as Copenhagen where 37% of its commuters opt for bikes, not because they are “treehuggers” or for exercise, but because it’s the best and easiest way to travel. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But not everyone is prepared to bike in the winter, even if safe and connected bikepaths are constructed and maintained year round. Others have health issues that prevent them from biking. That’s where public transportation comes in.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A particularly astute observation made that night, by someone in the audience, was that the difference between the Region’s projected incremental tax increases of $24.98/year for option BU11 (business-as-usual building more roads) and L9 (the most expensive option of trains from St. Jacob’s to the Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge) at $62.65/year, is $37.67 per year per household. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Of course, that’s only for the first year since the tax is incremental. If you consider L4, one of the mid-range options, (LRT from Conestoga Mall to Sportsworld and BRT to Ainslie St in Cambridge supported by rapid and regular buses) the incremental tax increase of $31.46 in year one will work out to $188.76 by the sixth year. That’s only a difference of an extra $6.48 in the first year and $38.88 in the sixth, beyond what you can expect to pay anyway and the cost of building an LRT/BRT. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I can’t believe that a difference of less than $40/year per household is standing between smog-ridden, car-clogged roads and a comprehensive, inclusive public transit system consisting of 36 kilometres combined LRT/BRT between Waterloo and Cambridge supported by both rapid buses and regular buses! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>That’s equivalent to:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Less than one fill-up for my Honda Civic (at current gas prices), OR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A daily medium coffee from Tim Horton’s for the month of February (28 days x $1.33) OR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>10 cents a day OR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A week’s worth of fast food lunches OR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>3.7 hours pay at minimum wage ($10.25/hour) OR<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>One date at Waterloo’s Galaxy Cinema - including popcorn! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We need to put this issue in better perspective. I like the idea of having a rapid bus within a ten minute walk of my home to connect me to a system that will take me anywhere from Elmira to Cambridge with ease for less than one fill-up! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>And if you need one more example, it cost us $70 million to widen Hwy. 8 to the 401 by two lanes for less than four kilometres, with nary a word of complaint. How can we balk at $960 million to pay for 24 km of light rail plus 12 km of rapid bus that already has the commitment of $565 million from the provincial and federal governments?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> executive-bounces@gren.ca [mailto:executive-bounces@gren.ca] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Kevin Thomason<br><b>Sent:</b> March-30-11 8:27 PM<br><b>To:</b> GREN Executive<br><b>Subject:</b> [GREN-Exec] LRT - Important Next Steps?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hi folks,<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I have found myself in a couple of meetings so far this week with the Barnraiser's and Sustainable Waterloo where the issue of ensure the LRT succeeds has arisen. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Currently both these groups are very concerned about the situation and I would agree. There are still such mixed messages out there about the LRT. Thankfully, most people who have taken the time to learn about the issue are in support of the LRT but unfortunately the vast majority of the population has not attended the open houses or researched the transit options to any degree and are hung up solely on costs taken often out of context.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On April 20th Regional Council will be narrowing things down to just one of the alternatives which will then be opened to further dialog until a final decision in June. It would seem to me that we can't be distracted by the June date because the decision just three weeks from now is going to be the most important one. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I'm still not sure of the best approach - whether we need to try to educate and influence 548,000 people or just 15 Regional Councillors. Really it seems to boil down to just a few Councillors that no one is sure about - Brenda Halloran, Todd Cowan, etc. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I am wondering if GREN should be updating our LRT support letter and ensuring that it is circulated to the Councillors and the media. I think that the more the public is seen to be supporting the LRT the easier it will be to sway these fence-sitting politicians.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I know that this can even be a touchy topic within GREN as there are a variety of opinions but face it - at this point an Aerobus or redesigned LRT on a different route is not going to happen. We have 11 options to choose from of which the most likely is looking like the do nothing and live with sprawl, gridlock and a failed Regional Official Plan, perhaps one of 10 different LRT options if we are lucky, or a BRT region-wide if Doug Craig gets his way. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I fear if we don't have strong support for the LRT now there will be nothing happen for at least a generation. Other levels of government have made it clear that their money is off the table soon and other cities such as Hamilton are already clamouring for it. As Susan has pointed out the cost differential between the top-of-the-line plan and doing nothing is only about the cost of half of a tank of gas per year!<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Please let me know any thoughts on updating and circulating our GREN transit support letter or any other ideas as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Kevin.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>----------------------------</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></body></html>