nfitz
Superstar
Presumably ... but all those routes that are now a 1-seat ride to downtown (23, 24, 15, 18, 19, 20, etc.) will require people to change ... and then only be able to go to one downtown stop? I can't see that flying.
|
|
|
Waterloo Region Transit Developments (ION LRT, new terminal, GRT buses)
doady
Senior Member
That is not transit though...
I just realized there is not even a highway between Hamilton and Kitchener. Demand must be very low.
nfitz
Superstar
???? Highway 8 - been there since the 1800s.
mpd618
Active Member
From Kitchener most people probably take the 401 and Highway 6.
nfitz
Superstar
True - but the bus service runs along Highway 8 - or at least it did last time I took it; depends where you are going in Hamilton really ... 8 is faster to the airport.
Given how busy 6 is; I'm even more perplexed by the observation that demand must be low.
Given how busy 6 is; I'm even more perplexed by the observation that demand must be low.
drum118
Superstar
It was a 2 lane road and now a 5 lane road.
From my experience driving it, it depends on the time of day as well the day of the week/year.
There was talk about building a new 6 south of the 401 where it stop now from the north.
nfitz
Superstar
There was an individual EA going on it; it started in 1996, and was finally approved in January 2009. The new highway will go from the end of the existing Hanlon Expressway, and join the 4-lane section of Highway 6 at Freelton.
Hipster Duck
Senior Member
There should be a proper 400-series freeway somewhere between Hamilton and the Tri-cities. They should either upgrade Hwy 6 and then reroute it south of Puslinch to the west so that it connects with the Hanlon expressway at the 401, or they should build something just to the east of Townline Rd. in Cambridge that roughly connects Cambridge to Brantford, parallel to Hwy 24.
Highway 8 is an attractive country drive with a beautiful and steep descent into Dundas. It would be both unsuitable and a tremendous loss if it were converted to a freeway.
Highway 8 is an attractive country drive with a beautiful and steep descent into Dundas. It would be both unsuitable and a tremendous loss if it were converted to a freeway.
DavidJamesTO
Active Member
Whether road or rail, we need something to connect our areas. I'd be happy with just something connecting to the 403 in Brantford, but a better Highway 6 would be a welcome addition too. I want rail connections as well, but as Ontario on the other side of the Greenbelt gets denser, we're likely going to need both to get people moving.
ShonTron
Moderator
Member Bio
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 12,464
- Reaction score
- 9,262
- Location
- Ward 13 - Toronto Centre
A Cambridge bypass connecting to an upgraded Highway 8 , but merging at Peter's Corners to Highway 52 might be ideal - it misses the escarpment lands for one thing, as well as the scenic part of Highway 8. Entering Hamilton via Highway 52 puts it not so far out of the way for Brantford either.
nfitz
Superstar
That was the plan in the EA I referenced above. In addition MTO has already been upgrading Highway 6 to an expressway from 403 to Highway 5 ... so that will only leave a 15-km gap between Highway 5 and Freelton, which is a 4-lane undivided highway.
gghtransit
New Member
I know there was talk a couple years ago from the Tri-Cities and Guelph to have the mid-Penninsula Corridor from the Niagara Region end on the 401 between the Hanlon and Townline Road in Cambridge. I think that would make a great deal of sense, but for some reason the current thinking is to wrap it around Hamilton and connect it to the 407 in Burlington instead... 
DavidJamesTO
Active Member
My guess is that it has to do with the local wildlife: the Greater South-Western NIMBY. I don't know what it's like closer to the Hanlon end, but close to Townline there are a lot of McMansions in the way--plus a good-sized lake. If they're going to connect it to the 401 somehow, it would make more sense to me to connect it right to the Hanlon and just re-sculpt the existing interchange. They'll have to add extra lanes to the 401, though; traffic is thick enough there mid-day without having the added traffic from a QEW bypass (and let's face it, that's what the Mid-Peninsula Corridor is going to be in the end). They're already considering a four-lane 401 in Cambridge, so they'll just have to expand the study a bit.
Meanwhile, back on the topic of LRT, it turns out Guelph is open to considering light rail in its latest long-range plan. If they go through with it and don't think of a way to work with Waterloo Region to connect the two, they're insane.
Meanwhile, back on the topic of LRT, it turns out Guelph is open to considering light rail in its latest long-range plan. If they go through with it and don't think of a way to work with Waterloo Region to connect the two, they're insane.
Last edited:
CDL.TO
Moderator
First step would be to start a regular public transit service between K-W and Guelph. With all the students it would hopefully be relatively feasible.
mpd618
Active Member
There's a number of ways this could be implemented. Grand River Transit express bus from Kitchener terminal to downtown Guelph? GO bus extension from Guelph to Kitchener?
Greyhound will be an obstacle to any such transit link; I'm not sure how that would be dealt with. There's also a limited timescale for this, as GO trains are supposed to be arriving in 2011 -- which will likely capture a lot of the ridership. Though I don't know how soon they'd be able to run all-day service. Unfortunately, demand for a transit link will go down with the construction of the new ($400 million) Highway 7.
My own vision of the Waterloo Region transit network includes streetcars across a few corridors, including Victoria Street. Past the east edge of Kitchener, the streetcar could continue along Victoria, but as a separated interurban with few or no stops, and then become a streetcar again in Guelph.