Sustainability group backs LRT
Posted May 6, 2011 05:37:51 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Waterloo-based organization whose mission is to enhance environmental sustainability is speaking out in support of light rail transit for Waterloo Region.
In a release, Sustainable Waterloo cites the region’s rapid transit plans as “an opportunity to ensure the continued health of our community, economy, and natural environment.”
Executive Director Mike Morrice admits taking a public position on a matter of policy is a departure for his 3-year old non-profit organization but adds that he felt strongly enough about it to speak up.
“Only recently, and in light of local policy decisions like LRT, have we taken a step back to say ‘if we are claiming to show leadership in Waterloo Region when it comes to sustainability, it’s important for us to have a voice,’ ” Morrice states.
But Morrice’s statement is bolder than just speaking out on such an issue for the first time.
While he supports the region’s current plan to put trains between Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and Fairview Mall in Kitchener, with buses into Cambridge, Morrice would actually like to see the entire region connected by rail. He believes a St. Jacob’s to Cambridge light rail system would maximize the benefits of LRT at a marginal cost increase.
Under the preferred option presented by the region today, taxes on the average home in the region would increase by about $25 per year for seven years. Running a rail system from St. Jacob’s to Cambridge would cost an additional $40 per year.
Morrice believes the increased cost is justified based on the opportunity to unify the region.
He also points out that, at $818-million dollars, the preferred option presented by the region today is less expensive than the “do nothing” approach that would see no mass transit added to the region but instead continue with our current system of road building. That approach would cost an estimated $1.5-billion.
Through the lens of sustainability and environmental stewardship, Morrice sees a rapid transit system as a no-brainer.
“The St. Jacob’s to Cambridge system would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22,000 tonnes by 2031. That’s the equivalent of taking about 4000 cars off the road every year,” Morrice says. “The current staff recommendation (a mix of trains and buses) would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14,000 tonnes.”
From an economic perspective, Morrice cites the creation of 13,000-21,000 jobs, depending on which option the region chooses.
