Active transportation. Our society is less reliant on the automobile, and bicycling and walking and transit have become a convenient and safe way for people to get around town. Pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and serious injuries have been reduced to zero. Standard street designs now include elevated crosswalks, wide sidewalks and boulevards, and other safe pedestrian infrastructure. We have expanded the crossing guard program around schools to include publicly-funded “walking school bus” initiatives. Sidewalks, trails, and intersections are effectively cleared of snow and ice in winter.
Abundant public transit. Transit is affordable and equitable, and connects every neighbourhood in our region. Transportation between city centres, university and college campuses, employment centres, and rural hubs is convenient. We have taken creative approaches to reducing the need for farebox revenue on transit. People who live in suburban neighbourhoods can easily walk or take transit to intercity transit connections to Toronto, London, Hamilton, or Guelph. Neighbours can move with ease within Waterloo Region. We have prioritized coverage and service level over financial performance for transit.
Affordable public transit. Transit is free for those 18 and under, and GRT offers an affordable annual pass that encourages wide adoption even among those who only use transit occasionally. This approach has successfully reduced costs for riders while ensuring financial stability and predictability for GRT. The massive adoption of the annual pass means per-ride farebox revenue is far less of a concern, and the need for transit security staff is significantly reduced. Conversely, we have introduced new revenue generating measures for roads, including tolls, which are intended mainly as cross region or intercity transportation corridors.
A day in the life: a connected region
— Reflection by a roundtable participant
I wake up with a roof over my head and food in the fridge. I can turn on the tap and expect clean, safe drinking water. In winter, the sidewalks are shovelled by the city before I leave home for the day. I have lots of transportation options and there are pedestrian streets in my neighbourhood. I bike to a job that pays enough to afford a decent life, dropping the kids off via bike-bus on the way to work and school. There is convenient and affordable daycare available for kids who are not yet in school. We are energy resilient, with a city-wide and neighbourhood-level solar grid that provides a reliable supply of renewable electricity. Amenities like BBQs, swimming pools, movie theatres and tools are shared among neighbours. We live in mixed-use neighbourhoods with mixed-use buildings. New towers are not only building one-bedroom apartments, but also ones big enough for families. Community centres and other public spaces are bustling hubs all day long, and every day of the week. Churches and other public/non-profit landowners have used their excess land for affordable housing.
Connectivity. Our neighbourhoods form connected constellations. Not every neighbourhood is the same, but they all have core services. For larger-scale services, connections between different neighbourhoods are safe and convenient. Regional-level services are available in multiple cities and townships, not necessarily concentrated in Kitchener and Waterloo. We promote healthy and active living with active transportation networks that are accessible to neighbours of all ages and abilities.
Intercity travel. When we travel to other cities, we have easy and quick transportation connections thanks to two-way, all-day GO Train service to Toronto, as well as an expansion of frequent intercity buses and VIA Rail to other urban and rural communities. There is equitable access to services throughout the entire region, including in Cambridge and the rural Townships. We have embraced our identity as a multi-node region, centring services and amenities around our post-secondary school campuses, city centres, and rural hubs. All of these centres are connected with high-frequency rapid transit.
Transportation: measurable outcomes
- Number of children walking or biking independently to school
- Number of neihgbourhoods achieving transit-supportive density
- Proportion of trips taken by active transportation, transit (by neighbourhood)
- Transit service levels: frequency, coverage, reliability (by neighbourhood)
- Walkability and safe pedestrian infrastructure (by neighbourhood)
- Percentage of population 15 years and older with long commutes to work (over 45 minutes) [Canadian Index of Wellbeing]
One Million Neighbours Waterloo Region 