Region of Waterloo considering alternative to LRT in Cambridge

While some continue to doubt the LRT will ever make its way to Cambridge, CTV’s Heather Senoran learns of a new back-up transit plan.

Expanding Light Rail Transit (LRT) into Cambridge has been a hot button topic for years, but now residents are learning about a new option – bus rapid transit.

At a special Cambridge council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Jan Liggett mentioned the region’s supposed back-up plan of rapid buses instead of the ION. She said she heard about it at a regional meeting that same day.

“A staff person talked about option 5 or plan 5 which would be scrapping the LRT and just going with the bus rapid transit into Cambridge,” Liggett told CTV News.

She admitted it was the first time regional councillors heard about it.

“I know that’s earth-shattering news, but that was an open session of regional council today,” she said during the Cambridge meeting.

The expansion of LRT into Cambridge carries a hefty price tag of about $4.5 billion. Liggett said it might not be realistic in today’s economy.

“That’s an impossibility. We don’t have that much money in our budget in any given five-year span to put towards something like this,” she said.

Councillor Helen Shwery voiced her concerns about the LRT in Cambridge as well.

She said it’s the residents who should be deciding, since they’re the ones who have to foot the bill.

Shwery told CTV News she isn’t sure residents even want the ION.

“I canvased and I knocked on thousands of doors. I would say of all the people, most people said ‘no’. Three people wanted the ION,” she told CTV News.

Shwery believes bus rapid transit is the better option. She said it would be quicker than what light rail currently offers riders.

“[LRT] just slowly kind of meanders through the Waterloo Region and it’s not a direct route. And not everybody has an hour or two hours a day,” she said.

The region said nothing has been finalized yet.

“The Region of Waterloo is committed to delivering rapid transit to Cambridge,” said a statement from the Region of Waterloo. “Regional Council has made no decisions on service levels or funding to date as staff are currently working on an Initial Business Case, which will be presented to council in November for consideration.”

Liggett said it’s important to keep the options open.

“I’m an optimist, but I always look to see what could go wrong potentially to try to offset that in this case here - not knowing what a government is going to do, how much money they’re going to have in in the future,” she said.

Cambridge City Council voted unanimously to go ahead with the Preston Secondary Plan which will guide development in the area including transit station planning.

The city is hosting a meeting to collect public input on May 22 at the old RBC building in Preston where there will be an afternoon session and an evening workshop.