The Region of Waterloo plans to repurpose two of the four lanes on Benton Street and Frederick Street in Kitchener.
Is adding more a wise decision to make, considering the ongoing financial crisis spurred by a population increase in the region?
In 2018, the Region of Water- loo identified this project in their transportation master plan with council-directed staff members to create an interim improvement plan on April 12, 2022, which has still not been released to the public.
So far, it has been revealed that $1.6 million is going towards resurfacing and painting the bike road while the budget for the second phase has not been revealed. The first phase adds cycling lanes on Benton Street, then on Frederick Street.
The plan is to use two of the four lanes on these two streets and draw one-way lanes following traffic. This phase is scheduled to be completed by 2025 while the next phase is to replace the underground infrastructure on Fredrick and Benton Street, which will provide a better pathway to the Frederick ION station and provide safe walking and cycling accommodations.
This phase will focus more on the design, funding and utilities of the project. The new bike route plan allows individuals who do not use automated forms of transportation to explore other means of getting around the city.
With the recent population increase in the region, it is necessary to provide more funding for the transportation sector. Currently, Waterloo is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada and by the end of 2023, the estimated population of Waterloo was 154,440 with a student population of 34,550.
According to residential development statistics, it is evident that the Region of Waterloo is currently falling behind in providing transportation accommodation for the increase in population.
The city should focus on these matters before moving on to other renovation and improvement projects. It can be hard to weigh which city investments are more important than others.
However, city development protests such as one that happened to call out the addition of bike lanes in Galt in June encourages people to hold the city to be mindful of where their money is being allotted. Despite financial insecurities in the region, Kornel Musci, the transportation planning manager at the Region of Waterloo, said the bike road can form a good connection between Kitchener and the ION station, and I agree that developing a road network for better commuting is a necessary improvement.
Musci said the region hasn’t considered all the financial aspects intertwined in the project and could potentially take funding from other regional projects.
He also said any unforeseen costs would be manageable,but he’s taking his time with the project’s construction because his team needs to consider the region’s budget, which he did not reveal, along with any additional costs and factors that might later contribute to the project.
At this point, the project still has many gaps regarding its budget and plans, leaving concerned citizens to wonder if the city will take their future tax dollars if later issues arise, such as any delays, mistakes or needing to purchase more material.
Although the operation seems costly with the additional add-ons needed for the construction, the region did not seem concerned about the required and undisclosed budget.
However, with the ongoing budgetary crisis, it’s better to leave decisions like this until reaching economic stability.
