As reported on CBC radio on Tuesday, although the Route 7 is back on King street, the 200 has been moved from Weber Street to Park street. I wrote GRT to ask why this happened, and whether we could get the bus back on King. I received the reply below from Blair Allen. In short, as the 200 is no longer able to pass the 7 buses on King, it isn’t feasible as an express route along our stretch. When I asked about the lack of connection points to the 200 that had bus shelters and benches, he said that when the King street construction is complete, the two routes will connect along King again, with a shelter for transfers.
The last holdup on LRT operation is the Bombardier car delays–let’s hope the company is able to resolve them quickly, and we should be back to seamless operation on King.
In the meantime, GRT invites public feedback on the post-Ion route changes! There are some positives for our neighbourhood, including a dedicated Weber route and a replacement for the Route 4 that stops at Grand River Hospital. Do comment (link below) or attend an open house.
The new routes are set to launch in spring with ION light rail, but members of the public are being invited to give their input on the proposed new Grand River Transit routes online, or go to a public consultation on:
- Wednesday, Sept. 13, 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Waterloo Public Square, 75 King St. S., Waterloo. - Monday, Sept. 18, 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Country Hills Community Library, 1500 Block Line Rd., Kitchener. - Thursday, Sept. 21, 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Conestoga Mall, Door 4 by Winners, 550 King St. N., Waterloo. - Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Wilfrid Laurier University Fred Nichols Campus Centre, Concourse 75 University Ave W., Waterloo. - Tuesday, Oct. 3, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Region of Waterloo Administrative Headquarters, Main Lobby, 150 Frederick St., Kitchener. - Monday, Oct. 16, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. (drop in anytime)
University of Waterloo, William G Davis Computer Research Centre, DC 1301, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo. - Wednesday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Conestoga College Doon (Kitchener) Campus, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Kitchener, Main building – Lower Atrium Student Life Centre.
Hello Dawn:
Thank you for your inquiry about the Route 200. With the construction of the ION line being completed, GRT has adjusted the routing of Route 7 and 200. Route 7 has returned to its regular alignment along King Street. Route 200, however, is now travelling along Park Street rather than its original alignment along King Street.
The use of King Street by Route 200 would be problematic. King Street is now a single lane in each direction through this area. With Route 7 moving back to King Street and having more stop locations, the 200 would not have opportunities to pass the Route 7 as it did in the past. As a result, the 200 would be no faster than the 7 despite having fewer stops which would defeat the intended purpose of the 200. The chaining of the 7 and 200 that you did in the past would have minimal improvement in travel time if both operated on King Street.
As the current service is largely the result of detours and is an interim measure, the need for public consultation did not really arise. Instead staff are concentrating on public consultation for the network redesign that is occurring once the ION is launched. Information on the plans can be found at http://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/2018-transit-network.aspx . Public consultation is beginning this afternoon at the Waterloo Public Square and includes a meeting at UW on October 16th. The full list of meetings can be found at http://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/public-consultations.aspx.
We appreciate your use of GRT and trust that we can develop a service that will provide benefit to you as well as other residents of the community. Please contact me if you have any further comments or questions.
Blair Allen
Supervisor, Transit Development, Grand River Transit
Transportation and Environmental Services Department
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
250 Strasburg Road, Kitchener, ON N2E 3M6
Phone: (519) 585-7597 x.7382
www.grt.ca
Your Midtown KW Neighbourhood 