We hosted the Right to Mobility on August 15th at Stanley Park Community Centre, which led to the creation of the following platform. I am committing to championing these ideas. For them to come to fruition depends upon your support.
Accessibility
The Accessible Canada Act 2019 seeks to ensure a barrier free Canada. (Read Act Here). Barriers to mobility and accessibility impact all persons in Kitchener and prevent people from achieving full and equal participation in the community.
The City shall ensure that every resident has access to infrastructure that enables them to:
take accessible transit throughout the city in a timely manner
walk throughout the city
use a mobility device or stroller throughout the city
bike throughout the city
move throughout the city year round
1) Reorient Transportation Planning Around Access and Vulnerability Every death and injury on our roads is a failure of transportation planning. We need all staff to be thinking through the lenses of accessibility and vulnerability first so we are designing roads and trails around those most at risk of harm.
2) Start an Accessibility Advocacy Office We need an official third party oversight office to review City operations through the lens of people with disabilities and other groups who experience systemic barriers to mobility. This office would also run ongoing public education campaigns to tackle stigma and increase a culture of access.
3) Expand Low Fare Options $4 is way too expensive for a transit trip. It also creates safety and access issues. We do not toll our roads or trails, so we should not rely on user fees for our transit. We should instead explore other options such as pay what you can fundraising campaigns that increase rider agency and awareness, and programs like Toronto's new monthly rate system.
4) Invest in MobilityPlus People should not have to block off their whole day to access MobilityPlus. This program needs to be funded enough to meet a reliable standard of access.
Public Infrastructure
Having adequate roads, trails, bike lanes, and sidewalks is critical to enable all people to access the whole city year round. Transportation Planning should prioritize the needs of residents at their most vulnerable. Making streets that are traversable for children, seniors, and people with disabilities will increase the wellbeing of all. Grand River Transit is a vital link to employment, services, and play. Ensuring transit services and the infrastructure that supports transit are at an accessible and frequent standard should be a priority for the Region.
5) Ensure Municipal Sidewalk and Trail Clearing Clearing sidewalks, trails and bikelanes gives people the ability to independently leave their house and meet their needs without fear of injury or other winter unpleasantries.
6) Conduct a Sidewalk Audit Review sidewalk and trail networks for key gaps that force people onto roads or block travel altogether. Key focus on intersections and roundabouts to minimize opportunities for cars to harm people. Bollards, raised crosswalks, and narrower intersections are a must.
7) Set Bus Stop Standards Benches, shelters and waste receptacles are a must at all transit stops. Rapid transit stops should also have heaters and bike parking.
8) Launch Bike Share Program Explore affordable and active transportation opportunities so people have alternatives to high gas prices. You should be able to easily access a bike regardless of your cycling familiarity.
9) Address Road Maintenance Budget We are not able to keep up with the level of maintenance our roads need. We need to find efficiencies in road maintenance and address capital budget gaps so we can fill potholes and afford city services.
10) Commit to Ion Expansion Develop the long range thinking so we have phase 3 & 4 expansions within reasonable time frames.
11) Launch Transportation Innovation Laboratory Bring together academic and industry partners to explore economic development opportunities in the future of mobility. The North American market is full of inefficiencies and ripe for intervention. Kitchener should be at the forefront of transportation innovation.
Freedom to Move
The right to mobility is critical for ensuring freedom and personhood. Being able to quickly and reliably get around the city is a prerequisite to get and maintain a job, have a social life, and access the necessities of life!
12) Detangle Mobility from Surveillance We should be removing and banning ALPRs from our City. Our mobility system should not be selling data to big tech or at risk of misuse from police/immigration officers as we are seeing in the states. We can address speeding and red light racing through better road design.
13) Replace Fare Enforcement with Transit Ambassadors Unfortunately Fare Enforcement Officers cost more than they bring in, while increasing barriers and unsafety. We should instead have a transit ambassador team that is focussed on removing barriers and increasing literacy and confidence in our transit system. First time transit users needs guides not guards.
14) Implement Taxi/Rideshare Licensing This licensing program is not about creating barriers to driving. It is instead about creating standardized education and reporting for drivers to increase safety and accessibility.
15) Pursue 5-min Wait Times We should strive to reduce wait times so people are not left waiting on the side of the road. We should implement a rapid transit network that people can rely upon.
16) Air Quality Programming Ensure all city workers and people accessing city programming have access to air quality tools such as respirators, masks, and air purifiers
17) Pedestrianize King Street King Street already shuts down for festivals. What if this expanded for the whole summer or even the whole year?
