The City of Kitchener and Federation of Canadian Municipalities are asking people to sound off to their MP’s about their daily commute.
They launched the “Cut My Commute” Campaign at the Kitchener train station this morning.
They’re calling on the federal government to come up with a new infrastructure plan in this year’s budget.
Kitchener Councillor and past FCM President, Berry Vrbanovic says roads and transit systems are important to keep products moving and help Canadians cut down on the time they spend getting to and from work.
He says municipalities own and operate most of the roads and bridges, but only get eight cents of every tax-dollar paid in this country.
AUDIO – Vrbanovic
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Kitchener Mayor, Carl Zehr says some of the funding needs to be directed at our rail service, in track upgrades and re-instating some of the VIA cuts.
Zehr adds there’s a huge demand for rail service here, but we have to get it to a level that will meet that demand.
The FCM says the average commute time in major Canadian cities is 63 minutes.
If you want to join the conversation on Twitter the hashtag is #CutMyCommute
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Thank you for supporting the Kids Can’t Wait Radiothon!!
I spend 4-5 hours a day commuting back and forth to Toronto. An extra 15 minutes isn’t much for me. Improve commuter rail and bring it up to par with European standards.
Live closer to work.
I lived across the street from my workplace in Guelph. Then when I got a job in Kitchener, I moved across the street from that job as well.
I wish local businesses would allow employees to work at home more. Many jobs can be done online and this would improve quality of life for so many while reducing overall traffic congestion. It also frees up parking.
Another thing we could to is to cut down on the number of parents driving their kids to schools. If parents were willing to pay for the bus services to pick up and drop off kids living too close for regular bus qualifications, why not use that as a money maker while removing the excess cars off the roads? Less cars going in and out of school parking lots, the safer it is for the kids.