Statement by Jennifer Hennigar-Shuh

I strongly reaffirm my belief that the LRT is absolutely the right direction for Hamilton to go to the new mayor and city council.

Hamilton is a large city but with inadequate, inefficient, and inconvenient public transportation which forces people to drive to get around.

As a resident of Hamilton for more than two decades, but who has lived in other large cities, I am frustrated by how difficult it is for me to commute to work using public transportation. Because of this difficulty it takes me an inordinate amount of time getting to and from work.

I have tried to avoid using a car for commuting and have done so successfully for years by cycling and walking and taking the bus but the truth is that the inefficiency in the public transportation is waring me down. There are many things that are not practical to do by bicycle and walking (often I walk because the bus routes are not well designed and too much transferring and back tracking is required). I am almost ready to throw in the towel and start driving because my travel time commuting is so long it means that I have little time to take care of things at home.

I am also frustrated by how difficult it is to enjoy the culture, green spaces, museums and other wonderful things that Hamilton has to offer because of the lack of good public transportation. It is nice that the mayor wants to improve GO service in and out of the city but I would like to be able to more fully enjoy being in my own city and that can only help our economy.

The LRT would make us a city that is greener, innovative and forward thinking, and one that supports its local economy and culture instead of taking everyone efficiently somewhere else.

Hamilton needs the LRT system to help bring together the various areas of the city, offer people practical alternatives to driving and make Hamilton a city that is enjoyable to live, work, and get around in.

I ask the mayor and city council, the premiere, and our MPP, and MP, to put the LRT back on Hamilton's priority list once again.

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