All Statements of Support
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Laura Babcock says,
Rarely does the province approach cities for a major investment in transportation. Hamilton has done the work and we have a strong business case for LRT. It's time for leadership to make this happen.
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Cory Aitken says,
This would be great for Hamilton! We need this kind of thing to grow to our full potential.
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Gene Wasik says,
I've used the LRT in Portland and loved it!! Great way to get around. It was well utilized, convenient and it worked!
In Portland, the signal light change to green as the LRT approaches. I had no problems or issues driving on the same streets with LRTs.
LRTs will make a positive difference in Hamilton.
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Michael Ladouceur says,
Having lived and worked on three continents and five cities in North America, I can see clearly how an LRT system makes sense for Hamilton. We need to think of the overall benefits to the region and not play political strategies of one voting block against another. Please let's enter into the age of maturity and not remain stuck in our adolescence. Anyone who can imagine the future knows that we will have some form of efficient, effective public transportation in Hamilton - it is inevitable, so let's do it right from the beginning.
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Drew Hauser says,
The LRT is a very exciting change for how we can live in Hamilton and NOW is the right time to make this critical investment in Hamilton's future.
As an architect i have witnessed in other cities how Light Rail Transit can make neighbourhoods more accessible to all citizens and how this investment translates into sustainable communities.
It attracts business, strengthens neighbourhoods, accessiblity and environmental benfits. Please support LRT and make it happen! -
Damin Starr says,
I humbly suggest that a Hamilton LRT system would be a proactive infrastructure investment consistent with ongoing smart growth initiatives in our City. To avoid future (more costly) reactionary measures often associated with urban development, I urge those involved in the decision making process to consider Hamilton's Rapid Ready Plan including LRT as an opportunity to build it once and build it right.
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Don Hanzel says,
Let's do it soon. It will cost less now then in 10 years when we will really need it. Save and be prepared.
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Paul Mason says,
LRT badly needed to help Hamilton move forward.
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John Richer says,
I would use it very often
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Nic Southall says,
It is time that our city and those responsible for the decisions within it to ensure this important step to move forward in positive manner occurs. There are other cities across North America who are dedicated and determined to make sure their city is making positive and beneficial changes that directly effects their residents. The addition of an LRT to this city only demonstrates that Hamilton officials are part of this group! Enough of sitting on the sidelines watching other cities, municipalities, provinces and states leap frog us in desireable cities to live and visit. It's time Hamilton got in the game! LRT! LRT! LRT! LRT!
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tom germann says,
This is a chance to revitalize Hamilton and the surrounding areas. A mass transit system will help cut down on traffic that can be a nightmare to drive through now.
Let's get the LRT going!
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Lisa Jeffs says,
I fully support LRT in Hamilton, and hope the province can lead us in this, even if our own councillors are failing us.
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Matt Jelly says,
The majority of Hamiltonians in four Provincial ridings just re-elected pro-LRT candidates (and rejected two Liberal candidates who ran against LRT). Hamiltonians elected Mayors in 2006 and 2010 who ran on a pro-LRT platform, despite Bob Bratina's now-unintelligible position(s).
This provincial government has at least twice promised Hamilton full funding for LRT- it should be council's job to hold them to that promise. Voters have given you that mandate repeatedly at the polls.
More fundamentally, Friday's meeting with the Minister of Transport should be fully public. After years of confusion on the LRT file from both City Council and Queen's Park, people for and against the proposal should have the opportunity to hear some clarity from their elected public servants.
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Donn Zver says,
It's time for the city and the province to move forward with this worthwhile project. We need this service and as a tax payer of Hamilton, I support this project.
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Eric Gillis says,
City Council's primary mission should be to embetter the lives of the residents of Hamilton.
To me, that means supporting investment in our community that will ensure a future for the growth of our resident's quality of life, and our city's economy.
Investing in LRT is the extremely well-researched way for this city to do both.
And so I hope in sincerity that Hamilton's leaders will offer up their unwavering support of LRT- so that we may continue to do what is best for this city, not only economically but for the quality of life for out citizens as well.
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Paul Raun says,
Light rail will allow us to provide cost effective, rapid, transit over the extent of Hamilton's urbanised area, as well as offering a more comfortable ride that attracts greatly increased ridership. We are in situation where we are relying increasingly on energy sources that yield markedly less net energy. The US's reliance on shale oil, with a rapid depletion rate and recent reports of decreasing well productivity, and Canada's on the Tars Sands, where the remaining 80% of deposits will very likely yield low net energy(less than three units of energy returned per unit of energy invested, close to low-yielding biofuels such as ethanol), show the predicament we increasingly face and for which it is crucial for us to plan. Light rail relies on a variety of energy sources, not simply one(petroluem) as buses do or batteries or fuel cells (which involve a high level of embodied energy and use of rare earth minerals. In this context, electric motors, deriving power through a direct current, provide an energy efficient way of moving relatively large numbers of riders quickly. It is vital to start building light rail lines now,before our predicament kicks in fully, in conjunction with developing a more compact urban form for cities such as Hamilton along with suburban areas across the GTA.
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Monika Skarratt says,
We are a family with two young children and one vehicle. My husband works full time and so my access to the car is very limited during business hours. Light Rail transit would make the rest of the city much more accessible to us and we'd be able to take advantage of many more of the city's educational and community programs as well as healthcare locations.
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Brendan Simons says,
Hello Premier Wynne, Mayor Bratina and Hamilton Councillors
In my travels, I have never seen a city with as much of an inferiority complex as Hamilton. There are those who would tell you the city is so undeserving that it is unworthy of any investment, short of a new highway around it. Thankfully this self-harming attitude is fading. In its place you'll find a growing pride in our city and confidence in our future, not as a distant suburb of Toronto, but as a vibrant center of life and business in its own right. I encourage you to visit us during one of our many open-street events downtown. You can't escape the enthusiasm and optimism.
I am writing you to ask that you support the next step in our transition. Hamilton has spent years evaluating, planning and preparing for a Light Rail Transit line. This line would link McMaster University in our West end and dense residential and business nodes in our East end with the growing fountain of civic life in our core. We have completed an extensive range of studies and plans for this project. They show that bus lines along this route already carry enough passengers to justify an upgrade to rail making this the perfect corridor to re-shape growth in our city around high-calibre transit, just as it has in Calgary, Edmonton and hundreds of other cities.
In short, Hamilton is at a turning point, and this is exactly the right moment for LRT to accelerate our renaissance. We are ready, willing and hopeful for your leadership. Please don't let this opportunity slip.
Sincerely,
Brendan -
Michael Burgess says,
I support LRT for Hamilton.
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Kathy Garneau says,
I am a strong proponent of LRT. We need to future-proof our city by making it more environmentally sustainable and economically sustainable by improving Hamilton's standard of living and making a more desirable place to live. MY FAMILY WANTS LRT!!!!
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Trish Vanson says,
If we build it, they will come. We want a sustainable city, so we simply must reduce individual gas-powered vehicles. We can only do that if there are other options. Our children deserve a city, a country, an earth that can sustain them in good health.
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Keith Stinson says,
As a west Hamilton resident and downtown Hamilton business owner and investor, I have taken a keen interest in LRT from the outset.
I have done my research and weighed the options and strongly feel LRT is the only solution for sustainable transit and development as we move forward, not only as a city, but as a province.
Hamilton is on the verge of special things. A renewed core ... a changing economy ... opportunity ... prosperity. BUT, we cannot afford to do this half-way. We need investment. 100% investment. It was promised. It needs to be delivered. The studies and assessments have been completed. I attended public consultations. The time is now.
Together, we can do this. -
Alistair Morton says,
After 2 decades in Calgary, I know It's the perfect system for here, right now.
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Petra Zantingh says,
Having lived in a large city, I know first hand how crucial a good public transit system is not only environmentally but also from a commercial and business perspective. It builds community and people are generally healthier because they walk to and from stops. It's time to revitalize the city and this will make a huge difference.
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Denise Jackson says,
Long Overdue and such a great investment in the future of our city!
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Catherine Ahern says,
Every successful city has good transit. This is a "no-brainer" for the next steps in making Hamilton a livable, vibrant city.
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Graham Jeffries says,
The LRT project in Hamilton will allow us to grow into the future as a sustainable city. Transit Oriented Developments can help redevelop the ageing corridor into a nodal system of invigorated communities and new businesses. Moving people on transit will free up space on our roads for the necessary traffic: the delivery and service vehicles that serve our business' needs. The health of the city will be better off too, as we lessen the pollution in our city and get people moving again. With rent set to increase, economical transportation will be a must-have for future residents as Hamilton continues to attract investment. Let's prepare for the future.
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Tanya Ritchie says,
LRT is the best first step for a truly useful and effective transit system in Hamilton. It is past time it was implemented. We deserve it, and we need it. Thank you.
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Lee Edward McIlmoyle says,
This city has long been at the back of the line when it comes to innovative and forward-thinking solutions to problems average citizens experience. Whether they realize it or not, ALL Hamiltonians truly need LRT to be installed here, for Hamilton to evolve and grow into a major metropolitan city, instead of a mere adjunct to Toronto.
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Mike Logan says,
I believe that higher-order local transit, such as LRT, is a foundational component of the re-emergence of Hamilton as a vibrant urban centre, and as a key part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe urban region. Investment needs to be made in higher-order local transit now, to further encourage urban development and healthy intensification that will provide a higher Quality of Life for Hamiltonians, as well as help achieve the objectives of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
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