Saxe: Connections between Canadian communities that aren’t dependent on cars are vital for sustainability

head shot of Shoshanna Saxe
Professor Shoshanna Saxe

UTTRI associated faculty Professor Shoshanna Saxe, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Infrastructure, comments on the anticipated impact on the Cambridge community of the loss of a direct bus route to Toronto – and how to reduce that impact.

Saxe says that it’s “vital to have connections between Canadian communities that aren’t dependent on cars — for equity, the environment and the economy.” 

Currently there are no other similar direct services from Cambridge to Toronto.

Saxe states that while planning for longer-term solutions, it’s necessary to act quickly to offer alternatives to driving:

“… while changing how land use is managed and building a GO train line is key, that takes time and something must be done in the meantime.

“In the short term we can use things like buses and dedicated transit lanes — by reallocating existing road space to high capacity bus routes — to rapidly connect people and communities (this can be done on the scale of months).

“This kind of rapid effective investment in public transport/mobility/connectivity is crucial for building a sustainable society.” – Shoshanna Saxe

Read “‘This city just became more isolated’: Cambridge man says loss of Greyhound to GTA kills valuable connectivity,” Cambridge Times, May 31, 2021.


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