Raise the Hammer

The skeptical anti-LRT crowd at Hamilton City Hall are going into desperate mode. Say no to anything LRT that goes across their desk. This is because they are about to be hit with a sudden avalanche of photos, videos and any other visual media you can think of, when the first LRV arrives in Waterloo. It left Thunder Bay yesterday and is coming home to Waterloo in 10-11 days.

Starting in April, LRV testing will be done publically outside on a stretch of track between Northfield Station and downtown Waterloo. Both Grand River Transit and Grandlinq are also planning to formally introduce the first LRV to the public at grand public event in early April, details will arrive in late March.

Like here in Ottawa, unless that LRV spontaneously explodes into flame on camera as soon as hits the rails, the anti-LRT people are going to have to face a lot of questions and comments from the public. When the public in Hamilton sees pictures and videos from every person in the Kitchener-Waterloo area with a camera, sharing some videos and or pictures of the ION LRT Line testing its LRV's, they will start asking questions, a lot of questions to the people who are against LRT. The same thing happened in Ottawa when LRV testing started. Questions like, if a community that used to be smaller than Hamilton in built up area and population can have a 19 km long functioning LRT line to move people and attract more development around the line itself (ready and willing to add another 17 km as soon as possible), why cant we here in Hamilton have our 11 km line to do the same thing? Especially if someone else is paying for its capital costs?

I tell you what will happen, just like Ottawa, most of the anti-LRT crowd will find their LRT god and say they were never really against it, they just wanted the best deal for the tax payer. Some others will disappear, never to be heard from again. Still others will start to scream why does downtown get everything first and when will we get our LRT line? A fully funded line of course!