Southwestern Ontario Forgotten in Transportation Upgrades

Transport Action Ontario (TAO) board member Ken Westcar recently published an op-ed about transportation in southwestern Ontario (SWO) in the London Free Press. Although the article expresses his personal opinions, they do mirror the opinions of Transport Action Ontario:

• The growing and aging population, the higher costs of car ownership and increasing road congestion all require action to improve pubic transportation in SWO.

• Despite extensive and well-researched input from a Task Force and from stakeholders like TAO, no transportation plan has emerged for SWO after over 6 years of study.
• Provincial budget announcements have contained no meaningful investments for public transport for SWO, in contrast to Greater Toronto and northern Ontario.

TAO will continue to urge completion of the SWO Transportation Plan and for investment in public transportation. For example, in 2025 we identified 5 low-cost rail investments in SWO that would improve passenger and freight operations. They continue to be good ideas that should be implemented.