This Small City’s LRT is so Good it Made me Angry

Made by humans for humans. No AI voices or generative AI were used in the making of this video.

Check out my new public transit travel show, Day Pass, now available on Nebula!

https://daypasstravel.com

Watch this video ad-free and sponsor-free on Nebula:

https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-this-smalltown-lrt-is-so-good-it-made-me-angry

Sign up to Nebula and support this channel:

https://go.nebula.tv/notjustbikes

Buy a Nebula Gift card (now available with iDEAL!)

https://gift.nebula.tv/notjustbikes

Patreon: https://patreon.com/notjustbikes

Mastodon: @notjustbikes@notjustbikes.com

NJB Live (my live-streaming channel): https://youtube.com/@njblive

---

Relevant Videos

The Absolute Best Transportation for Cities (trams)

https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-the-absolute-best-transportation-for-cities

https://youtu.be/bNTg9EX7MLw

How can a NEW Transit Line be THIS BAD!?

https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-how-can-a-new-transit-line-be-this-bad

https://youtu.be/Qjp7hqXgInI

They Finally Built Good Transit!?

https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-they-finally-built-good-transit

https://youtu.be/QJ9aiT-kXVU

Trams are Great! So why are the Streetcars SO BAD!?

https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-trams-are-great-so-why-are-the-streetcars-so-bad

https://youtu.be/HhQxNHrD6fA

---

References and Further Reading

Why is Waterloo’s new LRT system named ION?

https://globalnews.ca/news/5413215/why-waterloo-new-lrt-system-named-ion/

A decade of change in uptown Waterloo

https://thecord.ca/a-decade-of-change-in-uptown-waterloo/

Boom time: $1.2 billion in building permits expected for downtown Kitchener

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/boom-time-1-2-billion-in-building-permits-expected-for-downtown-kitchener/article_46a975ad-609f-5dc4-b6a9-2090f6160d5a.html

On The Fast Track: How to Make ION Even Faster

https://www.tritag.ca/blog/2026/02/22/on-the-fast-track-how-to-make-ion-even-faster/

$3 million earmarked for Victoria Park

https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2019/12/09/3-million-earmarked-for-victoria-park-1950426/

Kitchener budgets $238K to make downtown street off-limits to cars

https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/kitchener-budgets-238k-to-make-downtown-street-off-limits-to-cars/

LETTER: 'I need transit that’s reliable, frequent and accessible'

https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/letters-to-the-editor/letter-i-need-transit-thats-reliable-frequent-and-accessible-11054469

KW's LRT is up and running — so what can Hamilton learn?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/lrt-1.5188146

Northfield Drive tweet by Brian Doucet

https://twitter.com/bmdoucet/status/1108844967508746240

Ion: An Ontario LRT that somehow works

https://seanmarshall.ca/2026/01/19/ion-an-ontario-lrt-that-somehow-works/

By n.d. - http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/guerre/photos/2800/19820376-008.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15458110

This video is original content filmed on location by Not Just Bikes.

No generative AI or AI voices were used in the making of this video.

---

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:50 Introducing KW

1:51 The Ion LRT

3:19 Construction & car lanes

5:47 Red lights and transit priority

7:07 New property development

8:32 Catalyst to good urbanism

9:17 Downtown Kitchener

13:21 Uptown Waterloo & surroundings

15:08 Building in a rail corridor

18:13 Speed restrictions

19:35 Malls & accessibility rant

22:43 Concluding thoughts

23:16 Day Pass & Nebula