Experts from the University of Waterloo are available for media interviews about new report from the School of Planning identifying just how well Canadian cities provide robust transit options compared to U.S. cities of similar size and make-up.

Jeff CaselloThe report co-authored by Professor Jeff Casello in the Faculty of Environment, reveals that Canadian cities offer on average 6 kilometres more transit (64 kilometres versus 58 kilomtres) than U.S. cities between 1996 and 2012.

The School of Planning report is a companion piece to a recent study from the Pembina institute revealing that Vancouver and Calgary are leading Canada in expanding transit options for their citizens, while Toronto and Montreal are lagging behind.

The report also shows that cities in the U.S. are investing more heavily in expanding their transit by an average of 11 kilometres over the duration of the study, Canadian cities showed a 28-ride per capita increase, compared with 7 rides in the U.S. 

Despite the lag in ridership growth American centres built 11 kilometres more transit than comparable Canadian cities between 1996 and 2012. Despite that, the Canadian cities showed a 28-ride per capita increase, compared with 7 rides in the U.S. 

"With transportation, particularly public transportation, being such a critical issue in the GTA and throughout Ontario, we thought it was incredibly important to compare Canadian cities' investments with both American and global cities,” says Casello. “Ultimately, it is the investment in transportation infrastructure that will influence regions' global economic competitiveness, ability to attract highly skilled workers, and the quality of life for residents.  Our research shows that Canadians already use transit much more so than in peer American cities, despite a lack of recent, meaningful investments.  We believe that significant investment in transit in Canada's largest metropolitan areas will generate even greater utilization of transit in Canadian cities, positioning these cities as global leaders in sustainable transportation."

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