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2/2 Photos from Friday, June 30 and Saturday, July 1
I like the little S-curve here on Francis, between King and Duke, right by the Kaufman Lofts.
It seems as though it's all underground utility work now, between Victoria and the tracks, on King.
Curbs in place now on King, between Victoria and Francis. Getting to Ziggy's is pretty tough, now!
At the OMSF, the black cosmetic fence between Northfield Crossing and the tracks is complete.
One final shot of the platform track here at Northfield getting ready to be aligned. You can see here that the rails will be embedded at the platform, then switch to ballasted track before heading south. I had assumed here the transition to ballasted track would have occurred right after the curve off Northfield. This probably makes more sense to do it this way.
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How many stations are left to pour across the system?
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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The following platforms have no concrete yet: Conestoga (forms in place, pour soon), Waterloo Public Square, Central Station/Innovation District, Kitchener City Hall, Frederick, Queen, Mill, Blockline, Fairway.
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Was Allen finally poured?
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The multi-use trail along Caroline has been started, this is looking south from William. Unfortunately they are finishing it in concrete instead of asphalt, which makes it look like a big sidewalk. I hope some signage will be provided to make clear it is actually a MUT.
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(07-03-2016, 10:25 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: The multi-use trail along Caroline has been started, this is looking south from William. Unfortunately they are finishing it in concrete instead of asphalt, which makes it look like a big sidewalk. I hope some signage will be provided to make clear it is actually a MUT.
I was wondering why that sidewalk was so wide! 
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07-03-2016, 11:23 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-03-2016, 11:28 PM by timc.)
(07-03-2016, 10:25 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: The multi-use trail along Caroline has been started, this is looking south from William. Unfortunately they are finishing it in concrete instead of asphalt, which makes it look like a big sidewalk. I hope some signage will be provided to make clear it is actually a MUT.
Is it really a MUT? And if so, what is it that makes a multi-use trail a multi-use trail?
Edit: I just haven't seen any MUT's around that weren't asphalt. I think concrete is a nicer material. Although I don't like the joints, I think it weathers nicer than asphalt. But if a wide sidewalk of any material can be considered a multi-use trail, and many people ride their bicycles on the sidewalk, the definition of what is a MUT becomes a philosophical question.
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It's not the first concrete MUT in the region...
Technically, the west sidewalk on Weber from Louisa to Water is a MUT. It connects the Spur Line trail to the bike route on Water St. But of course, it's not signed at all.
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(07-03-2016, 11:23 PM)timc Wrote: (07-03-2016, 10:25 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: The multi-use trail along Caroline has been started, this is looking south from William. Unfortunately they are finishing it in concrete instead of asphalt, which makes it look like a big sidewalk. I hope some signage will be provided to make clear it is actually a MUT.
Is it really a MUT? And if so, what is it that makes a multi-use trail a multi-use trail?
Edit: I just haven't seen any MUT's around that weren't asphalt. I think concrete is a nicer material. Although I don't like the joints, I think it weathers nicer than asphalt. But if a wide sidewalk of any material can be considered a multi-use trail, and many people ride their bicycles on the sidewalk, the definition of what is a MUT becomes a philosophical question.
It is a MUT in that the region requested that a MUT be built, as MJB pointed out, the one on Weber is also a "MUT" by the same definition. Of course, the lack of any signage whatsoever, and the entirely sidewalk oriented design makes it even worse than the average MUT in the region. I've gotten dirty looks from pedestrians I pass and I see far more cyclists on the road than on the trail. I'd argue its a complete failure in terms of cycling infrastructure at this point.
I doubt this will suffer from the same problem, given that its more well known that this is a trail (mainly because it was before). But the region needs to do a far far better job designing MUTs.
Of course, there are also some examples of the reverse, sidewalks paved entirely in asphalt which imply that they might be MUTs, but I'm really not sure. It's almost as if simply using a different paving material isn't a good way to mark infrastructure.
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The asphalt MUT along Block Line (which is a City of Kitchener implementation, not Regional) at least has cycling icons painted along it. Not sure how easy that is to do on concrete.
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Perhaps if they painted a centre line on it, that would make it more clear?
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That's usually the visual cue I look out for... This is a really interesting discussion. Especially for a novice cyclist like me who is just trying to get used to it all. What are my triggers for knowing if it's OK to ride on an off-road bit of infrastructure?
-If it's just concrete, I usually assume it's a sidewalk and avoid it because it's illegal for me to ride on.
-If it's pavement, I generally assume it's meant to be a trail for everyone ("MUT"), and I'll ride on it.
-If I see cycle lanes on the road and also a pavement trail, I get confused, because why would there be both? In this case I generally ride on the road for fear of getting a ticket or ticking someone off, even if I don't feel as safe doing so.
I really wish they had put their money into signage designating this instead of signage warning of the $110 fine for riding on crosswalks.
With regard to ion, the future Northbound Courtland lanes are now paved in the Manitou/Block Line area.
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(07-04-2016, 07:05 AM)Canard Wrote: ... the visual cue...
A really cool and unmistakable visual cue for MUTs would be to use some sort of corduroy road material.
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Anyone gonna point out we've hit #page300?
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