ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Pheidippides]

Is there any hope left for a scramble?
   

[ijmorlan]

I had thought about suggesting returning that asphalt, except it will be used by buses.

Used by buses, eh? We can do something about that!

Hey look you've got a nice transit lane right there!
And lets shrink some of those turning radii while we're at it...

Even without the buses staying on the tracks as much as possible, most of the proposed island extension space will never be used by vehicles and could have been sidewalk instead of road. I’m interested to see what it looks like when the snow comes and there is a big peninsula of undisturbed snow sticking out from the island.

[ijmorlan]

Here's what I mean.  Yellow are the "new" crossings that everyone seems to want.  If you do this, though, then Transport Canada says "Oops, you're crossing a mainline railway, now you need crossing lights/arms/bells/the works.

The way it's set up now, you can get a "free" crossing by doing it in the road, through the intersection.

I’m confused what you’re getting at here. Of the two yellow crossings you have on your diagram, one crosses the tracks. But that one is just part of the sidewalk and will obviously be re-instated when they pave the sidewalk (well, obviously to me — we’ll see for sure in a few days or weeks when they pave the sidewalk!).

[Pheidippides]

Uptown:
   

Another sidewalk obstruction, this one at GRH:
   

And another at King and Victoria (in addition to beg buttons! Why isn't the default a walk cycle at one of the busiest, soon to busier, intersections in the region):
   

Here is the bus stop pad at Charles and Water I mentioned the other day. I guess with the final top coat of pavement it will end up pretty flush at least on the left of the image:
   

Those resume safe speed signs are popping up everywhere I saw another one in front of Charles St. Terminal and another one in the Victoria Park station.

[Canard]

Another sidewalk obstruction, this one at GRH:

Probably a track lubricator.

And another at King and Victoria (in addition to beg buttons! Why isn't the default a walk cycle at one of the busiest, soon to busier, intersections in the region):

If you're basing that assumption on the lamacoid on the button assembly, don't.  While all of them have the "Instructions" version, which the Region uses to indicate "If you don't press, you don't get Walk", the controllers are actually programmed to default to always show Walk.  These should have the blue, Accessible lamacoid on them, because all the button does is give you the chirps.  I've watched multiple new lights along the line (Charles) function this way.

...Unless you specifically observed something to the contrary?

[Coke6pk]

Saw the LED train light in use in Cambridge this weekend... any chance Ion will be using these to prevent right/left hand turns into an oncoming train?

   

Coke

[Canard]

Yep!

   

[KevinL]

Another sidewalk obstruction, this one at GRH:

Probably a track lubricator.

Is there a reason it has to be in the sidewalk zone? Couldn't they have put this in the boulevard?

[notmyfriends]

Is there any hope left for a scramble?

That would be interesting.  I'd love to see one at King/University still, but that's not terribly relevant in this thread.  University/Philip is another consideration.

[danbrotherston]

The island definitely could be extended, maybe not to the degree shown, but certainly a fair bit farther than it is.

WRT to the left turn at the bike box. The region has indicated that right turns on red at bike boxes are prohibited, I would assume left turns on red are similarly prohibited. Of course, given that this is not marked anywhere, nobody really knows, and everyone turns anyway. In either case, there is no reason for setting the crosswalk back this far, except that it appears the sewers are in the way on the close side in the picture, making a curb cut impossible. Of course, if you tightened the turning radius, you could then fit the crossing on the other side of the sewer.

And yes, no crossing for bikes, because apparently legalizing the behaviour that virtually all cyclists currently practice is unthinkable. *sigh*.

[Markster]

WRT to the left turn at the bike box.  The region has indicated that right turns on red at bike boxes are prohibited, I would assume left turns on red are similarly prohibited.  Of course, given that this is not marked anywhere, nobody really knows, and everyone turns anyway.

As both a cyclist and a driver, I had no idea that this is a thing they claim.
Ultimately, if they don't have "no right(/left) on red" signs, then it's just talk, and no action.

[Canard]

I wondered about this, and actually had this conversation with my spouse while sitting waiting at a red light on Bridgeport, at Erb, in the left lane, to turn left onto Erb (we were exploring the newly-opened intersection ).

When doing this same left turn previously, I always questioned if I was allowed to turn Left on a Red, here, because it's One-way to One-way. I vaguely remember this in driver's school as being "OK" but I hate doing it so I would never do it, and just wait for green. The only times I've ever done it is when someone's behind me and I can see in my rear-view mirror that they're annoyed because I'm not turning, and then I'd very reluctantly do it.

With the Bike Box there now, you sit so far back from the intersection that it kind of makes sense that there should just be "no turns at all on Red" if you're behind a bike box. Is that the idea with them, then? Or is it permitted only if there are no cyclists in the bike box?

On a side note, as a cyclist, I would never feel comfortable using a Bike Box. I'll always wait my turn in traffic.

[Markster]

When doing this same left turn previously, I always questioned if I was allowed to turn Left on a Red, here, because it's One-way to One-way.  I vaguely remember this in driver's school as being "OK" but I hate doing it so I would never do it, and just wait for green.  The only times I've ever done it is when someone's behind me and I can see in my rear-view mirror that they're annoyed because I'm not turning, and then I'd very reluctantly do it.

It is absolutely legal!
I find excuses to do it whenever I can! It's fun doing something out of the ordinary.
Also.... I may be that impatient person behind you. Though, I try to keep my frustration contained inside, and not be a jerk.

The bike box being so far set back from the intersection seems to basically invite cars to drive through it and wait on the far side to try to make their left turn on red.

On a side note, as a cyclist, I would never feel comfortable using a Bike Box.  I'll always wait my turn in traffic.

Honestly, that bike box there feels particularly useless. It is only useful for turning left from Caroline to Erb, but... where are these cyclists coming from that they would want to do that turn?
*) If you're coming from the Laurel Trail, then the intersection already assumes you don't exist, as there is no sane(/legal) way to get to the bike box.
*) If you're coming down Caroline, then... you just came from Bridgeport? Why are you turning around? Shouldn't you be taking a different route to your destination?
*) Did you come from Albert? There are less terrifying and hilly ways to get to King/Erb than going via Caroline.

[clasher]

I've got so used to avoiding this intersection that I think I'll just continue using the lights at FDB to get back on the trail. I also don't use bike boxes, I prefer to take the lane if there is a danger of right hooks but I also wonder how much cyclist traffic uses Bridgeport, or is the idea that riders will come off the trail and use the bike box instead of just riding through the crosswalk and onto the new MUP beside the tracks?

[Canard]

I really wonder if they've just created another Victoria & Strange/West Ave. trail situation - I always bike through the intersection there but almost everyone else I see just cuts through Lai Lai/City Café, despite the signs saying otherwise. What I mean is - I wonder if we'll just see people cutting across traffic on Erb instead of using the two-stage crosswalk.