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(10-01-2016, 04:54 PM)GtwoK Wrote: Even so, the ones that they put back up along Victoria are non-LEDs, despite them originally being LEDs. Which doesn't make much sense.
Are you sure about that? When I drove through it on Wednesday night, when it first opened, that was the first thing I noticed - how much brighter everything was. Maybe it was just the positioning of the lights that was throwing me off?
Actually the BRIGHTEST thing that I remember was just how bright the LED "WALK" signs are! Almost blinded me from the side, haha! "It creates a hostile environment for motorists" 
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(10-01-2016, 05:29 PM)Canard Wrote: (10-01-2016, 04:54 PM)GtwoK Wrote: Even so, the ones that they put back up along Victoria are non-LEDs, despite them originally being LEDs. Which doesn't make much sense.
Are you sure about that? When I drove through it on Wednesday night, when it first opened, that was the first thing I noticed - how much brighter everything was. Maybe it was just the positioning of the lights that was throwing me off?
Actually the BRIGHTEST thing that I remember was just how bright the LED "WALK" signs are! Almost blinded me from the side, haha! "It creates a hostile environment for motorists"
This reminds me of two LED signs just south of the 401 on Hespeler at Eagle. I drive by them early in the morning three times a week, and they are almost painfully bright.
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I know the exact ones. They'll blow your face off! IIRC there's another one at the Delta as well.
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Quick update of interest to Canard: I was at Charles and Ontario earlier this evening and it appears the alignment issue with that one lubricator has been corrected. As there was no sign of disturbed concrete, it seems the metal has been trimmed from the edge of the box.
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10-01-2016, 07:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-01-2016, 08:06 PM by Canard.)
I did a quick drive-by of a good chunk of the route tonight. Some notes:
- Bus-Only Signs in front of the Kaufman Lofts and just North of Victoria are weird. My guess: Temporary until better ones can be made? The "Keep right of the Divider" sign is gone.
- 25 km/h signs are up on Charles between Water and Victoria. Curiously, some of them are facing the wrong way.
- Cameron Heights crossover is stagnant and hasn't changed for over a week - lots of trimming and welds to be done here.
- No progress on the embedded track curve from Borden onto the Huron spur - disappointing.
- Ottawa is open between Courtland and Charles, but be careful. I turned onto it from Courtland and it quickly went back to a single lane - didn't open up to two lanes again until just before Nyberg, I think. I might have missed a "No Left Turn" sign now that I type this out but I honestly don't recall seeing one, or a Do Not Enter sign anywhere.
- No progress at Embedded Track Crossover at KCI, although it looks like they've dug a lot deeper here than the last time I was by.
- High Voltage Signs have gone up for the underpass under Manulife on Charles.
- On Northfield, it was hard to see but it looked like 2 ramps were closed, and 1 might have been open - but certainly not the "fully open" I was expecting to see.
Edit - Thank you Kevin!
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(10-01-2016, 05:12 PM)boatracer Wrote: (10-01-2016, 02:33 PM)isUsername Wrote: Why aren't the new streetlights properly-shielded LED lights?
The Region only recently approved vendors for LED lighting. I said the same thing about the reconstruction of Franklin. There is currently an RFP out to replace 45,000 street lights with LED. Closes in a couple of weeks with the work to be completed by December 2017.
it seems silly that they purchased more of the old standard lighting knowing it was all going to be replaced in a year. I would have thought it would have been cheaper to pick something even if it isn't whatever their new standard is going to be and than in 10-20 years when the LEDs start to burn out replace the fixtures then with the new standard.
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A note - Caroline is completely 2-way again, south of Erb. Wasn't expecting that! I guess with the curb put in yesterday, they decided to open it regardless of the track being unembedded still.
(10-01-2016, 05:29 PM)Canard Wrote: (10-01-2016, 04:54 PM)GtwoK Wrote: Even so, the ones that they put back up along Victoria are non-LEDs, despite them originally being LEDs. Which doesn't make much sense.
Are you sure about that? When I drove through it on Wednesday night, when it first opened, that was the first thing I noticed - how much brighter everything was. Maybe it was just the positioning of the lights that was throwing me off?
Actually the BRIGHTEST thing that I remember was just how bright the LED "WALK" signs are! Almost blinded me from the side, haha! "It creates a hostile environment for motorists"
The lights weren't on the first night, for whatever reason (Actually... I think the one at the Charles intersection was and it was definitely orange-coloured). But the actual fixtures were the standard "spoon"-shaped ones that are used for the incandescent bulbs. The former LED ones (and the ones that still remain up) are box-shaped.
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(10-01-2016, 07:32 PM)darts Wrote: (10-01-2016, 05:12 PM)boatracer Wrote: The Region only recently approved vendors for LED lighting. I said the same thing about the reconstruction of Franklin. There is currently an RFP out to replace 45,000 street lights with LED. Closes in a couple of weeks with the work to be completed by December 2017.
it seems silly that they purchased more of the old standard lighting knowing it was all going to be replaced in a year. I would have thought it would have been cheaper to pick something even if it isn't whatever their new standard is going to be and than in 10-20 years when the LEDs start to burn out replace the fixtures then with the new standard.
It isn't about just choosing a couple of fixtures. There were at least 20 different road scenarios that the manufacturers had to submit fixtures and corresponding simulations to show compliance. I think there are a number of main City roads in the RFP as well.
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(10-01-2016, 07:32 PM)Canard Wrote: - Ottawa is open between Courtland and Charles, but be careful. I turned onto it from Courtland and it quickly went back to a single lane - didn't open up to two lanes again until just before Nyberg, I think. I might have missed a "No Left Turn" sign now that I type this out but I honestly don't recall seeing one, or a Do Not Enter sign anywhere.
The signage on Ottawa is confusing at best. I've walked that stretch several times now trying to figure out what the actual intent is, and I haven't quite figured it out yet!
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(09-29-2016, 12:13 PM)urbd Wrote: Is it just me or is anyone else not pleased with the amount of new grass strips being added to the streetscape? I was expecting an extra wide sidewalk (or any hardscape really, i thought they would use the black concrete 'brick' thing they've used in other parts) close to King/Victoria, along Victoria... but that whole stretch is now lined with sod - odd choice for what is expected to be the densest urban hub in the Region.
Don't get me wrong, I like how grass looks, and it's nice to have some permeable surfaces in an otherwise barren Downtown, however, I associate grass boulevards with a suburban urban morphology, it just doesn't fit here. Same with Uptown from Allen to William, it just makes no sense to me. Opinions? I really think there was no thought put into the streetscape for the project... we are getting kilometres of new sidewalks and just seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity to create really great streetscapes.
No need to think about these area plots as grass because by the time our LRT vehicles are running the dandelions shall have inherited all the sod plots.
Could save money by planting dandelions and not using more costly sod. 
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(10-01-2016, 07:28 PM)KevinL Wrote: Quick update of interest to Canard: I was at Charles and Ontario earlier this evening and it appears the alignment issue with that one lubricator has been corrected. As there was no sign of disturbed concrete, it seems the metal has been trimmed from the edge of the box.
Photo evidence!
![[Image: K1xFcuU.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/K1xFcuU.jpg)
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10-02-2016, 09:18 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-02-2016, 09:19 AM by Canard.)
Love it; thanks Kevin! The rusted edge proves it was cut to suit; the rest of the cover is plated, but the exposed steel edge is now rusting.
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(10-02-2016, 09:14 AM)KevinL Wrote: (10-01-2016, 07:28 PM)KevinL Wrote: Quick update of interest to Canard: I was at Charles and Ontario earlier this evening and it appears the alignment issue with that one lubricator has been corrected. As there was no sign of disturbed concrete, it seems the metal has been trimmed from the edge of the box.
Photo evidence!
So what is replacing the wooden box? I assume it's not permanent!
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I'm actually now wondering if that's a mistake. Here's a photo of the lubricator setup at Caroline, just before William:
I just searched through all of my construction photos and I can't find a single other instance where there's something on both sides of the rail like the one at Charles/Ontario. Hrm.
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Those lubricators also have a notch in the steel cover, with something else (the lubricator itself?) in the notch. The edge on the one at Charles/Ontario is straight -- could it be that the steel cover will contain only the mechanism and reservoir, with the lubricator (for some reason) on the other side of the rail, where the wooden box is now?
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