I was really disappointed with Galloway's quote in the newspaper, but chalked it up to the Record selectively quoting. I suppose, though, that I should not have given him the benefit of the doubt, after that response from him. But I found the tone of the article annoying. People aren't really making up their own paths; they're just using the paths that make sense.
I e-mailed about Northfield way back because it seemed obvious to me. People will generally be wanting to go west, not east, from the station, since the Region installed the crosswalk across Northfield to the west of the station, and east of the station are a couple of destinations and then the expressway on-ramp. But there is only one legal exit from the station, on the east side of the north end of the platform.
If you're arriving on a Conestoga-bound train wanting to walk west, I guess that the "proper" way to exit the station is to stand awkwardly on the platform in front of the train waiting for it to pass, cross east, walk five metres or so north, then (I guess) wait for the flashing lights to stop, even though you know no train is coming. If you do cross west across the tracks (because you are already inside of the barrier, including the little barrier they have for people approaching from the east on the sidewalk), you get to wait for the arm to lift on the west, even though you've already safely crossed the tracks.
What people are actually doing, of course: walking up the middle of the platform safely out of the path of the Conestoga-bound train they've just disembarked from, checking to make sure there is no Fairway-bound train approaching from the north, crossing the tracks to the west of the platform where there should have been an exit, and either ducking under the arm or congregating awkwardly around it until it starts to lift.
Sorry for going on...in short, arrive to Northfield Station from the south, want to go west as most everyone will, and the "safe" way is to double back across the tracks and maybe in front of the train, instead of just walking west.
I e-mailed about Northfield way back because it seemed obvious to me. People will generally be wanting to go west, not east, from the station, since the Region installed the crosswalk across Northfield to the west of the station, and east of the station are a couple of destinations and then the expressway on-ramp. But there is only one legal exit from the station, on the east side of the north end of the platform.
If you're arriving on a Conestoga-bound train wanting to walk west, I guess that the "proper" way to exit the station is to stand awkwardly on the platform in front of the train waiting for it to pass, cross east, walk five metres or so north, then (I guess) wait for the flashing lights to stop, even though you know no train is coming. If you do cross west across the tracks (because you are already inside of the barrier, including the little barrier they have for people approaching from the east on the sidewalk), you get to wait for the arm to lift on the west, even though you've already safely crossed the tracks.
What people are actually doing, of course: walking up the middle of the platform safely out of the path of the Conestoga-bound train they've just disembarked from, checking to make sure there is no Fairway-bound train approaching from the north, crossing the tracks to the west of the platform where there should have been an exit, and either ducking under the arm or congregating awkwardly around it until it starts to lift.
Sorry for going on...in short, arrive to Northfield Station from the south, want to go west as most everyone will, and the "safe" way is to double back across the tracks and maybe in front of the train, instead of just walking west.