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Walking in Waterloo Region
What are we looking at in that second pic?
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(07-04-2017, 10:39 AM)kps Wrote: What are we looking at in that second pic?

In my opinion it appears they are confused why post-intersection it looks like 2 lanes merging to one.  My assumption is a bus bay, or a lane for the cross-street to merge from.  But I'm not an engineer.

Coke
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(07-04-2017, 10:39 AM)kps Wrote: What are we looking at in that second pic?

I think it's a "crossing" of Lodge Street at Regina Street North. But there is no line, the curb cuts don't line up at all, and the stop line on Lodge is in the middle of where you would expect a crosswalk to be.

Here is the location: https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4740431,-...6656?hl=en
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(07-04-2017, 10:43 AM)timc Wrote:
(07-04-2017, 10:39 AM)kps Wrote: What are we looking at in that second pic?

I think it's a "crossing" of Lodge Street at Regina Street North. But there is no line, the curb cuts don't line up at all, and the stop line on Lodge is in the middle of where you would expect a crosswalk to be.

Here is the location: https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4740431,-...6656?hl=en

Ahhh, those thoughts make more sense than what I saw.... LOL

Coke
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danbrotherston Wrote:Anyone want to explain what the engineer who designed this was thinking?
(07-04-2017, 10:43 AM)timc Wrote: Here is the location: https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4740431,-...6656?hl=en

I suspect that the engineer was thinking "Lodge St is a suburban industrial road, and needs to support trucks turning on to Regina."  And it's probably been over 40 years since anyone gave it another thought.
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(07-04-2017, 12:00 PM)Markster Wrote:
danbrotherston Wrote:Anyone want to explain what the engineer who designed this was thinking?
(07-04-2017, 10:43 AM)timc Wrote: Here is the location: https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4740431,-...6656?hl=en

I suspect that the engineer was thinking "Lodge St is a suburban industrial road, and needs to support trucks turning on to Regina."  And it's probably been over 40 years since anyone gave it another thought.

A reasonable explanation, but even the stop line, which has been repainted numerous times is past the curb cut, and that's been painted recently.  This section was also just repaved last month (of course they curbs were only patched, not replaced).

For the other, yes, the pickup truck has completely blocked, for no reason whatsoever, the ramp which enables people in wheelchairs to continue on King St. past the construction.
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Another day, another sorry state of walking in the city. The construction work on Hickory at King St. has for a while now been blocking the sidewalk on the west side of King. This is unfortunate because it is a busy sidewalk and crossing twice is very time consuming (like 2-3 minutes), so most just run through the traffic lane when necessary.

This morning the crews are also blocking the crosswalk across King on the north side of Hickory. So, now there's no way to get through. I pointed this out to the foreman who offered to help walk me across the sidewalk. But assholery aside, the light turned green, the bus and traffic cleared and there's a group of students and an elderly man standing at the edge of the road wondering how to get across. The students made a break for it against the light, through active traffic. The elderly man stood there and continued to look worried.

This is of course the type of thing that will lead to an collision, injuries, maybe a fatality, and everyone will read the news, *shrug* and say, well they shouldn't have j-walked.

I am in a very frustrated mood this morning, forgive the rant.
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(07-04-2017, 01:38 PM)danbrotherston Wrote:
(07-04-2017, 12:00 PM)Markster Wrote: I suspect that the engineer was thinking "Lodge St is a suburban industrial road, and needs to support trucks turning on to Regina."  And it's probably been over 40 years since anyone gave it another thought.

A reasonable explanation, but even the stop line, which has been repainted numerous times is past the curb cut, and that's been painted recently.  This section was also just repaved last month (of course they curbs were only patched, not replaced).

For the other, yes, the pickup truck has completely blocked, for no reason whatsoever, the ramp which enables people in wheelchairs to continue on King St. past the construction.

the geometry of this intersection is awkward and for people heading west on Lodge approaching Regina, it is difficult to see left with a couple houses close to the road and a tree.  traffic on Regina is through.  I always thought the all way stop should have been here instead of at Marshall, one block south...but I guess Marshall is the higher order street?

Wow, streetview shows the line in the same spot since 2009!
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4741803,-...312!8i6656
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(07-05-2017, 10:47 PM)Smore Wrote: Wow, streetview shows the line in the same spot since 2009!
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4741803,-...312!8i6656

I wouldn't be surprised if it has been in the same spot since 1999. Or earlier.
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(07-05-2017, 10:47 PM)Smore Wrote: the geometry of this intersection is awkward and for people heading west on Lodge approaching Regina, it is difficult to see left with a couple houses close to the road and a tree.  traffic on Regina is through.  I always thought the all way stop should have been here instead of at Marshall, one block south...but I guess Marshall is the higher order street?

Wow, streetview shows the line in the same spot since 2009!
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4741803,-...312!8i6656

Yes, and in fact the strangely wide lane makes it all the more difficult.  Frankly, the design makes things worse in almost every way.

Yeah, I doubt that line has ever moved.

This is an obvious intersection to fix, and for the time being it could be fixed with just paint and bollards, if only someone (anyone really) had the will to try.
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So final pavement is in at Mill and Ottawa, and the lanes and crosswalks are painted. But...

[Image: HPQbvBm.png]

[Image: rPFrvGJ.png]

They seem to have disregarded the (rather lengthy!) portion of curb cut (with tactile plates!) placed along Mill, and simply connected the crosswalk to the corner cut instead. This does bring the stop line much further forward; I don't know much about turn radii and those dynamics, but I presume this is for ease of vehicle movement. 

It's a bit surprising that this wasn't realized until after the concrete work was done, though.
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*slow clap*
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Is it possible that that curb cut is intended to serve as one of the entrances to the churches parking lot? If those are tactile plates, it would suggest "no", but it does correspond to where the old driveway was at that end of the Mill cut.
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(07-13-2017, 10:49 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Is it possible that that curb cut is intended to serve as one of the entrances to the churches parking lot?  If those are tactile plates, it would suggest "no", but it does correspond to where the old driveway was at that end of the Mill cut.

No, that would be too close to the intersection. It's always been further back on Mill (with another on Pattandon).
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Google Maps shows an old entrance to the church exactly where this long curb cut is, and another further down on Mill.

Is there a risk that the placement of the long strip along the former curb cut would lead a visually impaired person to walk into traffic, if they assumed this marked the corner where they're supposed to cross? Or are the two strips in the picture different textures?
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