General Road and Highway Discussion

[Bob_McBob]

What happened to the rollout of speed cameras outside schools? The region has legally been able to install the initial batch for over a month now since notification period ended.

[danbrotherston]

Well, a hit and run collision in downtown resulted in diesel fuel being spread across a half dozen roads in DTK. What a mess...

[ac3r]

NY Times has a good article regarding the removal of highways that exist through cities: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021...moval.html

[plam]

NY Times has a good article regarding the removal of highways that exist through cities: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021...moval.html

Yes, thanks! KW mostly escaped that I think.

[ac3r]

Our favourite cynical Dutchphile cyclist is back with another video on the values of car sharing. I'd like to see more growth in this area in Waterloo Region:

[danbrotherston]

Our favourite cynical Dutchphile cyclist is back with another vide on the values of car sharing. I'd like to see more growth in this area in Waterloo Region:

WR has been pretty progressive when it comes to car sharing. At least historically.  Community car share now Communauto has been running car sharing in the region for quite a while, and AFAIK WR was one of the earliest small to midsized cities to get car sharing, possibly a decade before it became relatively common. Communauto is still the largest carshare company.

I will say that the key to supporting car sharing is:

1) Density - there must be enough people in walking distance to a car to support it, and that walking distance is very short
2) Supporting non-car commuting - car sharing only makes sense when people don't commute by SOV. 
3) Increasing the cost of parking - if people are already forced to own extensive amounts of parking because it's built into home ownership and work place costs, they are much more likely to own a car.

In that regard, midsized cities like ours really struggle to support car sharing, even here, it's really only feasible in a few places in the city, so I think we're doing well in supporting that.

[tomh009]

Communauto has 15 locations in Kitchener and nine more in Waterloo -- that's not bad at all, I think.

[Bytor]

"During The Pandemic Lockdown, Traffic Deaths Soared To The Highest Level In 13 Years"

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/03/100303407...g-the-pand

TL;DR→ fewer drivers meant less congestion, less congestion meant faster speeds, which in turn meant more traffic deaths.

[Bob_McBob]

What happened to the rollout of speed cameras outside schools? The region has legally been able to install the initial batch for over a month now since notification period ended.

Following up on this, the region started installing a camera in Winterbourne last week, but so far it's just an empty shell mounted on a post. The camera is aimed south, but I gather these cameras cover both directions? I have noticed a few drivers going much closer to the speed limit in this stretch, but almost every time I drive past, the vehicle in front of me would have been caught by the camera.

[timio]

I saw the concrete camera base had been poured on Westmount southbound just north of Laurentian School a few weeks ago.

[Archetype]

Also heard that signs are up in front of Westheights saying cameras are being installed.

[timio]

Also heard that signs are up in front of Westheights saying cameras are being installed.

Can confirm.

[nms]

The post has also been installed west of Keatsway Public School. No camera yet.

[neonjoe]

Post and camera enclosure is now up on Westmount.

[Bob_McBob]

I noticed the region is finally converting the notorious Erbsville Road and Conservation Drive intersection into a four-way stop on July 13. It should absolutely be a roundabout given the new developments and increased traffic on Conservation Drive, but they're apparently unwilling to expropriate the land at this time. I guess a messy four-way stop is better than the current blind two-way stop, but expropriating that little barn on the corner would greatly improve safety.