General Road and Highway Discussion

[ac3r]

On brand for Cambridge, though. They've got the worst roads in the entire region within that city.

I'm guessing the victim was taken out of region since, as is quite usual lately, our local hospitals are often having a surge code meaning they have had days where they have absolutely no beds available...and by no beds, I mean even the hallways don't have room for patients. They've apparently been having to do that a lot lately; keeping patients in the hallways with nothing but a flimsy foldable panel to provide privacy, no washroom, no table or chairs, no storage etc. Thankfully over Christmas and New Years they've done their best to discharge as many people to get new admittances a room.

[plam]

On brand for Cambridge, though. They've got the worst roads in the entire region within that city.

I'm guessing the victim was taken out of region since, as is quite usual lately, our local hospitals are often having a surge code meaning they have had days where they have absolutely no beds available...and by no beds, I mean even the hallways don't have room for patients. They've apparently been having to do that a lot lately; keeping patients in the hallways with nothing but a flimsy foldable panel to provide privacy, no washroom, no table or chairs, no storage etc. Thankfully over Christmas and New Years they've done their best to discharge as many people to get new admittances a room.

I heard something about Quebec emerg being absolutely full recently as well. My cousin is working one here in Nelson BC. I should ask her how busy they rae.

[ac3r]

4 more pedestrians hit in Cambridge: https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/four-pedest...-1.6710134

[bravado]

4 more pedestrians hit in Cambridge: https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/four-pedest...-1.6710134

Since the Mayor was also hit by a driver in 2022, I expect she will have all sorts of empathy for this string of recent vehicular assaults. And by “empathy”, I mean nothing at all and more of the status quo on dangerous regional roads.

[danbrotherston]

4 more pedestrians hit in Cambridge: https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/four-pedest...-1.6710134

Since the Mayor was also hit by a driver in 2022, I expect she will have all sorts of empathy for this string of recent vehicular assaults. And by “empathy”, I mean nothing at all and more of the status quo on dangerous regional roads.

*sigh*...

The advice is just so bad...

“We encourage them to keep their head up, be aware of their surroundings and always be on the lookout for vehicle traffic.”

Which is of course good advice for pedestrians and drivers alike.

Of course, if drivers fail to do so, they will receive a very small fine and possibly see an increase in their insurance rates. Pedestrians on the other hand, will get a trip to the hospital if they're lucky, and the morgue if they're not. The problem is of course, that even if pedestrians do pay attention, they might STILL end up going to the hospital/morgue. Drivers on the other hand will NEVER suffer ANY consequences if they drive correctly, even if they do hit a pedestrian while doing so.

But of course, even pointing this kind of one-sidedness out will get everyone from council to staff to police shouting at you for being entirely unfair.

[bravado]

https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news...el-8102095

Proposal for the new Franklin/Saginaw roundabout (as mentioned earlier in the collision chat) is coming up with some pretty bold choices. I look forward to regional council not selecting any of them and cheaping out at the earliest opportunity. This isn't on EngageWR yet so I don't know how the reporter got this info.

Pedestrian tunnels! So luxurious.



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[ac3r]

Looks nice, but yeah I'm sure they'll find a reason to say no.

[neonjoe]

Looks nice, but yeah I'm sure they'll find a reason to say no.

I can gue$$ the reason.

[Acitta]

Proposed Roundabout - Strasburg Road & New Dundee Road, Kitchener (Regional Road 12)

[danbrotherston]

Proposed Roundabout - Strasburg Road & New Dundee Road, Kitchener (Regional Road 12)

"
Project overview
Following the Kitchener City Council approval of the Strasburg Road extension, and Environmental Assessment work done by the City of Kitchener, we’ve reviewed what will become the intersection of Strasburg Road and New Dundee Road to look at ways to ensure this future intersection will consider pedestrian, cyclist, and driver safety, while also minimizing traffic delays. At this time, a roundabout is proposed."

You know, this is just lip service...minimizing traffic delays was the only priority they included here. And don't get me wrong, the people who wrote that don't think it's true...they've drunk as much koolaid as anyone. Roundabouts (as built by the region) are bad for pedestrians and cyclists.

Of course, in their defence, anything they built was also going to be bad for peds and cyclists.

This is why we need to bring things back to fundamentals...this road shouldn't exist in the first place...it's 2024, building new sprawl infra is not aligned with our global goals. This is why when people claim North America is improving...they're wrong. At best, we are trying to fix a few of the most egregious things, while continuing to build more sprawl and more car dependency as fast as ever.

[the_conestoga_guy]

EngageWR has a new page for the upcoming work on Victoria St from Fischer-Hallman to Lawrence. This stretch was previously approved in 2018, but has been updated to include active transportation facilities. Feedback on this page will be accepted until April 5th.

https://www.engagewr.ca/victoria-street-...-kitchener

[Bytor]

Same old Waterloo Region planning — lip-service to pedestrian & cyclist safety but not where they actually interact with vehicles the most, because that would slow down the cars.

[danbrotherston]

Yeah, I mean, it's not nothing...certainly they are trying to follow councils instructions to actually build in features to the roads like bike lanes and such but they absolutely desperate to do it without taking away one inch of space from motorists.

Like...Victoria St. in this area is ridiculous. It is two lanes east of Lawrence, and Lawrence is a tiny street. There is absolutely no reason for a four lane road here. The traffic numbers do not justify it. Highland is already four lanes to carry volumes (which also don't really exist there mind you). Even west of Westmount the volumes don't justify four lanes, but east, there is absolutely no reason because the road is already two lanes and will never be widened.

And yet, they insist on keeping four lanes. On a stretch of road with tons of housing, with a daycare across from that housing, where children have already been run over, one of the deadliest sections of road in the region. A section of road where people live, but do so without any trees, because trees cannot survive in that environment...well, remove them and add a bike lane to the parched environment...regional engineers feel that is progressive.

The fact that they are keeping four lanes here, of all places...reveals all you need to know about regional policy.

And that will be my comment.

And I will be commenting on this one...because this one is personal to me. That was the daycare where my little one went, I rode that road every day for almost a year. I remember when the proposal came up to improve it, I told them the proposal was mediocre...but I never expected it to come up again. The fact that it has shows that council isn't pleased with the mediocrity...but regional staff aren't budging on it.

[dtkvictim]

Every time I drive that stretch of Victoria I wonder the same thing. It's pointless, ugly, and makes crossings even bigger. I've provided feedback as such (while complaining about the tax waste of extra lanes, I hear they love that).

[danbrotherston]

Every time I drive that stretch of Victoria I wonder the same thing. It's pointless, ugly, and makes crossings even bigger. I've provided feedback as such (while complaining about the tax waste of extra lanes, I hear they love that).

Heh, yes, I also included that question...our tax dollars are being wasted, if our safety and health isn't enough. But I think the problem is different from that...it's a bureaucratic problem. Nobody on council particularly disagrees with the point (or at least, only a minority do), so why is it not being done? Well, these decisions aren't really made by council, they're made by staff. So I also pushed council to also consider why this road is not being managed in line with the moving forward 2020 plan, which, mediocre though it may be, does call for road diets in select places.