ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[ac3r]

And the roads weren’t meant for automobiles. They were originally meant for pedestrians and horse-drawn vehicles, then later electric streetcars were added. Only more recently did automobiles become common and eventually take over almost the whole right-of-way. Then yet more recently tracks were added back in, making the central portion of the street “meant for” both private vehicles and automobiles, in separate lanes.

Generally speaking, roads have always been for vehicles.

First, indeed, horse-drawn vehicles used them. Then electric trolleys. Then personal automobiles. Pedestrians would usually opt to use a sidewalk, or at the very least not directly where vehicles operated. For one, nobody wants to walk through horse shit. Nobody wants to walk where trolleys and trains operate. Nobody wants to cycle where cars operate. It's quite simple.

Roads are for cars. Rail corridors are for trains. Bike lanes/paths are for bikes. Sidewalks are for people. What is so hard to understand about that? Different modes of transportation require different forms of infrastructure. It's why you don't see people taking their dog for a walk on the LRT corridor, or cycling to work in the fast lane of a 400-series highway. It is not safe to mix them and even when it is necessary, we tend to take every precaution to minimize any chance of a collision (gates, bells, whistles, bridges, tunnels etc).

Pic related: