05-05-2025, 02:07 PM
(05-05-2025, 11:29 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: Since this desiccated mummified horse corpse continues to get beaten here. Jason Slaughter made a video about how Trams (LRT) is the best urban transit mode for cities. I tend to agree with some caveats. https://youtu.be/bNTg9EX7MLw?si=62RoDzjdBejMnsMw
Haha we do seem to bring it up quite a lot. Its already built, we aren't getting a skytrain or underground system now.
I do think the LRT was the right choice for KW, although in hindsight I think the implementation was a bit of an issue. The Region rightfully so cheaped out whenever possible, but having the mandate that no roads be shutdown or turned into one-way for the LRT was a big miss in my opinion. The system would have been more efficient and quicker if they had implemented the following design changes:
- Caroline st s should have been a one way with the LRT running both ways down it.
- King st in DTK should have been turned into a pedestrian/ LRT only road.
- Obviously the hayward/ courtland ave S turn is a mess, it should have stayed on the rail right of way, then crossed king at Balzer.
- The loop back from northfield to Conestoga mall slows everything down and make extending it to Rim park area impossible, they should have built a dedicated bridge over the highway beside the hydro lines then used something like Conestogo rd/ Bauer place to get to king st.
- Not sure how they could have made the borden/ ottawa split any better, maybe if they had continued on the rail right of way to kent or stirling ave they could have had by-direction. Or even continueing on the rail right of way until mill st then using Benton to get to DTK.
- They should have/ still need to figure out the mess of lights on King by the hospital. I think they need to remove at least 1 of those lights. The most obvious one is the entrance to midtown hospital, Just make the entrance to the hospital off Green St. If they could get rid of the one entering Central fresh market all the better. That seems to be the main area for accidents. Even the traffic at Agnes could be removed no need for that street to make a left on king, just divert traffic to Wellington/ Green st.
There are lots of reasons some of these things we not implemented, mostly financial, but others had to do with the difficulty to negotiate with third parties. I for one am happy we have something over nothing. Imagine how watered down the system would have been if they went for BRT.