ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Markster]

The newly paved Laurel Trail from University to Columbia looks very rough... I'm assuming it will get repaved?

Yeah, it, along with the asphalt sidewalk on Columbia are clearly temporary, for the winter I presume.
I had tweeted at GrandLink 2 months ago, asking if there'd ever be at least a temporary treatment. I'm glad to see that after 5 months of a dirt sidewalk, there finally is.

[UrbanCanoe]

The chimes are a small yet significant part of the rider experience, especially for the operator who hears it hundreds of times each day. Sure, there are bigger issues we should be discussing but we also need to be aware of these smaller items as they may become quite noticeable once the system is operating.

On this note (pun intended), CBC Radio's "This is That" program recently produced a short documentary about a gentleman in Calgary who provided his voice for their C-Train system but is now being replaced by a computerized voice. CLICK HERE to listen to the story.

STORY:

For 34 years, Michael Cousins has proudly announced to Calgarians riding the C-train which stop is next and to "stand clear of the doors." Yet in this documentary, we learn about the role technology is playing in making Cousins and his soothing voice obsolete.

    "Being replaced by a computer is a hard pill to swallow."
     - Michael Cousins, former voice of the C-Train

"I have a hard time believing a computer can say 'Barlow Trail' with the same gravitas as me," says Cousins, "but we'll see I suppose."

Listen to the audio to learn how Michael first got the job and the imprint he has left on Calgary.

[FYI: "This is That" is a farce program. This is not a real interview.]

[mpd618]

are we seriously worrying about the chime? wow. we are lucky enough to be getting a great LRT system!

We're not "seriously worrying" about anything. I'm a member of this forum and I'm allowed to discuss relevant points of interest about this project, aren't I? Or should I just shut up and take pictures and that's it.

The chime is part of the experience of the system. And it's more than about the chime - it's about whether any thought is being given to crafting the experience here, rather than just ordering up "an LRT system" and assuming that's all that's needed. Ultimately this will be an important part of the community, and design details matter.

I'm not personally convinced that the Region is paying much attention to design details, or that they even know what design is.

[Markster]

On this note (pun intended), CBC Radio's "This is That" program recently produced a short documentary about a gentleman in Calgary who provided his voice for their C-Train system but is now being replaced by a computerized voice. CLICK HERE to listen to the story.

That story is literally taking place in Toronto. (And probably the source of This Is That's idea for the segment, so they could fictionalize the story for laughs.)

The voice of the TTC subway announcer was replaced by a computer with the new Rocket trains (the bendy ones).

[Canard]

Even stranger: the woman who used to do the TTC recordings was a TTC employee... And Bombardier used her for the speech synthesis system on the TR's and FLEXITY Outlook LFLRV's. So she's still there!

[KevinL]

I'm not personally convinced that the Region is paying much attention to design details, or that they even know what design is.

Of course, GrandLinq's mandate includes design (DBFOM = Design Build Finance Operate Maintain); but I don't know how much of that includes the vehicles' design as they were obtained through a separate contract. I hope we don't have too much fall between the cracks.

[Canard]

Agreed. All I'm saying with the chime thing (or any other seemingly trivial design details, like the choice of fabric colours/patterns inside, exterior branding, striping etc.) is that I don't want this to be left to someone who doesn't care and just does whatever they want to push it out the door. People who "get" good design/UI (and I think there's a lot of those people here, based on the above comments!) understand that it's those little things that improve the overall ridership experience. And for people like me who obsess over details, it puts us at ease The trains are the face of the system - the things the passengers will interface the most with.

Goldlinq went to some huge effort to get a third-party design team involved to come up with a nose cone design and paint job that evoked the visage of a surfboard for Gold Coast's LFLRV's! I'm not saying we go that far. I just want someone to care and put some thought into the options that are easy to customize, like the colour of the exterior, interior, illumination and audio cues, that's all.

[ookpik]

Agreed. All I'm saying with the chime thing (or any other seemingly trivial design details, like the choice of fabric colours/patterns inside, exterior branding, striping etc.) is that I don't want this to be left to someone who doesn't care and just does whatever they want to push it out the door.

There's a big difference between the chime choice and the other design items in your list. The chime is easy/inexpensive to change if that should ever become an issue. The latter items however would be much more difficult/expensive to change. Moreover, the default chime is universally recognized as a transit car warning. Why mess with it? That would be like someone who thinks the red octagonal shape of a STOP sign is boring and lobbies the region to change all of ours to something "better." (If you're going to choose a battle, at least choose one that's worth fighting for.)

People who "get" good design/UI (and I think there's a lot of those people here, based on the above comments!) understand that it's those little things that improve the overall ridership experience. And for people like me who obsess over details, it puts us at ease  The trains are the face of the system - the things the passengers will interface the most with.

How would a different chime "improve the overall ridership experience"? (I can see how it might worsen the overall riding experience if riders didn't immediately recognize it for what it's intended to be and got injured by closing doors.)

[Markster]

The point is that if they are thinking about things like The Chime, then they are thinking about other finer details too, like bench placement or wayfinding, or other things that may be more "concrete" in the literal sense. The chime doesn't matter, what matters is that they're thinking.

That said, on the topic of the chime, I wouldn't want them to start thinking about it, and then decide that because they started thinking about it, that it must be "Made In Waterloo" because reasons. I wouldn't be opposed to the TTC chime at all.

[timio]

Duke and Water will be closing on Monday until December 21. I'm glad to see GrandLinq getting as much as they can done before the ground freezes.

[chutten]

The point is that if they are thinking about things like The Chime, then they are thinking about other finer details too, like bench placement or wayfinding, or other things that may be more "concrete" in the literal sense.  The chime doesn't matter, what matters is that they're thinking.

Like brown m&ms?

[Canard]

FFS Oopik. Leave me alone. Just because I care about things you don't doesn't make my viewpoint any less valid. Just let it die. Sorry I ever brought it up.

[panamaniac]

Duke and Water will be closing on Monday until December 21.  I'm glad to see GrandLinq getting as much as they can done before the ground freezes.

The long range forecast looks like above zero highs until at least mid-December, so they may be able to stretch the season a bit more than usual, with any luck.

[ookpik]

The point is that if they are thinking about things like The Chime, then they are thinking about other finer details too, like bench placement or wayfinding, or other things that may be more "concrete" in the literal sense.  The chime doesn't matter, what matters is that they're thinking.

The cars ordered for ION have been in use in LRTs, trams and commuter trains around the world for many years. I'd urge the "experts" to ask those transit operators about these sorts of details, e.g. what they like and what they wish they could change, long before I'd want our local "experts" to design a "better" mouse-traphuman car just to be different or just to flex their creative muscles.

[zanate]

The cars ordered for ION have been in use in LRTs, trams and commuter trains around the world for many years. I'd urge the "experts" to ask those transit operators about these sorts of details, e.g. what they like and what they wish they could change, long before I'd want our local "experts" to design a "better" mouse-traphuman car just to be different or just to flex their creative muscles.

I'd urge for the same conversation.

We have a partner who is responsible for designing, building and operating this system. They are not intrinsically responsible for it being an attractive system beyond what's specified in the contract and what is asked for by the region. So Project Co could have tons of real world expertise on the kind of polish that can be applied to a tram line. They do not necessarily have the incentive to independently apply that knowledge.

If it's a healthy relationship, then there should be a healthy dialogue going on between region and GrandLinq about what is possible and what is recommended. And we should be seeing some signs of that.