ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Markster]

Apparently Charles St will open to bi-directional traffic sometime mid-August.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/Markster3000">@Markster3000</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RegionWaterloo">@RegionWaterloo</a> HI Mark. Two-way traffic on Charles from Francis to Benton is expected by mid-August.</p>&mdash; ION (@rideIONrt) <a href="https://twitter.com/rideIONrt/status/751085243071856641">July 7, 2016</a></blockquote>

[kps]

What I find a bit remarkable, living at Kaufman, is how I walk my dog a few times around 6/7, 4/6, 9/10/11, and no matter the day of the week, I'll see more than a car a minute drive down Victoria past at least half a dozen warning signs, and then seem confused that they can't get through. You would think that signs and time would be enough, but I'm amazed at how many people (even taxis) still don't clue in one way or another.

Some may just be boneheads, but incorrect signs seem to have become common, so it's not entirely surprising that people stop believing them.

[Canard]

I see lots of cars do that too when I walk down Weber between Duke and Victoria. I actually watched one woman slam on her brakes and almost slid into the construction fence. Like how hard is it to read 3 closed signs in a row?

I also see pedestrians lifting up fences all over the place and climbing through the construction zones. Some of our own forum members even do this and are praised for doing so. I can't believe the number of people I see climbing through the tracks in Waterloo Park.

It's really scary that everyone (pedestrians/motorists/cyclists) are not following the rules/the law.  But making these observations which are totally subjective based on one's own experiences provides no benefit to this thread or advance the conversation. Could I propose that we move back to talking about the construction of the line? Plz? Group hug?

[KevinL]

I think it's safe to say that many of those upset and frustrated with the construction are motorists (as their mobility is the most impacted), and a select number of them will unfortunately take out their frustrations on the crew doing the work. Obviously blaming these people, who are simply doing their jobs, for the inconvenience is illogical and pointless, but emotion will seek an easy outlet when that frustration rises. I don't know how things can be better settled with these people, but hopefully something can be sorted before anything boils over too far.

[JoeKW]

I saw a guy walk through the construction site at king and francis some time ago (there was no path at the time) and I had to shake my head because I knew how many deep pits and holes have come and gone day by day in that area.

[tomh009]

Happily there are no fences on Charles these days, making it easy to walk the track (and take photos)!

[tomh009]

Apparently Charles St will open to bi-directional traffic sometimes mid-August.

Now, that's Francis to Benton.  How about Benton to Ottawa?  Most of those intersections will be open this month, so will Charles be open for traffic as well?

[Canard]

It's open (mostly) Southbound already - certainly by bike. I ride that almost every day. It would stop for cars at Stirling.

[Viewfromthe42]

It still goes both ways, too. My girlfriend was out near a construction site walking home and got harassed by the construction workers there. We should all try to be better people.

[panamaniac]

It still goes both ways, too. My girlfriend was out near a construction site walking home and got harassed by the construction workers there. We should all try to be better people.

I was surprised to see that at Duke and Ontario today.   I thought those days were long past.

[clasher]

It still goes both ways, too. My girlfriend was out near a construction site walking home and got harassed by the construction workers there. We should all try to be better people.

I was surprised to see that at Duke and Ontario today.   I thought those days were long past.

Get the times and phone Grand Linq, those guys should get canned for that. I was working at a build at the University of Guelph and at safety orientation they would fire anyone reported of cat-calling or other b-s along those lines.

The lights at Charles and Queen are working now and cars could drive through though I didn't see anyone when I zipped by on my bike.

[tomh009]

Pretty light traffic so far, but then you can only take Queen as far as King. Then maybe College? Water? to get across to Weber? Or are all the intersections on Duke closed?

[KevinL]

I've been doing one of my favourite time-wasting activities, namely checking out other light rail systems in Street View, when I spotted something at a CTrain station in Calgary that seemed really cool - a food truck parked on its forecourt: https://www.google.ca/maps/@50.9976709,-...312!8i6656

I wonder what the potential for that will be once Ion opens?

[GtwoK]

Ontario is still open (for the next few days). Seems Young opened today too!



Sidewalks in on the corners here too



I guess this also answers the question of if the hydro poles along Charles will be coming down!

[Canard]

I wonder what the potential for that will be once Ion opens?

I hate to say it, but probably not much of a potential. None of the stops really have a courtyard like that - our stops are much, much smaller.