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(11-10-2016, 08:50 AM)BuildingScout Wrote: The best way to fix and put and end to the "walking by the rail tracks" debate is high speed railway. People used to walk by the rails in Germany and there were a large number of un-signalled level crossings. Most of those are gone now, since HST trains (and cars in the autobahn) at > 240Km/h seem to move in heartbeats: you first see it in the distance, hearbeat, look again and it's right behind you, hearbeat, and its way in front of you.
Let me just put it on the record that I am opposed to trespassing anywhere near HSR tracks!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Man hit, killed by train in NY was photographing deer: So sad, so preventable. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/seetracksthinktrain?src=hash">#seetracksthinktrain</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoPhotoIsWorthTheRisk?src=hash">#NoPhotoIsWorthTheRisk</a> <a href="https://t.co/X7GnodA8kw">pic.twitter.com/X7GnodA8kw</a></p>— Operation Lifesaver (@olinational) <a href="https://twitter.com/olinational/status/796736960777908224">November 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
(11-10-2016, 11:45 AM)Elmira Guy Wrote: Not sure if this belongs here, and I'm quite certain it was discussed earlier somewhere here. Anyway, it is an update I think.
New land to be purchased for transit terminal on Fairway
And a reminder that we didn't try to expropriate a parking lot, but instead eliminating two businesses, because the parking lot had a bigger backing with which to make progress difficult?
The businesses are discrete parcels of land. The parking lot would be a segment of a larger parcel. Is one easier to arrange than the other? I am wondering.
I hate to be "that guy", but doesn't $11m sound a bit rich for a parking lot with some curbs/sidewalks and basic canopy structures? Or am I missing something?
(11-10-2016, 12:28 PM)Canard Wrote: I hate to be "that guy", but doesn't $11m sound a bit rich for a parking lot with some curbs/sidewalks and basic canopy structures? Or am I missing something?
It (hopefully) includes the very large payments required to completely buy out two businesses. It definitely includes the provisions to relocate the entirety of the bus facilities currently at Fairview Park Mall, likely being reformatted with LRT in something similar to the transit area being developed at UW between Ring Road and Philip Street.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Man hit, killed by train in NY was photographing deer: So sad, so preventable. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/seetracksthinktrain?src=hash">#seetracksthinktrain</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoPhotoIsWorthTheRisk?src=hash">#NoPhotoIsWorthTheRisk</a> <a href="https://t.co/X7GnodA8kw">pic.twitter.com/X7GnodA8kw</a></p>— Operation Lifesaver (@olinational) <a href="https://twitter.com/olinational/status/796736960777908224">November 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
None of which is relevant to the Spur Line or its trail, which by the way would probably not exist if not for the prior decades of trespassing.
11-10-2016, 01:20 PM (This post was last modified: 11-10-2016, 01:30 PM by Canard.)
I didn't mention the Spur Line Trail
John Tory just got his wrist slapped by Metrolinx PR:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A warning to all news outlets: may seem like a cool visual, but it's illegal to trespass on a rail corridor & you could both die. Don't. Thx <a href="https://t.co/Qy8qcIwLYx">https://t.co/Qy8qcIwLYx</a></p>— Anne Marie Aikins (@femwriter) <a href="https://twitter.com/femwriter/status/796764847203614720">November 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
I think of rails like a country highway. Traffic is sparse, but it's definitely there. But that doesn't mean that you can't ever cross the road.
I think of standing on the tracks to take a photo as similar to standing in the middle of that quiet highway to take a photo. It's inherently not safe, but with precaution, awareness, and spending as little time there as possible, risk can be managed.
(11-10-2016, 01:20 PM)Canard Wrote: I didn't mention the Spur Line Trail
John Tory just got his wrist slapped by Metrolinx PR:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A warning to all news outlets: may seem like a cool visual, but it's illegal to trespass on a rail corridor & you could both die. Don't. Thx <a href="https://t.co/Qy8qcIwLYx">https://t.co/Qy8qcIwLYx</a></p>— Anne Marie Aikins (@femwriter) <a href="https://twitter.com/femwriter/status/796764847203614720">November 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
You “corrected” what I said to leave out “HSR”, meaning that all tracks no matter how sparsely used are covered by the edited sentence. In particular, it’s reasonable to assume from this and other things you’ve written that you would be opposed to people walking on the ties on the Spur Line during the day when there is no longer any train traffic, not even the slow traffic we had before.
My point is that there is nothing at all wrong with some trespassing, including on some railway rights-of-way. The key is to put careful thought into it and not just assume that it’s safe just because the traffic level isn’t obvious like it is on a busy highway. The world doesn’t generally work on the basis of blind unthinking adherence to rules, even safety rules.
Having said that, I’m not sure what I think of these photos of politicians on railway tracks. On the one hand, I assume they and their photographers are watching what they’re doing. Also, if they are doing it at an authorized crossing, it’s not at all clear to me that they are in fact trespassing — a crossing is a place where it is definitely legal to cross the tracks. On the other hand, it implicitly suggests standing right in the middle of train tracks, which even though I’m fine with it in the right circumstances, I don’t actually want to specifically encourage people to hang out there.
(11-10-2016, 04:20 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: You “corrected” what I said to leave out “HSR”, meaning that all tracks no matter how sparsely used are covered by the edited sentence. In particular, it’s reasonable to assume from this and other things you’ve written that you would be opposed to people walking on the ties on the Spur Line during the day when there is no longer any train traffic, not even the slow traffic we had before.
The rules are pretty clear, here:
Yes, it angers me when I see people walking on the tracks instead of the trail.
Quote:My point is that there is nothing at all wrong with some trespassing, including on some railway rights-of-way. The key is to put careful thought into it and not just assume that it’s safe just because the traffic level isn’t obvious like it is on a busy highway. The world doesn’t generally work on the basis of blind unthinking adherence to rules, even safety rules.
Sorry, I can't agree. I guess as someone who grew up with railways, it's my responsibility to not just let this slide, and try my best to educate others about safety around the tracks.
While you may have your wits about you, and think it's safe, what about the teenager with their earbuds in that see you walking along the tracks and think "oh, it's safe for me to do that, too" - only to get killed?
Why is it that people on this forum are so okay with this, but freak out when they see someone do a rolling stop? It's as if some only want to enforce rules that are convienent for them, and make the rules that stand in their way "frivolous". It's really infuriating.
