ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[danbrotherston]

Typical, they refer to the crash as an "accident".

Regardless, it shouldn't be an issue on our line as there is no place where parking is adjacent to the LRT, and in fact zero shared ROW.  The only thing I do see happening is drivers choosing to park on the street car LRT to run in somewhere, but we will see.  

That being said, I honestly feel the correct solution to the above problems should be a ram on the front of the LRV.  Push them out of the way.  Passengers have places to be, and drivers who park illegally should have no expectation of returning to an undamaged vehicle.  But that's my opinion, not shared by all.

[drum118]

I have finally got all 250 photos I shot on Nov 26 for the system, including the open house.

You can find them at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/drum118/al...0590612016

As for parking issues, some systems have not allow enough clearance for parking and the tram. Washington DC is one system and have seen it first hand. One issue that may show up is people parking on the ROW to do the quick pickup/drop off and should be hit with a huge fine.

From what I have heard, both Cinci and Kansas City are experiencing very little parking issue at all.

[ijmorlan]

Typical, they refer to the crash as an "accident".

Regardless, it shouldn't be an issue on our line as there is no place where parking is adjacent to the LRT, and in fact zero shared ROW.  The only thing I do see happening is drivers choosing to park on the street car LRT to run in somewhere, but we will see.  

That being said, I honestly feel the correct solution to the above problems should be a ram on the front of the LRV.  Push them out of the way.  Passengers have places to be, and drivers who park illegally should have no expectation of returning to an undamaged vehicle.  But that's my opinion, not shared by all.

If it was a freight line, nobody would disagree with you! Although to be fair, the laws of physics pretty much mandate your solution there.

One thing that confuses me about our system is that in some places the LRT lane is separated from the traffic lanes by an actual curb, the usual 15cm or so in height, and in other places it’s just the almost flat curb that just has a slight depression to form a channel for water flow. For example I’m thinking King St. southbound south of Allen for the first, and King St. northbound north of Allen for the second. The flat one almost seems to invite incursion whereas the full curb, while not exactly preventing incursion, I think makes it absolutely crystal clear where vehicles are supposed to be.

[danbrotherston]

Yeah. I have no idea what the reason for the difference is. It seems unnecessary.

[Viewfromthe42]

I've seen several drivers already at Charles St Southwestbound at Queen use the LRT right of way as a right turn lane. Put someone in it who's waiting for pedestrians, or for traffic on Queen northwestbound to clear, and you've got a blockage. Similarly, anywhere that there's a stop line more than a foot from the crosswalk (gaukel at King, Duke at Francis, Francis at King), and people will drive well past it.

[KevinL]

Bizarrely enough, the southbound LRT tracks across Ottawa at Mill - which had been entombed under asphalt back in the autumn - are now being dug back up. I had thought the treatment was intended for the entire winter, but am being proven wrong in the most adverse of weather conditions.

[Canard]

Weirdness all around!

Also: Central Fresh is running ads on 570 News saying King/Wellington is open, when it's not. I haven't been by here in a few days - what gives?

[Viewfromthe42]

Possibly a gamble on their part. Either they are correct, and get advertising to help bring sales up, or they are wrong, and delays in the reopening of that intersection get blamed for wasted advertising dollars, and we see more stories on 570 and in The Record, and they get advertising that way.

[Canard]

1/2 - Saturday, December 17, 2016

Not much going on, as expected - but that's more indicative of construction being nearly complete than the weather.

   
Frederick, between Duke and King.

   
The fire escape staircase awaits replacement (or total demolition).

   
Future Queen station

   
Future Queen station

   
Now would be a great time to practice snow removal techniques, instead of waiting to the last minute and then realizing it might not go all to plan.

[Canard]

2/2 - Saturday, December 17, 2016

   

   
The King St. Grade Separation looks about like it has for the past month or two.

[KevinL]

Not sure if you spotted it, Canard, but traffic signals are installed at King and Frederick/Benton. Gradually moving towards that being reopened...

[Canard]

There were a couple of guys there this afternoon tinkering with that one, yeah. So hard to tell with all the snow where things are at.

[DHLawrence]

That overpass doesn't look like it will translate into platforms and an LRT connection very easily.

[Canard]

That overpass doesn't look like it will translate into platforms and an LRT connection very easily.

I don't think the design of the transit hub has been finalized (or a developer even chosen).  Although I do remember seeing initial proposals having a staircase and/or elevator to get up there.  I don't think it's too far off from what other cities have, in my experience.  This was my transfer between the Tokyo Haneda monorail and the Yamanote line in Tokyo, for example - Down two escalators, through an intermediate faregate, down another escalator, up another set, and then down a final set of stairs to the platforms.

So going up one staircase to the railway platforms from the LRT platforms is really not so bad!

Edit: Here's the diagram I was thinking of:

[tomh009]

Although I do remember seeing initial proposals having a staircase and/or elevator to get up there.  I don't think it's too far off from what other cities have, in my experience.  This was my transfer between the Tokyo Haneda monorail and the Yamanote line in Tokyo, for example - Down two escalators, through an intermediate faregate, down another escalator, up another set, and then down a final set of stairs to the platforms.

So going up one staircase to the railway platforms from the LRT platforms is really not so bad!

Agreed.  In any major city I can think of, changing trains from one company to another (but still in one station complex) typically requires some combination of walking, stairs and/or escalators, and often multiples.  Union Station GO to subway, Tokyo metro to JR, Paddington Heathrow Express to tube etc.  It would be rare for two different companies to have neighbouring platforms on the same level.