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03-11-2016, 07:07 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2016, 07:18 AM by Canard.)
(03-10-2016, 10:56 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: My question would be why they removed the crossing protection from Waterloo St. Before all this happened there was nothing wrong with that crossing. Indeed, if this is for several months, why not re-install the protection? The detour currently required is quite significant for a pedestrian.
As I said before, it's very likely that the control system for the Waterloo crossing was interrelated to the King street crossing, so when King was disabled, so too was Waterloo.
Your assumption earlier in your post about frequency and speed is correct; while on the spur, that one freight train up to Elmira is limited to something like 20 km/h, and even have a flagman at the crossings (I've never actually been able to catch one in motion on the spur). Again, this is because the crossings are not (yet) active (bells/lamps), and the train isn't allowed to blow its horn with the standard call ( _ _ . _). On the mainline, there are closer to 10-20 train movements per day, and the speeds are much higher on many of those, mostly passenger.
I am sort of in disbelief that some are trying to justify breaking a safety rule at the sake of convenience. I'm guessing those same people have never set foot in a factory floor, either, and would balk at wearing safety shoes or hearing protection.
What if the region subsidized a shuttle service using GRT? Or just made travel between iXpress stops on either side of the tracks fareless for that one stop?
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(03-11-2016, 07:07 AM)Canard Wrote: Your assumption about frequency and speed is correct; while on the spur, trains move at something like 20 km/h and even have a flagman at the crossings (I've never actually been able to catch one in motion on the spur). On the mainline, there are closer to 20 train movements per day and the speeds are much higher.
Saw one in Uptown near Caroline and Erb once.
(03-11-2016, 07:07 AM)Canard Wrote: I am sort of in disbelief that some are trying to justify breaking a safety rule at the desire for convenience. I'm guessing those same people have never set foot in a factory floor, either, and would balk at wearing safety shoes or hearing protection.
People always make risk vs convenience trade-offs all the time. People are not robots and always try to do the easiest thing. Trying to deny human nature is a losing proposition.
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Sure they do - and sometimes, when they make those decisions, they get hurt or killed.
Let's not harbour a culture of ignorance around rail safety so close to trains running down our streets at speed.
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(03-11-2016, 07:07 AM)Canard Wrote: What if the region subsidized a shuttle service using GRT? Or just made travel between iXpress stops on either side of the tracks fareless for that one stop?
I don’t think the detour justifies the potential cost of a shuttle service. Nor the number of people it affects (I’m one of them, but I think it’s not a huge number). It’s only eight weeks that Duke will be closed, at least as scheduled.
The iXpress stops on either side of the detour aren’t particularly close- King at Victoria and Weber at Guelph currently, maybe as far as Uptown when the King/Union intersection is open- and GRT would probably not be willing to slow the service for everyone accommodating fareless passengers between two stops.
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I don't really see how someone walking over the tracks when there are no trains or construction equipment in sight at Waterloo St. is a big deal. It seems like a pretty reasonable convenience benefit to risk trade off. I think its necessary to put up signs and equipment telling people its closed, but I also don't have a problem with people taking their life in their own hands and choosing to cross in completely safe conditions.
Its been a few years since I moved back to the region from living in a bigger city and it still amuses me when people are waiting at small pedestrian crossings with clear visibility in all directions and no cars around.
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(03-10-2016, 10:56 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: I don’t know the actual details, but I do know the mainline where Waterloo St. crosses has faster trains than a lot of the other tracks in town.
Currently they cross Waterloo St. at near walking speed because of the overpass construction.
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03-11-2016, 11:27 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2016, 01:09 PM by Canard.)
(03-11-2016, 10:24 AM)SammyOES Wrote: I don't really see how someone walking over the tracks when there are no trains or construction equipment in sight at Waterloo St. is a big deal. It seems like a pretty reasonable convenience benefit to risk trade off. I think its necessary to put up signs and equipment telling people its closed, but I also don't have a problem with people taking their life in their own hands and choosing to cross in completely safe conditions.
Its been a few years since I moved back to the region from living in a bigger city and it still amuses me when people are waiting at small pedestrian crossings with clear visibility in all directions and no cars around.
I'm one of those people. I also stop at red lights when I'm driving if there's no one else around.
I follow the rules.
: shrug :
(Can we move on?)
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03-11-2016, 01:49 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2016, 01:49 PM by SammyOES.)
Just for the record, stopping at a red light with nobody around when driving a car isn't really analogous to the situations we're talking about. You can have better situational awareness on foot and the risk of hurting someone else is significantly lower when on foot then in the car.
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03-11-2016, 02:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2016, 03:08 PM by Canard.)
Right; of course. Let's move on?
Anybody up by University of Waterloo today? How's that catenary coming along by Columbia?
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(03-11-2016, 02:08 PM)Canard Wrote: Right; of course. Let's move on?
Anybody up by University of Waterloo today? How's that catenary coming along by Columbia?
Drove through Bearinger this morning and noticed the OCS tensioners on the south side, no sign of any cable yet!
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Won't be long now, I'm sure. If they've already started the "detail" work (the tensioners), then the specialty crew for mounting everything must be around and ready to go.
I wonder when they'll install the track switch to go into the OMSF yard - yard trackwork there will start early summer. But it'll be akward to do that if they've already installed catenary...
Sooooo much action to watch!
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I heard a rumour about ION's opening date... am I allowed to share?
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I saw the drone flying around the Erb/Caroline/Waterloo Square area today. New videos must be in the works shortly.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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(03-11-2016, 07:05 PM)insider Wrote: I heard a rumour about ION's opening date... am I allowed to share?
You seriously can't do that.  Spill!
FWIW, I'm fully prepared that it will likely be summer to fall of 2018 before we get to go for a ride.
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