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I think the reason these workers might suffer more abuse than others is because the public they are dealing with is a lot of cases in cars (though obviously not all- for instance, the guy who threatened some workers with a knife wasn’t!). Various levels of road rage are not uncommon. I’ve heard and experienced abuse on the road that I couldn’t imagine hearing in, say, a coffee shop. It’s easy to hurl an epithet (or an object…) at a worker who you think is the face of all of those delays you’re experiencing, when you feel relatively anonymous in your vehicle and are about to speed away. And, properly, when things are going well drivers are focused on driving, and not on trying to get workers’ attention to shout positive comments at them.
On bike and foot, I’ve had both positive and negative interactions with workers. At lower speeds, it’s easier to engage on both sides to ask a question or make a comment. Even when I think they’re being a bit rude or abrupt, they’re not going to swear at someone who is right there, and likewise I’m not going to be too aggressive towards someone whose face I can clearly see who is only a few feet away. I think the temptation to say whatever one wants is pretty great when it’s from a car window and your victim doesn’t even have the opportunity to retort.
I’m surprised that anyone accustomed to working on road construction would even find the hostility noteworthy any more. To me, it seems sadly logical. Just another variation on road rage.
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(07-07-2016, 08:05 AM)MidTowner Wrote: I think the reason these workers might suffer more abuse than others is because the public they are dealing with is a lot of cases in cars (though obviously not all- for instance, the guy who threatened some workers with a knife wasn’t!). Various levels of road rage are not uncommon. I’ve heard and experienced abuse on the road that I couldn’t imagine hearing in, say, a coffee shop. It’s easy to hurl an epithet (or an object…) at a worker who you think is the face of all of those delays you’re experiencing, when you feel relatively anonymous in your vehicle and are about to speed away.
Sadly ... while out for photos this morning I observed an incident of drive-through rage, someone yelling and ranting loudly at the person in front of her in the Tim Horton's drive-through (because other person was not fast enough, it appears). Does being inside a vehicle make this behaviour more likely?
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Queen and Charles, again. Sidewalks being poured at the intersection in preparation for the opening.
"North-east" corner already poured and curing.
"North-west" getting ready to be poured.
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Further south on Charles, lots of activity again ...
Getting ready to pour the concrete pad between the two tracks (is there a name for this?) at Cedar.
In front of Cameron Heights, the concrete strip next to the curb now poured ...
... although someone stepped in it before it cured! 
Between Kent and Borden, the forms are almost ready for the concrete for the "EB" track to be poured.
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(07-07-2016, 10:14 AM)tomh009 Wrote: Getting ready to pour the concrete pad between the two tracks (is there a name for this?) at Cedar.
Median?
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Duke and Young is reopening on Saturday, while Duke and Ontario is set to close next Monday for 2 months!
(07-07-2016, 10:39 AM)KevinL Wrote: (07-07-2016, 10:14 AM)tomh009 Wrote: Getting ready to pour the concrete pad between the two tracks (is there a name for this?) at Cedar.
Median?
I think a Median implies a barrier
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07-07-2016, 11:06 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-07-2016, 11:06 AM by MidTowner.)
(07-07-2016, 10:06 AM)tomh009 Wrote: [quote pid='23886' dateline='1467893111']
Sadly ... while out for photos this morning I observed an incident of drive-through rage, someone yelling and ranting loudly at the person in front of her in the Tim Horton's drive-through (because other person was not fast enough, it appears). Does being inside a vehicle make this behaviour more likely?
[/quote]
I've read that the anonymity in a car (among other things) can increase this type of behaviour.
This video discusses the psychology of a person while driving.
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(07-07-2016, 11:00 AM)GtwoK Wrote: Duke and Young is reopening on Saturday, while Duke and Ontario is set to close next Monday for 2 months!
(07-07-2016, 10:39 AM)KevinL Wrote: Median?
I think a Median implies a barrier
Seems like a moment to remind folks that the Apollo Cinema, among others, will be coping with that closure. Keep going to the movies!
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(07-07-2016, 11:00 AM)GtwoK Wrote: I think a Median implies a barrier
It doesn't always. It just means the space between the directions of traffic. It can have a barrier, a ditch, a curb, a rumble strip, or just paint.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_strip
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07-07-2016, 12:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-07-2016, 12:16 PM by danbrotherston.)
(07-07-2016, 11:06 AM)MidTowner Wrote: I've read that the anonymity in a car (among other things) can increase this type of behaviour.
This video discusses the psychology of a person while driving.
This is amazing, I was expecting some type of documentary or something, but this is much better! Also, if that's authentic, and actually from the 50's, this has been a known problem for a long time, and yet we've done little to fix it.
I far prefer biking or transit for exactly this reason, I feel quite frustrated and angry in traffic.
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07-07-2016, 01:54 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-07-2016, 01:55 PM by Canard.)
What does car hate and road rage have to do with Light Rail?
As I just had to explain on Twitter to someone who wrongly assumed this is all coming from motorists, it's not. It's coming from everyone. I don't deny that it's likely that motorists are probably angry about it, but to blindly assume that it's only them, and then abscond motorists and car drivers as all garbage is very irresponsible and synonymous with racism.
I'm a motorist. I'm a pedestrian. And I'm now a cyclist. And I really wish people would stop hating each other. Is there a term for hating people who hate?
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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.
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(07-07-2016, 01:54 PM)Canard Wrote: What does car hate and road rage have to do with Light Rail?
...
I'm a motorist. I'm a pedestrian. And I'm now a cyclist. And I really wish people would stop hating each other. Is there a term for hating people who hate?
A hypocrite? But seriously, I don't think anyone here is expressing hate, or blaming anyone, so much as identifying a problem and musing about a solution. And there is an understanding that road rage occurs more frequently than other types of violence, from people who wouldn't necessarily be violent otherwise.
As for how it related to LRT, it originally started from the abuse LRT construction workers have been receiving, it is obviously a bit of a tangent now, perhaps a new thread.
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(07-07-2016, 01:54 PM)Canard Wrote: What does car hate and road rage have to do with Light Rail?
As I just had to explain on Twitter to someone who wrongly assumed this is all coming from motorists, it's not. It's coming from everyone. I don't deny that it's likely that motorists are probably angry about it, but to blindly assume that it's only them, and then abscond motorists and car drivers as all garbage is very irresponsible and synonymous with racism.
I'm a motorist. I'm a pedestrian. And I'm now a cyclist. And I really wish people would stop hating each other. Is there a term for hating people who hate?
Whoa, wait. Why do you think anyone hates anyone? You brought up mistreatment that construction workers are getting. I hypothesized that it might be a form of road rage, since I expect that a lot of it would be coming from motorists. You just agreed that’s likely the case. I also noted that, of course, not all of it is coming from motorists (see post #4,534 when I said “though of course not all”).
I don’t think “abscond” means what you think it means. But nobody called motorists “garbage.” I do hypothesize, though, that the same things that cause road rage on the part of motorists about all kinds of slights and perceived slights probably cause them to be less than respectful of construction workers sometimes.
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The progress is exciting, thanks for all the pictures!
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