ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[GtwoK]

Seems that it will reopen, but not be complete (much like Duke / College and Duke / Young at the moment).

Night work is being preformed next week on the CN track near Borden. They'll be shifting those over to build the incline for the Ion tracks, I'll bet.

Also:


Why's that? What around-the-clock working is necessary for that stretch, being that it's basically complete apart from signals being reactivated? I don't suppose it's for taking dow the hydro poles, is it?

Station platform at Queen Street? Putting up the catenary wires?

Perhaps, but that doesn't really seem like URGENT work that would necessitate spending the money on overtime pay.

[Canard]

Some new discoveries this morning;

• Someone at the Region/GrandLinq hasn't got a clue about signage standards, apparently
  
• There are a lot of spots I worry that people are going to turn right on red, in front of trains
  
• ...I know why Freemont is closed
  

On to the photos...

1/4 - Saturday, July 23, 2016

   
Duke/Queen is still having some earth work done - a truck was just arriving with cat poles.  I imagine they'll be paving later this weekend or on Monday.

   
Grinding crews were getting ready this morning to work on the newly-welded rails in front of the Kaufman Lofts.  Another team just to the right here was getting ready to knock apart all the metal forms used for the embedded track between King and Duke, on Francis.

   
Status of the future "Queen" station.

   
Haven't been up to the top of the parking garage in a bit.  It's really fun to bike up (and down!) the ramps.  

   
There are a few spots here and there on Charles where the embedding of the track hasn't been completed (and still that one big gap in front of Cameron Heights); but for the most part, Charles is just about complete.

[panamaniac]

Turn right in front of trains? Canard, they will turn right AND left in front of trains. They will drive straight at trains, rear-end trains, and sideswipe trains. They will stop in the trains' right of way. !!!

[Canard]

2/4 - Saturday, July 23, 2016

   
Another view of some of those gaps yet to be poured.

   
Someone had asked yesterday, I believe, about the status of Charles/Ottawa.  Well, here you go.

   
Something's... new... here...

   
Oh, my god.  Please tell me the reason why someone felt the need to invent their own version of a Tram/LRV icon.  A Google Image Search for "Tram Icon" produces hundreds of icons, all of which are infinitely better than this garbage (well, maybe not these).  This... this is just hideous.

Every other city I've ridden LRT or Trams in essentially uses the same symbol:




Why? Why did this happen???????

[Canard]

3/4 - Saturday, July 23, 2016

   
Calm down... pretty cables...

   
So... about Freemont being closed...

   
There ya go  Gotta put 'em somewhere.

   
Here's the first of the safety areas I think will need to be addressed.  Heading South on the Iron Horse Trail where it meets Borden, what extra signage will be put in place to notify cyclists that they should look to their left, and use extra caution, as they'll be crossing track with near-silent LRV's approaching?

[Canard]

4/4 - Saturday, July 23, 2016

Safety Concerns: Right Turns on Red

   
Heading South on Charles, at Queen. Will a "No Right Turn on Red" sign be coming here? Or an illuminated "No Right Turn Across the Tracks" sign, similar to what's at Freeport/King?

   
Heading South on Charles, at Borden. Same thing.

   
Heading West on Borden, turning Right (North) onto Courtland. No right on Red? Illuminated sign?

   
South on Caroline, turning Right onto William. Same thing again.

   
South on Caroline, right onto William.

Other cities I have been to have lots and lots of extra signage around these areas. While we're probably not at the point where any of those clamp-on signs have been added yet (just that hideous "Tram Only" one on Borden), I hope there is a plan in place to not just leave it as it is right now. Otherwise I give it 1 week before someone gets schmucked.

[danbrotherston]

I don't know that the LRVs will be any more silent than electric cars which cyclists already have to look out for. The biggest difference I think is they cannot swerve, and perhaps have longer braking distance, but that intersection appears to have good visibility.

Yeah, that tram icon is ugly, it looks like someone sat on the other one and squished it.

[jamincan]

I like the smiley face LRT logos! ION needs to present a friendly face to the community!

I wonder if the LRT will only make the turn at Charles and Borden under a transit-exclusive signal since it will be crossing lanes of traffic to make the turn. How is it done in Toronto typically?

[KevinL]

Something's... new... here...

The more important question: Why is the sign so high up the pole?

[panamaniac]

Something's... new... here...

The more important question: Why is the sign so high up the pole?

To discourage vandals?

[Canard]

But lots of signs are lower... If that were the answer, then wouldn't every sign would be high up?

It probably has to do with the height of the LRV, or the fact that the sign is right behind the other lamp post with lots of lights and so on, at about the same height. The height could have been chosen for sight lines.

I really think the more important thing here is what was the process used to decide to re-invent the wheel by drawing up a unique (ugly/bad) tram icon, instead of using a universally-accepted standard? If everyone did this, signs would loose all meaning. Chaos.

[JoeKW]

My guess is that in an area with no LRT around they wanted a design that was very clearly a train.

[Canard]

...but...

...but they made it look not like a train.

Actual conversation at offices: "Shoot, we need a train sign. Just give it to the IT guys who handle the network stuff, they can just draw something in PowerPoint, they're good with computers. Get it to the sign printers by noon, we forgot all about this."

"Shouldn't we see if there are standards for these kinds of things? So ours is consistent with other systems?"

"...no, why would we do that? Just make our own and slap it on."

[timc]

Something's... new... here...

Are they planning to paint diamonds on the concrete?

[Canard]

No, I don't believe so.  There are only a couple of areas of the rapidway that will get a special demarcation treatment - there's a segment just North of the King St. Grade Separation that comes to mind.  They're outlined in the Project Agreement maps.

(I think I know what you're getting at - the diamond in the sign though doesn't necessarily mean that there has to be a diamond painted on the ground. The diamond icon simply means that it's a lane restricted to a certain type of vehicle or condition.)