ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[KevinL]

Some Ion-relevant fare media details have just come out (what printed POP tickets will look like) - I posted on the GRT thread.

[Canard]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As scheduled in our Ontario LRV improvement plan, La Pocatière site has begun work on underframes for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TTC?src=hash">#TTC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Metrolinx">@Metrolinx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rideIONrt">@rideIONrt</a> projects <a href="https://t.co/SqHxiBXUY1">pic.twitter.com/SqHxiBXUY1</a></p>&mdash; BombardierRail (@BombardierRail) <a href="https://twitter.com/BombardierRail/status/783382977015386113">October 4, 2016</a></blockquote>

As I reported quite some time ago, production of our LRV frames will ramp up in La Pocatiere, Quebec (formerly Mexico).

[timc]

Well, considering bicycles *shouldn't* use the sidewalk/crosswalks....

... Even if those sidewalks are multi-use trails?

[Canard]

Yeah, isn't the trail on the North side of Caroline supposed to be a MUT?

[Markster]

I had thought about suggesting returning that asphalt, except it will be used by buses.

Used by buses, eh? We can do something about that!

Hey look you've got a nice transit lane right there!
And lets shrink some of those turning radii while we're at it...

   

The way the crossing is now, it is perpendicular to the tracks, which seems like a good thing for bicycles. Is that the motivation for the crossing being how it is?

It's not a cross-ride, so you better be walking your bike. For some reason, a 45 degree angle crossing of the tracks is permitted on the south side of the intersection, but avoided awkwardly on the west side.

[Pheidippides]

Is there any hope left for a scramble?
   

[ijmorlan]

I had thought about suggesting returning that asphalt, except it will be used by buses.

Used by buses, eh? We can do something about that!

Hey look you've got a nice transit lane right there!
And lets shrink some of those turning radii while we're at it...

Even without the buses staying on the tracks as much as possible, most of the proposed island extension space will never be used by vehicles and could have been sidewalk instead of road. I’m interested to see what it looks like when the snow comes and there is a big peninsula of undisturbed snow sticking out from the island.

[ijmorlan]

Here's what I mean.  Yellow are the "new" crossings that everyone seems to want.  If you do this, though, then Transport Canada says "Oops, you're crossing a mainline railway, now you need crossing lights/arms/bells/the works.

The way it's set up now, you can get a "free" crossing by doing it in the road, through the intersection.

I’m confused what you’re getting at here. Of the two yellow crossings you have on your diagram, one crosses the tracks. But that one is just part of the sidewalk and will obviously be re-instated when they pave the sidewalk (well, obviously to me — we’ll see for sure in a few days or weeks when they pave the sidewalk!).

[Pheidippides]

Uptown:
   

Another sidewalk obstruction, this one at GRH:
   

And another at King and Victoria (in addition to beg buttons! Why isn't the default a walk cycle at one of the busiest, soon to busier, intersections in the region):
   

Here is the bus stop pad at Charles and Water I mentioned the other day. I guess with the final top coat of pavement it will end up pretty flush at least on the left of the image:
   

Those resume safe speed signs are popping up everywhere I saw another one in front of Charles St. Terminal and another one in the Victoria Park station.

[Canard]

Another sidewalk obstruction, this one at GRH:

Probably a track lubricator.

And another at King and Victoria (in addition to beg buttons! Why isn't the default a walk cycle at one of the busiest, soon to busier, intersections in the region):

If you're basing that assumption on the lamacoid on the button assembly, don't.  While all of them have the "Instructions" version, which the Region uses to indicate "If you don't press, you don't get Walk", the controllers are actually programmed to default to always show Walk.  These should have the blue, Accessible lamacoid on them, because all the button does is give you the chirps.  I've watched multiple new lights along the line (Charles) function this way.

...Unless you specifically observed something to the contrary?

[Coke6pk]

Saw the LED train light in use in Cambridge this weekend... any chance Ion will be using these to prevent right/left hand turns into an oncoming train?

   

Coke

[Canard]

Yep!

   

[KevinL]

Another sidewalk obstruction, this one at GRH:

Probably a track lubricator.

Is there a reason it has to be in the sidewalk zone? Couldn't they have put this in the boulevard?

[notmyfriends]

Is there any hope left for a scramble?

That would be interesting.  I'd love to see one at King/University still, but that's not terribly relevant in this thread.  University/Philip is another consideration.

[danbrotherston]

The island definitely could be extended, maybe not to the degree shown, but certainly a fair bit farther than it is.

WRT to the left turn at the bike box. The region has indicated that right turns on red at bike boxes are prohibited, I would assume left turns on red are similarly prohibited. Of course, given that this is not marked anywhere, nobody really knows, and everyone turns anyway. In either case, there is no reason for setting the crosswalk back this far, except that it appears the sewers are in the way on the close side in the picture, making a curb cut impossible. Of course, if you tightened the turning radius, you could then fit the crossing on the other side of the sewer.

And yes, no crossing for bikes, because apparently legalizing the behaviour that virtually all cyclists currently practice is unthinkable. *sigh*.