ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Bob_McBob]

Good to see Mayor Jaworsky‏ replied... and a lady who thinks she should be able to park on the tracks.

[ijmorlan]

Good to see Mayor Jaworsky‏ replied... and a lady who thinks she should be able to park on the tracks.

I wonder if she even knows the 2nd vehicle arrived and will soon be beginning testing.

I have to say that with the long delay between construction completion and service beginning I have some sympathy … but under the original schedule there really wouldn’t have been more than a few weeks between the last construction (access needed on an unpredictable schedule by the wiring crews) and the first LRV runs (testing), so it’s really best just to get in the habit of parking where it will still be possible to park once the LRT is running.

Maybe we just need to adapt one of those mainline railway snowplows. I think that would make short work of any impediments to the LRV!

[SammyOES]

I'm really skeptical of the idea that we should have been fighting to apply the LRT traffic rules like "no parking on tracks" or "no left turns" (in some places) before the LRT testing began.  It's sort of like making kids obey rules when there's no reason and you're not going to enforce it - it just breeds bad habits.

If instead we'd covered up all the signs with black bags, and then taken them off a week before the test train starts running with extra temporary signs saying that trains are starting to run, I think it would have gone better overall.

[Viewfromthe42]

The no left turns one is applicable right now SammyOES. If you live at King and Victoria, you will see times where a north- or south-bound vehicle on King wants to illegally turn left. Traffic going straight (and/or pedestrians crossing) prevent them from doing so, and an entire light cycle yields only that one car being able to turn, because it is a single lane on King. I have sat and watched a few times when I've seen multiple people signaling left, and there have been people who have had to wait 3-4+ light cycles to get across Victoria, just because of people wanting to flout the traffic laws. Had all the left turners gone one of the other ways to get from King to Victoria (Wellington/Francis being main ones), they all would have gotten through faster *and* legally.

We also are about to start testing tracks, cleaning tracks, doing catenary work, and we don't want to have delays because some self-important lawbreaker wants to park on the tracks.

[panamaniac]

Does the fact that the LRT line is still not in use have anything to do with drivers continuing to make illegal left turns at King and Victoria? It seems a very easy target for a couple of days of police enforcement,

[danbrotherston]

The no left turns one is applicable right now SammyOES. If you live at King and Victoria, you will see times where a north- or south-bound vehicle on King wants to illegally turn left. Traffic going straight (and/or pedestrians crossing) prevent them from doing so, and an entire light cycle yields only that one car being able to turn, because it is a single lane on King. I have sat and watched a few times when I've seen multiple people signaling left, and there have been people who have had to wait 3-4+ light cycles to get across Victoria, just because of people wanting to flout the traffic laws. Had all the left turners gone one of the other ways to get from King to Victoria (Wellington/Francis being main ones), they all would have gotten through faster *and* legally.

We also are about to start testing tracks, cleaning tracks, doing catenary work, and we don't want to have delays because some self-important lawbreaker wants to park on the tracks.

Pretty much every left turn restriction (except the one at Caroline) exists because there is no left turn bay and through traffic should be maintained.  

The left turns should not be permitted here at any time, and people shouldn't need a sign to realize this.  

The no parking on the tracks is one of those things which demonstrates that people who think they know better than the rules probably don't.  After all, parts of the track are still being worked on.  Just today they were painting a crosswalk on the LRT right of way (yay) at Charles and Victoria, a location which sees frequent illegal parking.

[panamaniac]

The no left turns one is applicable right now SammyOES. If you live at King and Victoria, you will see times where a north- or south-bound vehicle on King wants to illegally turn left. Traffic going straight (and/or pedestrians crossing) prevent them from doing so, and an entire light cycle yields only that one car being able to turn, because it is a single lane on King. I have sat and watched a few times when I've seen multiple people signaling left, and there have been people who have had to wait 3-4+ light cycles to get across Victoria, just because of people wanting to flout the traffic laws. Had all the left turners gone one of the other ways to get from King to Victoria (Wellington/Francis being main ones), they all would have gotten through faster *and* legally.

We also are about to start testing tracks, cleaning tracks, doing catenary work, and we don't want to have delays because some self-important lawbreaker wants to park on the tracks.

Pretty much every left turn restriction (except the one at Caroline) exists because there is no left turn bay and through traffic should be maintained.  

The left turns should not be permitted here at any time, and people shouldn't need a sign to realize this.  

The no parking on the tracks is one of those things which demonstrates that people who think they know better than the rules probably don't.  After all, parts of the track are still being worked on.  Just today they were painting a crosswalk on the LRT right of way (yay) at Charles and Victoria, a location which sees frequent illegal parking.

Not sure I understand.  In the absence of a "no left turn" sign, left turns would be permitted, single lane or otherwise.

[Viewfromthe42]

Yes, but some high-throughput intersections get far too jammed up when you allow left turns without a bay for them, and this qualifies. Living at King and Victoria, every trip outside I will see someone turning left illegally, and often will see the resulting cars held up behind them, and hear their frustration at the self-important driver causing the issue through car horn honks.

Those parking on the tracks because LRT is not in full use yet remind me a bit of people parking in an accessible parking space because it is empty at that instant, thinking that no one will need it while they are there. I've been in the cars shut out of parking in those moments, and have no respect for those individuals.

[SammyOES]

The no left turns one is applicable right now SammyOES. ...

We also are about to start testing tracks, cleaning tracks, doing catenary work, and we don't want to have delays because some self-important lawbreaker wants to park on the tracks.

Some no left turns are applicable now. Those ones make sense (and why I caveated my original post).

My point had nothing to do with ignoring "self-important lawbreakers" now, it was about what we could have done differently in the past.

I swear, talking to you guys some times...

[SammyOES]

Those parking on the tracks because LRT is not in full use yet remind me a bit of people parking in an accessible parking space because it is empty at that instant, thinking that no one will need it while they are there. I've been in the cars shut out of parking in those moments, and have no respect for those individuals.

Oh, come on. Its nothing the same. We knew months ago that it would be months before the tracks were going to be used.

[Canard]

What do you propose we do at this point, SammyOES?

[KevinT]

I see Grandlinq working on the tracks or catenary nearly every day on one section or another. If people park illegally, they would either have to order them all towed away when they need to do something or they can't get their work done.

Please please please order them all towed away!

[Viewfromthe42]

Oh, come on.  Its nothing the same.  We knew months ago that it would be months before the tracks were going to be used.

I see Grandlinq working on the tracks or catenary nearly every day on one section or another. If people park illegally, they would either have to order them all towed away when they need to do something or they can't get their work done.

This.

I also fundamentally believe we can't encourage bad behaviour, or currently-illegal-but-not-yet-as-consequential-as-it-will-become behaviour. The idea of "oh the trains aren't here right now, and I don't see a GrandLinq crew here at this exact instant, I can park here" is the same mentality of someone who parks illegally in an accessibility parking space. And both are wrong. And with several thousand parking spaces in uptown, there is zero excuse.

[tomh009]

The no left turns one is applicable right now SammyOES. If you live at King and Victoria, you will see times where a north- or south-bound vehicle on King wants to illegally turn left. Traffic going straight (and/or pedestrians crossing) prevent them from doing so, and an entire light cycle yields only that one car being able to turn, because it is a single lane on King. I have sat and watched a few times when I've seen multiple people signaling left, and there have been people who have had to wait 3-4+ light cycles to get across Victoria, just because of people wanting to flout the traffic laws. Had all the left turners gone one of the other ways to get from King to Victoria (Wellington/Francis being main ones), they all would have gotten through faster *and* legally.

The left turns should not be permitted here at any time, and people shouldn't need a sign to realize this. 

I agree that people should not be able turn left there.  But is there a no-left-turn sign there or not?  If there isn't, left turns are allowed by default.

[MidTowner]

There is a no-left-turn sign. And it has routinely ignored by drivers.

I'm sure some aren't aware, and there really should have been a big 'NEW' sign as others have said, but most I would imagine notice but don't care. I saw someone the other day waiting at a red, signalling left, and someone crossing the street brought her attention to the 'No-left-turn' sign. The driver did notice, turned her signal off the placate the passerby, and then turned anyway.