General Road and Highway Discussion

[MacBerry]

Sidebar:  I'm just curious, do you guys know all these road names by heart, or do you look at Google Maps while posting?  Honest question - I've lived in Kitchener for 15 years and I have no idea what half the roads are you're talking about!

For me > I grew up in Kitchener -Waterloo ... 50 years ago. Raised, schooled and grew up in the Westmount area Union/Belmont. My first part-time job was at Zehrs on Belmont (now the phramacy) for 85 cents an hour     As a "Border Kid" we didn't know just a Kitchener or a Waterloo as distinct from each other, it was just Union Street as the unofficial boundary.

We biked and walked these streets, knew every laneway and street like the back of our hand and often who lived in what house and as we grew up we then drove them when we turned 16 ... so it seems names and street configurations are in my evolving DNA.

[MacBerry]

Many of those bungalows date back to at least the '40s. The roads were likely converted to one way in the 1950s, when that was the craze. It was almost certainly a case of turning a two-way residential street to a four lane one-way, rather than the other way around.

Single family bungalows on a four lane two-way street, really?

You see, my point is that the main arteries in the city should never have been zoned residential only. I include in this list King St., University Av., Erb, Bridgeport, Victoria, Westmount and Ottawa St.

There was no regional planning as there was NO region until 1973. Many of us older residents have lots of historical and lived it memories and info.

[MidTowner]

When are you leaving for Chicago? 

I only quote Chicago's standards because they're the only accessible example I know of a well-thought-out set of complete streets guidelines which includes specific direction for street configuration by traffic volume. If there was such a thing in Waterloo Region, I would quote it, but there isn't. When we do develop one, I bet we'll reference Chicago's (and other city's) in the planning stage.

[MidTowner]

I actually lived in lower Hamilton, (we just called it Hamilton, everything above was called the Mountain) and we appreciated the one way corridor. The lights were timed and the speed was constant, not a drag strip because you would escape the flow. After anything at Copps, the area clears quickly. Flow is east-west, with very few one way streets north-south, so access isn't difficult.

Hamilton does not have the luxury of having land to create an expressway in the city. The Linc on the Mountain was built, because there was land to do it. It isn't a matter of one or the other. A few one-way streets east-west to alleviate the cross city flow, while the expressway works on a north-south access.

I don't want to derail this thread my discussing Hamilton (though I do think it's a great example of how devestating one-way streets can be). I've lived near Victoria and Main, and near Dundurn and Main, and had a very different experience with the one-ways as you. I expect the difference is that my perspective is usually from on foot- I don't drive that much. Victoria and Main were both very unpleasant to cross because of their sheer width- I take your point that it doesn't advantage drivers to exceed the speed limit, but enough did that a walk down those streets (I would not choose to walk along Main or King if I had a choice) means being occasionally buzzed by loud cars going too fast in lanes with no separation from the sidewalks.

This to say nothing of streets that are purely residential (like Herkimer and Charlton in the west end; Sanford or something similar in the east) that are one-way streets, and so traffic never encounters any need to go anything but as fast as possible.

I also beg to differ about the expressway. With the Red Hill Valley Parkway now, Hamilton has a complete ring road (albeit a big one- RHVP, Linc, 403, Skyway), and there is no reason to facilitate traffic getting through the core as fast as possible.

[mpd618]

Not sure I follow - there are crosswalks at King and Caroline...?  Or do you mean trying to cross that off-ramp where Albert (I think) starts out after branching off of Erb across from Angie's?

The latter.

[MacBerry]

When are you leaving for Chicago? 

I only quote Chicago's standards because they're the only accessible example I know of a well-thought-out set of complete streets guidelines which includes specific direction for street configuration by traffic volume. If there was such a thing in Waterloo Region, I would quote it, but there isn't. When we do develop one, I bet we'll reference Chicago's (and other city's) in the planning stage.

I was just " funin' " with you. Will respond later this weekend to this thread. Cheers

[BuildingScout]

Sadly, I would hesitate to use Chicago as an example of urban transit. Walking in downtown Chicago one day we noticed that no single street had the traffic lights coordinated in any direction and the subway has to be the slowest most expensive anywhere. I took it from South Chicago and there was a train every 20 minutes(!). Obviously, we were pretty much the only people on the platform.

[Pheidippides]

I'm actually surprised to see the number of pedestrians on these that do venture out along these two stretches in their current state given they face sections like the one near Erb and Tweed (near the Waterpark buildings) that are inhospitable in summer, never mind in the winter, where you are literally stuck between a 70kph vehicle going around a bend and a hard place.

There have been many of these types of conversions across North America that have shown no impact on total capacity and an increase in safety for all road users, including motorists.

Given that both Erb and Bridgeport are classed as "neighbourhood connectors - avenue" I would suggest they are not meeting the definition (pg. 42) and would be good cases for improvement:
"3.4 Neighbourhood Connector
Neighbourhood Connectors are typically continuous across several communities/neighbourhoods within the Region. Neighbourhood Connectors balance active transportation (bicycles and pedestrians), transit and vehicle movement, providing a higher level of priority (design and comfort) for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. Neighbourhood Connectors can be broken down into two sub categories - Avenues and Main Streets. The descriptions, which follow, will address each in detail.

3.4.1 Avenue
3.4.1.1 Introduction
Neighbourhood Connector: Avenues are roads designed to support active transportation (including walking and cycling) and transit. These roads are good candidates for transit priority lanes. They can prioritize vehicular traffic, but need to support a mix of adjacent land uses that typically require individual access to and from the road. Examples of a Neighbourhood Connector: Avenue include Hespeler Road (Pinebush Road to Dundas Street), Weber Street (from Fairway Road to Ottawa Street N), and Victoria Street (Fountain Street to Weber Street).

3.4.1.2 Defining Characteristics
Avenues are located in existing built up areas with adjacent development facing the street but set back to incorporate large front yards and front yard parking, typical of medium to large format commercial, shopping malls, community facilities and low rise neighbourhoods. Avenues also include road ways with back-lotted residential. Avenues have larger right-of-way’s than main streets and include many opportunities for re-urbanization. The designs for Community Connectors typically incorporate wide, landscaped centre medians.

3.4.1.3 Key Design Opportunities & Challenges Avenues will serve an important future role in the Region. They represent roadways that can and should transition to transit supportive and pedestrian friendly streets. The adjacent lands often have the potential to evolve over the coming years. How these areas evolve will depend greatly on the design and character of the street to which they are adjacent. If the street prioritizes transit and active modes of transportation, it is likely that future development will support the priority of the street. If the evolution of the street fails to guide development then existing building typologies will remain."





As a regular user of both the signal at the Laurel Trail/Erb and Peppler/Bridgeport they are not sufficient to keep non-motorists safe; I see at least one red light run here a week and at least one wrong-way driver a month.

[rangersfan]

Public gets its say on Woolwich Street redesign
March 4, 2015 | James Jackson | Waterloo Chronicle | LINK

Residents near the Woolwich Street area of Waterloo will get a second opportunity to provide input on the proposed reconstruction of the road at a public meeting tonight.

The meeting, at RIM Park from 5-8 p.m., will give the public another chance to voice their comments and concerns on the redesign, which stretches from University Avenue to Bridle Trail. The city and its consultant will review the feedback to help develop a preferred design later this year.

The first public input meeting was back in November and 69 people attended, providing 140 comments on a range of issues, from requests to limit the impact on the environment to traffic calming measures and increased cycling options.

“The feedback was generally pretty positive,” said Phil Quickfall, manager of development engineering at the city, though some specifically mentioned several old trees along the road that they would like to see protected.

There are some space constraints — including the Melitzer Creek — along the road, meaning the street will likely remain two lanes wide. A total of five redesign options, including a do-nothing option, have been presented to the public.

Early ideas for the redesign include adding bicycle lanes or a multi-use trail, as well as replacing aging infrastructure beneath the road. The approximately 2.5-kilometre project will cost an estimated $5.7 million.

Ward councillor Mark Whaley said the feedback he’s heard on the project is also positive, and that people are excited about transforming Woolwich Street from an “old style country road” with gravel shoulders and narrow sections, to a modern city street with a wide range of transportation options.

The area has been the subject of intense environmental scrutiny in recent years, including a proposed 69-home subdivision plan approved in 2013. The subdivision plan from Cook Homes, at 353 Woolwich St., was criticized by area residents who were worried about the impact it would have on local groundwater, the coldwater creek and the local deer population.

The city also expanded its reach on this project, mailing notices to residents and businesses within 500 metres of the project, more than four times the typical 120-metre mailing distance used by the city.

At least one more public input session detailing the preferred design is expected some time this spring. If everything proceeds smoothly, the city hopes to start construction later this year.

[The85]

I think with the Woolwich Street redesign, the City of Kitchener should pick up a portion of the cost. All Kitchener residents who live in the Riverridge subdivision south of Kiwanis Park have to use Woolwich Street (in the City of Waterloo) to enter and leave their neighbourhood. It is not fair to Waterloo taxpayers to pick up the full portion of the tab here, when a good share of users are Kitchener residents.

[Smore]

I've always thought it odd that that subdivision is part of Kitchener. It doesn't make a lot of sense. I wonder how that came to be?

[panamaniac]

Was it perhaps part of Bridgeport before Bridgeport was absorbed into Kitchener?

[Smore]

I think with the Woolwich Street redesign, the City of Kitchener should pick up a portion of the cost. All Kitchener residents who live in the Riverridge subdivision south of Kiwanis Park have to use Woolwich Street (in the City of Waterloo) to enter and leave their neighbourhood. It is not fair to Waterloo taxpayers to pick up the full portion of the tab here, when a good share of users are Kitchener residents.

Well I'm sure Kitchener has fewer users of Kiwanis Park than Waterloo ...

[panamaniac]

If you are driving out that way in coming days, be warned that the potholes on Gage Ave between Westmount and Belmont are ridiculous - I don't think I've ever seen so many in a short stretch of road. They are worst on the western half of the block.

[kwliving]

Huge pothole on Marsland Dr in Waterloo about 20m north of University Ave. Made me bite my tongue.