ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[MidTowner]

CTV has a new piece about the pedestrian crossing signal arms coming down too fast in Waterloo Park. 

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1697981

Maybe they should also do an article on the cars always getting hit by the gates because they don't stop at the stop lines.

In the the CBC's article about the LRT collision on Friday, a tweet by Dan with a picture of a motorist who had stopped well past the stop line on Caroline was featured.

I've seen it happen in a number of places. Can the arm do much damage? It would be really nice if it did get some coverage, because many motorists don't seem to understand what stop lines are and what crosswalks are.

[ijmorlan]

Such a pack of muck slingers at CTV Kitchener.  :-(

I wouldn’t go so far. Pedestrian gates are different from car gates in that they are on both sides, whereas car gates, at least around here, leave space on the “exiting” side. So pedestrians can be “trapped” between the two gates in a way cars can’t. They even showed an example of this with the City maintenance vehicle — are we so sure that it entered the crossing after the lights started? What about people who are slow at walking?

[JHerbin]

I wouldn’t go so far. Pedestrian gates are different from car gates in that they are on both sides, whereas car gates, at least around here, leave space on the “exiting” side. So pedestrians can be “trapped” between the two gates in a way cars can’t. They even showed an example of this with the City maintenance vehicle — are we so sure that it entered the crossing after the lights started? What about people who are slow at walking?

I guess they'd end up standing on the ION platform and wait for the train to pass?

[tomh009]

That is interesting. I just cycled up to Waterloo and checked all of the stations from Allen to Borden, except Frederick and City Hall and they all showed 0. Maybe they are still working out the kinks or are just testing during rush hours.

It's possible that they running the software for the signs only in early mornings. I have no idea why that would be, but my observations of operational signs are all from before 7 AM.

I checked the signs again this morning (about 6:30 AM) and the ones I looked at were working. Two observations:

• I saw 5, 10 and 15-minute headways, all prior to 7 AM. Clearly they are not yet running on the standard service schedule.
  
• Not sure how the time before next train is calculated: the time to the second train was decreasing before the time to the first train (ie the gap between them varied between nine and 10 minutes)
  

[Ace]

Such a pack of muck slingers at CTV Kitchener.  :-(

I wouldn’t go so far. Pedestrian gates are different from car gates in that they are on both sides, whereas car gates, at least around here, leave space on the “exiting” side. So pedestrians can be “trapped” between the two gates in a way cars can’t. They even showed an example of this with the City maintenance vehicle — are we so sure that it entered the crossing after the lights started? What about people who are slow at walking?

The evening segment showed a video from a gentleman on a mobility scooter clearly entering before any signal trigger and becoming trapped in the centre. Definitely is an issue at that crossing. 

35 second mark
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1698331

[ijmorlan]

I wouldn’t go so far. Pedestrian gates are different from car gates in that they are on both sides, whereas car gates, at least around here, leave space on the “exiting” side. So pedestrians can be “trapped” between the two gates in a way cars can’t. They even showed an example of this with the City maintenance vehicle — are we so sure that it entered the crossing after the lights started? What about people who are slow at walking?

I guess they'd end up standing on the ION platform and wait for the train to pass?

That’s a good point. That would actually be OK. I wonder if the timing is different at the non-station locations that have pedestrian crossings?

[ijmorlan]

The evening segment showed a video from a gentleman on a mobility scooter clearly entering before any signal trigger and becoming trapped in the centre. Definitely is an issue at that crossing. 

35 second mark
[/url][url=https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1698331]https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1698331

It also reported that Grandlinq will be changing the timing to be more like other crossings. So it looks like this will be resolved by slightly lengthening the warning time. Of course the platform will still be available as a refuge as well so it should end up being fine.

[KevinT]

I did my first bike commute of the year (further thoughts in the cycling thread) and it's really got me scratching my head regarding Block Line.

It's a shame they didn't bury the hydro cut all the way to Schneider Creek and then use that right of way to get ION under the bridge at Block Line.  The existing rail yard looks like it could have been compressed to allow that with no loss of track footage.  Yeah, we'd have one pricey Ottawa LRT style station with elevators and escalators at Block Line, but it would have avoided two slow turns, a ton of extra signalling infrastructure, that weird traffic situation at Block Line, and given us room for decent pedestrian and cycling accommodations along Courtland.  Also, burying more of the hydro cut at the Fairway end so it popped up at the transformer station on the opposite side of the street would have made getting Phase 2 out of there much simpler and left the mall in a better position for future redevelopment.

I know our system was built on the cheap so we could get the votes passed and I often defend it for that, but in this case I really think the juice would have been worth the squeeze.

[trainspotter139]

I counted 9 responses to an "All LRVs" message on the radio today!

[drum118]

Ion Wins

No LRT by Canada Day, Ottawa city confirms

[Bob_McBob]

Has 514 been out since the collision?

CBC is reporting actual damage was $30,000. The article goes over the protocol for dealing with LRT/road vehicle collisions, and also contains a tweet from our very own danbrotherston showing a driver trapped by a signal arm through their own incompetence.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener...-1.5159950

[trainspotter139]

Has 514 been out since the collision?

CBC is reporting actual damage was $30,000. The article goes over the protocol for dealing with LRT/road vehicle collisions, and also contains a tweet from our very own danbrotherston showing a driver trapped by a signal arm through their own incompetence.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener...-1.5159950

I've heard 514 on the radio today. 570 is saying the damage estimate is $30,000 and the actual cost may be released by the end of the week.

[tomh009]

Yep, as of today 501 is definitely still naked. 503, 504, 507 could possibly have them but haven't been spotted out yet.

Saw 503 with the GRT decals on it this morning.

[bgb_ca]

514 is out and about again

[bgb_ca]

Yep, as of today 501 is definitely still naked. 503, 504, 507 could possibly have them but haven't been spotted out yet.

Saw 503 with the GRT decals on it this morning.

My list has 501, 503 and 504 without. Rest had the prod decals. If 503 has them, that leaves 501 and 504.