ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[panamaniac]

BRT for Cambridge actually doesn't strike me as a bad idea ....

[MidTowner]

I think it's a great idea. The problems with BRT are all political. They revolve around people's subjective perceptions and prejudice against buses in favour of trains, and the fact that BRT is easier to water down. Cambridge has "aBRT" right now (if we are still calling it that), and I think it's very good, but it's not BRT as it should be.

Our Region generally would do well with BRT lines like those of Bogota or Mexico City. These would serve roads like Highway 24 and Coronation in Cambridge, or University in KW, really well. But a lot of people in Cambridge are unlikely to see it that way, and there's a risk that anti-transit types will push to have it watered down to the point where we get little better than express bus routes with special branding that would be costly to upgrade to LRT.

In short, extensive and quality BRT everywhere in the Region would be great. Since the political will isn't there, I hope Cambridge gets Ion Phase 2 quick, so we can move on to Phase 3 on University or Victoria.

[danbrotherston]

There's an article about the motor vehicles driving on the Fairway walking and cycling trail.

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/950...-corridor/

This article bugs me for three reasons:

1. They don't explicitly say there are motor vehicles driving on the walking and cycling trail. People reading this unfamiliar with the area will infer the vehicles are driving around on roads. This is a gross mis-characterization of the situation. Which leads to...

2. It isn't about safety. If it was, they wouldn't be driving SUVs down a CYCLING AND WALKING TRAIL

3. Apparently the LRT crossing won't be open to pedestrians until next year, which is a bad joke...both in that they could not fail at this more completely, why would it take so long to open, that's utter BS, and secondly, in that people will be using it once it exists, it doesn't matter what temporary fences they put up or aggressive dangerous driving of motor vehicles on a walking and cycling trail they try to use to stop it.

[danbrotherston]

[MidTowner]

Crummy timing for that. I'm curious how service at rush hour will be handled.

[boatracer]

Could have been worse....could have hit a pedestrian.

[danbrotherston]

Crummy timing for that. I'm curious how service at rush hour will be handled.

Indeed!

I'm hoping its minor enough that they can clear it within say 20-30 minutes, realistically, I wish they had even stronger protocols for that...like, the driver can check the vehicle and ensure damage is minor enough for it to continue its route and go out of service at Fairway, but I'm guessing that staff will have to come from the maintenance facility and take it out of service right away, transfer everyone to buses, and proceed that way.

[JoeKW]

Someone did appear to have left in an ambulance... hopefully it's not too serious.

[boatracer]

Someone did appear to have left in an ambulance... hopefully it's not too serious.

From the radio talk it sounds may have been an LRV passenger.  They just said the car occupants were cleared by EMS and are talking to police.

[danbrotherston]

Someone did appear to have left in an ambulance... hopefully it's not too serious.

Oh dear, hopefully it was not serious. It's possible they were on the train. I didn't see anyone who appeared to be injured outside the train, the two people (I presume one was the driver of the car on the left), appeared uninjured, were walking around and inspecting the vehicle.  The one on the right appeared uninvolved.

This still makes me angry though. I live by the tracks a block from this collision, the train is silent, I can't hear it go by, except for the frequent honking at drivers cutting it off.  The LRVs have cameras, why have the police not been following up with every single driver who cuts off the train before now. But we have SUVs driving up pedestrian trails for safety.

It's not about safety.

[MidTowner]

Oh dear, hopefully it was not serious. It's possible they were on the train. I didn't see anyone who appeared to be injured outside the train, the two people (I presume one was the driver of the car on the left), appeared uninjured, were walking around and inspecting the vehicle.  The one on the right appeared uninvolved.

This still makes me angry though. I live by the tracks a block from this collision, the train is silent, I can't hear it go by, except for the frequent honking at drivers cutting it off.  The LRVs have cameras, why have the police not been following up with every single driver who cuts off the train before now. But we have SUVs driving up pedestrian trails for safety.

It's not about safety.

That's a really good point. On my ride home yesterday, there were two near-misses when motorists cut off the train, pretty clearly just not looking. It was sheer luck that a collision wasn't the result. I have observed a number of others.

The impact of each collision is fairly large- tens of thousands in damage, lost time, and in the case of today's, apparently medical costs- the case would be strong for the police to go knock on doors and let them know how dangerous their driving was.

[panamaniac]

I was just thinking yesterday that Ion seemed to have gone a week without a car accident. I should have known it wouldn't last.

[Bob_McBob]

Apparently fare inspectors haven't actually been enforcing proof of payment yet, but that's about to change. Good thing the payment system has no issues 

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/950...assengers/

[Bob_McBob]

WRPS are saying the collision this morning didn't actually involve the train, and the driver somehow lost control and smashed in the rear quarter all by themselves.

https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-new...on-1588963

[danbrotherston]

Okay, this is mega bizarre!

https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-new...on-1588963

It is now being claimed that the LRV was not involved in the collision.  I have photographs proving otherwise, I believe:

   

Here you can clearly see scratches on the right front bumper of the train.  I can believe that these are from an earlier collision and the bumper was left as it is only cosmetic damage.

However, you can also CLEARLY see that the front centre bumper panel is dislodged. Is the region actually claiming that the train was operated in that state?  That seems highly unlikely.  I have never seen it before.

Further, the vehicle on the left has substantial damage to it's right rear quarter panel.  There is nothing else nearby that could possibly have caused that damage.

I cannot comprehend why this report is being given and it must be in error.

How is our reporting this bad, or is the region just confused.....