Waterloo Region Connected
General Road and Highway Discussion - Printable Version

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RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - tomh009 - 08-23-2017

At least they should adjust the lines at the island. The bike lane would be narrower, but it would still be better (in my opinion) than a wider lane that cars cross into as a matter of normal driving.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - danbrotherston - 08-27-2017

https://www.change.org/p/berry-vrbanovic-make-benton-street-safe-for-families-and-pedestrians/c/684740701

I just saw this petition to right size Benton St. This kind of change is a no brainer.

It pains me that Belmont is being rebuilt with essentially no changes. How much money are we wasting building unnecessary and unsafe roads like this.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - Elmira Guy - 08-30-2017

Community CarShare cuts Quantum car delivery program

"Waterloo region's car share program will no longer offer its Quantum car delivery service as of Sept. 1, scaling back the program to members living in Elmira and corporate customers."

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/community-car-share-grand-river-elmira-quantum-1.4265071


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - tomh009 - 08-31-2017

There are now no left turns permitted from WB Charles onto SB Benton, presumably because of the LRT tracks. 

However, the signage is really weak (the no-left-turn signs are next to the right-hand traffic light, far away from the stop line, which is set back, and on the far-right traffic light) and cars are frequently turning left there.  I think there should be some improved signage for this -- a no-left-turn sign in the cat pole, before the intersection; a straight-only lane sign (the right lane has a right-only sign); and/or a straight-only painted arrow in the lane (the right lane has a right-turn-only arrow).  As it is, it's not obvious, and not effective.

Would someone be willing to twitter this to the region (or city)?

The view from the stop line:
   


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - Canard - 08-31-2017

Yeah, they uncovered all of the "No Left Turn" signs everywhere recently!


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - danbrotherston - 08-31-2017

@tomh009 That's certainly a good idea, although pretty much all the turning restrictions are being universally ignored by drivers right now no matter how well signed they are.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - MidTowner - 08-31-2017

You're right about that. I was crossing Victoria on the east/north side of King watching as a line of cars started to pile up behind a woman waiting to turn left onto Victoria. Someone started honking just as I was crossing, and then she looked pretty exasperated that my presence in the crosswalk was thwarting her illegal turn.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - NotStan - 08-31-2017

(08-31-2017, 01:09 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: @tomh009  That's certainly a good idea, although pretty much all the turning restrictions are being universally ignored by drivers right now no matter how well signed they are.
I think it's poor practice to unveil a no left turn sign on a random day and to expect drivers who have been turning left at an intersection for a decade or more to notice the change, especially when the signs are in many cases poorly located.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - Coke6pk - 08-31-2017

That's why (when it is done right) they have the big neon "NEW" sign.  Something that may be useful to break these old habits....

   

Coke


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - Canard - 08-31-2017

Well said Stan!


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - Coke6pk - 08-31-2017

(08-31-2017, 03:24 PM)Canard Wrote: Well said Stan!

I think that's Not Stan. Wink


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - timc - 08-31-2017

I saw several drivers making now-illegal left turns along Caroline Street today (southbound onto Willis and William; northbound onto Erb), and traffic was backing up behind people as they tried to turn. I tried to gesture to them that they were doing something that they shouldn't, but I was a pedestrian, and thus invisible and/or ignored.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - NotStan - 09-01-2017

(08-31-2017, 03:18 PM)Coke6pk Wrote: That's why (when it is done right) they have the big neon "NEW" sign.  Something that may be useful to break these old habits....



Coke

Exactly or overhead signs and road markings to mark what is permitted in each lane.  Euro road signage is generally much better in this regard.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - danbrotherston - 09-02-2017

Walked down Columbia St. today, starting to see some finished products.  Segregated bike lanes are visible on one side.

Here's one confusing thing, I'm guessing this is going to be a bus stop.  I have no idea why there are tactile plates between the bike lane and the bus stop.

   

Also, the segregated lane seems to end here, which is strange, it's about 100 meters back from the traffic circle, but there seems to be a barrier curb preventing cyclists from getting to the sidewalk.  I will be curious to see this in a finished form.

   

One other interesting thing I got to see, is what looks like mechanically stabilized earth (reinforced soil) being used to build up around the valley that is being levelled.  I've never seen it under construction before so that was interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_stabilized_earth

You can see down low one layer of the stabilizing material placed down.

   

Here is a closeup of the stabilizing material.

   

As little as I understand of the process, I believe it only needs to resist tension, not be rigid it any other direction.


RE: General Road and Highway Discussion - Markster - 09-02-2017

(09-02-2017, 12:28 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Here's one confusing thing, I'm guessing this is going to be a bus stop.  I have no idea why there are tactile plates between the bike lane and the bus stop.

Ah, that's to get the cyclists to slow down and be aware that they're entering a pedestrian conflict point. The bike track continues across that concrete, but it is also where bus loading will occur.

Similar, a bit, to this section of Roncesvalles in Toronto:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6458917,-79.4488746,3a,75y,5.13h,71.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWlgY4GSz2PczBSVQ6MtqdA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Quote:Also, the segregated lane seems to end here, which is strange, it's about 100 meters back from the traffic circle, but there seems to be a barrier curb preventing cyclists from getting to the sidewalk.  I will be curious to see this in a finished form.

Ah, the good ol' "no bicycle infrastructure at intersections" trick.
Maybe they've finally decided that directing bikes on to the sidewalk is not what they want, and so they're going to merge them into the roads from now on?

Quote:One other interesting thing I got to see, is what looks like mechanically stabilized earth (reinforced soil) being used to build up around the valley that is being levelled.  I've never seen it under construction before so that was interesting.

The ION station at UW also had the same material laid down. Each cinderblock level had another layer of that plastic stuff connected to it.