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(05-24-2016, 11:06 AM)chutten Wrote: (05-24-2016, 09:43 AM)timc Wrote: Were Erb and Bridgeport always one-way streets? If not, what were things like before? I would like some historical perspective on the issue.
They weren't always, but different car volumes in 2016 may require different thinking.
I'm happy to let smart, qualified individuals make these decisions. In my opinion we should focus on bringing these decisions to those individuals' attentions rather than trying to hash them out ourselves.
The problem with this is that the people in question keep making nonsensical decisions and ignoring on-point criticism. I don't believe they responded at all to my observation that the turn lane from Caroline onto Erb needs to be two lanes, and their response to the request for more crossing points on Erb just re-hashed current policy without even attempting to engage with the pro-pedestrian argument.
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How would two turn lanes from Caroline onto Erb work? Caroline is only one lane in each direction.
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I assume ijmorlan is referring to Caroline Southbound, which is three lanes one way.
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(05-24-2016, 09:53 PM)jwilliamson Wrote: I assume ijmorlan is referring to Caroline Southbound, which is three lanes one way.
Correct. The Westbound route across the city is three lanes from the expressway to Caroline and Erb, then one lane around the corner, then two lanes to Ira Needles. Instead, it should be a consistent two lanes all the way (plus turn lanes of course). The new plan at least calls for the turn lane to be channelized at Caroline and Erb, but that still makes it a chokepoint. If one lane is enough there, then one lane is enough everywhere else as well.
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Arrrrgh. So it changes name from Bridgeport to Caroline at King, not Erb???
What is wrong with this place????
I always thought Caroline started at the Erb/Caroline/(Bridgeport) intersection right by Clay and Glass. Sorry...
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(05-25-2016, 07:54 AM)Canard Wrote: Arrrrgh. So it changes name from Bridgeport to Caroline at King, not Erb???
What is wrong with this place????
I always thought Caroline started at the Erb/Caroline/(Bridgeport) intersection right by Clay and Glass. Sorry...
I believe it changes names at Albert. Which is not that unusual given the historical importance of Albert Street.
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(05-25-2016, 08:29 AM)Canard Wrote: ...which is what?
Being the west edge of uptown. Historically Bridgeport Rd (then named Cedar) ended just after Albert, just like the other dead end stubs on the edge of the park. The Bridgeport/Caroline connection is relatively recent.
http://images.ourontario.ca/waterloo/64343/image/143633
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I vote for keeping them AS IS (one-way streets)
On another note, almost crashed into a old lady who drove the WRONG WAY on Bridgeport (going EAST) while I was driving WEST (going to library), I almost crashed her at Albert St
Must be the construction, and not sure why she didn't turn LEFT at the library vs. doing a U-Turn back on Bridgeport (and she then turned LEFT/North onto Albert)
We almost got caught by the red light camera too ... GEEZ
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(05-25-2016, 08:29 AM)Canard Wrote: ...which is what?
Albert Street was the heart of Waterloo. In addition to the library, it is the former location of City Hall, Market, Post Office, Fire Hall, and Police Station. City Hall was on the site of the Marsland Centre. Most of that stuff has moved on, although the old Library building that is now the old Police Station is still there, but Albert Street has a lot of historical significance to the City of Waterloo.
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Post office on Albert, before 1912? Because the 1912 building, at King & Dupont, was used until (I think) 1967, when the one-story building across King was constructed.
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(05-25-2016, 03:25 PM)tomh009 Wrote: Post office on Albert, before 1912? Because the 1912 building, at King & Dupont, was used until (I think) 1967, when the one-story building across King was constructed.
I had the impression that there was an older post office before that, but I do make mistakes from time to time.
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(05-25-2016, 02:21 PM)timc Wrote: Albert Street was the heart of Waterloo. In addition to the library, it is the former location of City Hall, Market, Post Office, Fire Hall, and Police Station.
Notably three of those (town hall, market and police station were all located in a single building at the corner of Albert and Erb (now Marsland Centre)..
http://images.ourontario.ca/waterloo/29740/data?n=16
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One of the first public squares was also in the area of Erb and Albert as was a band stand and the cenotaph.
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Coincidentally enough, a blog post regarding the conversion of one-way street systems just passed across my radar.
The upshot is, auto traffic gets calmer, people and businesses are attracted to the higher foot traffic, property values go up, etc. How applicable that is to Waterloo is a different question.
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