ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[mpd618]

I'm surprised that traffic to Central Fresh Market is down so severely.  Food tends to be emotional and people tend to develop loyalty to certain stores, Vincenzo's being an extreme example of that.  I would have thought its' core customers would get there no matter what.

Few businesses, I'd think, are sustained primarily by their "core customers". Most people are fickle, have no strong loyalty to many/most of the businesses they patronize, and are easily swayed by convenience.

Vincenzo's is fantastic. But I went there a lot more often when I lived a 5 minute walk away and it was on my commute home.

[panamaniac]

I'm surprised that traffic to Central Fresh Market is down so severely.  Food tends to be emotional and people tend to develop loyalty to certain stores, Vincenzo's being an extreme example of that.  I would have thought its' core customers would get there no matter what.

Few businesses, I'd think, are sustained primarily by their "core customers". Most people are fickle, have no strong loyalty to many/most of the businesses they patronize, and are easily swayed by convenience.

Vincenzo's is fantastic. But I went there a lot more often when I lived a 5 minute walk away and it was on my commute home.

Once upon a time, when Zehrs and Dutch Boy dominated among local supermarkets (pace HiWay Market), K-W was all about customer loyalty.  Things have changed tremendously in recent years, however, and I doubt there's much of that old loyalty left. 

By the way, I discovered that there is, in fact, a back way out of Central - they've put up signs that direct you out the parking lot and over to Braun St and then Moore.   

[timio]

I took a walk up King Street from Wellington to Union tonight. The number of ties that have been dug up continues to increase and you can see more of them unearthed as you work your way towards GRH.

There's a stump left at the corner of King and Mt. Hope where someone's taken a pencil and counted the rings based on year all the way back to place it as well over 100 years old. They put markers where WWI and WWII occurred as well for reference. I tried to get a picture but my phone wasn't multi-tasking very well tonight.

[panamaniac]

I think that might be one of the biggest trees that will be coming down in the Uptown through Downtown stretch of the route. Fortunately, that particular one was not very healthy and would eventually have needed to come down in any event.

[DHLawrence]

Potential legislative change may create new way to help pay for LRT to Cambridge
http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story/...cambridge/

Proposed changes to the province’s Development Charge Act could help move forward phase two of the region’s light-rail transit plan, which would bring it to Cambridge.

Currently, development charges cannot be used to fund rapid transit projects, but rather were reserved for growth-related capital costs, including water, wastewater and roads.

Although the changes have yet to be passed, councillors are looking ahead to what impact they could have on funding the region’s LRT projects.

“It could have as much as a $70-million impact on our light-rail transit project, which would serve to significantly reduce the funding model that we have in place for the ensuing years and, I would suggest also, it has the potential to really move forward stage two as well,” Coun. Tom Galloway said, last month, following a presentation by the region’s chief financial officer Craig Dyer to council.

He added, however, the region would still rely on provincial or federal funds to get stage two on track.

[Canard]

https://twitter.com/rideIONrt/status/583647028439285761

Time lapse cameras being installed along the route!

[Canard]

Would like to take some pics along King - it's open 1 lane NB, right?

[white_brian]

Yes it is one lane NB

[Canard]

Aissa spends more than $247,000 on regional chair campaign

L O LLLLLLLLLL

[Canard]

Heavy construction along King St. at Agnes, April 4, 2015:

   

   

[Lens]

Nice shots! I grabbed a few similar photos last weekend but they had removed the dug up ties after Friday night.

[KevinL]

I was also in that area today. What struck me was how the ties were embedded - apparently some time back, concrete had simply been poured between them to make a solid roadbed (and it is now being taken up). I nabbed these shots that I hope should illustrate that - you can see the gaps between concrete chunks where the ties have been pulled up:

[Coke6pk]

Don't know if its my eye's being deceived, but these "long lost" railway ties aren't really that far beyond the roadway we knew from today.... I was expecting to see them a foot or so below the roadway.

[nms]

I wonder how many other "fence moments" we'll find out about?

From today's Waterloo Chronicle:
LRT will require fence in Waterloo Park

[ookpik]

...separate the public from the tracks in Waterloo Park. A rail safety association has ruled the fence is needed because of the light rail vehicles’ frequency, said regional staff.

Why does the public need to be separated from the LRT in Waterloo Park and not along the entire 19km route?

And why does it have to be a fence, let alone of the 6' high, unclimbable variety? Perhaps some other form of separation like grading, a ditch/moat, etc. would accomplish the same objective without being so obtrusive and so ugly?

P.S. Is Jay Aissa's Jay Fencing a member of this "rail safety association"?