Welcome Guest!
In order to take advantage of all the great features that Waterloo Region Connected has to offer, including participating in the lively discussions below, you're going to have to register. The good news is that it'll take less than a minute and you can get started enjoying Waterloo Region's best online community right away.
or Create an Account




Thread Rating:
  • 9 Vote(s) - 4.33 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
General Road and Highway Discussion
(06-12-2023, 11:08 PM)SammyOES Wrote:
(05-04-2023, 08:04 PM)SammyOES Wrote: It just seems weird to slow down the highway 7 traffic at this spot (nothing else around) and divert traffic from the bigger roads to this small two lane section.  Because lots of people will probably start taking Shirley Drive to skip the busier turn onto Victoria if they’re heading the general Kitchener -> Guelph route.

Today I had my first opportunity to try the Eastbound Bingeman's Drive -> Shirley -> Victoria St route with the new stoplight.  It's just one data point but there was a lot more cars taking this route than I've seen before and I was tailgated the whole time while driving 55-60.  And then almost rear-ended when a person pulled out in front of me from a dealership. 

I'm not a traffic expert, but I really don't understand the overall goal here.  It makes the left turn onto Victoria much safer but at the cost of making the whole road much worse and less safe by diverting noticeable traffic from Victoria onto it.

Very interesting! I did not know they were making that change.

I speculate that there was enough traffic at Shirley/Victoria to “justify” the stoplight, so they put it in. But what they may not have remembered is that an intersection with a stoplight is more attractive for certain trips (in particular, the left turn you mention), so more traffic will be attracted, or we sometimes say induced, to use the route.

I find this especially amusing because I’ve long held that the intersections at either end of Shirley should be re-configured to make Victoria-Shirley-Bingemans Centre the primary route. Installing that stoplight may cause some traffic to re-configure itself already. If only we could have transportation engineers with foresight who know how to manage traffic demand rather than just responding to it!
Reply


The Bleams extension past Manitou has the bridge basically complete - full structure including handrails is in place. There's no road either side of it, though, just a graded right of way - I presume a different contractor will complete that.
Reply
(07-24-2023, 12:09 PM)KevinL Wrote: The Bleams extension past Manitou has the bridge basically complete - full structure including handrails is in place. There's no road either side of it, though, just a graded right of way - I presume a different contractor will complete that.

Has the trail below reopened?
Reply
Don't know, couldn't tell from the road.
Reply
I rode that trail a few weeks ago and there was still some dirt left on the path but it was passable.
Reply
I feel like I've asked this before but maybe not. Who handles River Road by Idlewood? The condition of the road is sooooo bad that it'd knock a filling out of your teeth with all the bumps. It desperately needs repaving. It's particularly bad if you're riding the 1 bus because it just shakes like crazy.
Reply
(07-28-2023, 04:54 PM)ac3r Wrote: I feel like I've asked this before but maybe not. Who handles River Road by Idlewood? The condition of the road is sooooo bad that it'd knock a filling out of your teeth with all the bumps. It desperately needs repaving. It's particularly bad if you're riding the 1 bus because it just shakes like crazy.
City of Kitchener, the Region is responsible for it from Fairway to King.

https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/livin...y-Name.pdf
Reply


Thanks! I'm sure they know of the conditions but I still feel like I should send an email to them. It's extremely bad between Fairway and those forested areas.
Reply
It wouldn't surprise me if their road budget has been bumped further down the capital budgets.
Reply
They are resurfacing River road in sections. They started at Victoria street. They are working on Lorraine to Ottawa street this year.
Reply
I noticed as part of the signage project on Highway 85 that the wording has been updated on the Regional Road 15 exit. It now says "\15/ King Street N.". While it is *technically* correct, it might be just a wee bit confusing when "\15/ King Street" is just two exits away.
Reply
(08-08-2023, 10:13 PM)timc Wrote: I noticed as part of the signage project on Highway 85 that the wording has been updated on the Regional Road 15 exit. It now says "\15/ King Street N.". While it is *technically* correct, it might be just a wee bit confusing when "\15/ King Street" is just two exits away.

I do like how the new signage does include the Regional Road Numbers. 
I assume that

\15/ King St N.
St Jacob’s

May be slightly less confusing than 

\15/ Regional Road 15
St Jacob’s 


Especially since the exit by the mall is now listed as 

\15/ King St.
Reply
(08-09-2023, 08:37 AM)neonjoe Wrote: I do like how the new signage does include the Regional Road Numbers. 
I assume that

\15/ King St N.
St Jacob’s

May be slightly less confusing than 

\15/ Regional Road 15
St Jacob’s 

Especially since the exit by the mall is now listed as 

\15/ King St.

It doesn't say St Jacobs. It just says \15/ King Street N.
Reply


Oh perhaps I mistook the sign that says St Jacobs next two exits with the sign in question.
Reply
Passed by Westmount and Tillsley (the side street that accesses Country Hills, between Block Line and Fischer-Hallman) and noticed that they're installing temporary traffic lights (the ones hung from support cables). Is this in anticipation of permanent signals, or just due to the presumed construction that should start nearby?
Reply
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »



Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 11 Guest(s)

About Waterloo Region Connected

Launched in August 2014, Waterloo Region Connected is an online community that brings together all the things that make Waterloo Region great. Waterloo Region Connected provides user-driven content fueled by a lively discussion forum covering topics like urban development, transportation projects, heritage issues, businesses and other issues of interest to those in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the four Townships - North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich.

              User Links