General Road and Highway Discussion

[panamaniac]

In the absence of an urban wildlife thread and given today's news about the Conestoga Parkway being closed in order to round up a stray beaver, I have a question - does anyone else share my impression that beavers have become much more common within K-C-W in recent years? I don't remember ever seeing them when I was young, but it has become quite common in recent years, istm.

[nms]

Larger urban wildlife has been around for a while. It almost seems as if it took a while for the urban fringe to be regain some of its wildness to once again be hospitable to animals, in particular along the various waterways. Deer and coyotes for sure. UW has had beavers in the past (~10-15 years ago a story went national on the subject of how UW got rid of some of the beavers).

[razzie13]

It also helps the coyote population when there's an overabundance of squirrels. Which there is in many places.

[KevinL]

Ottawa roundabout work is set to begin in earnest on Monday; but there are clear signs already. The 40+-year-old chain-liink fence around the loop ramp came down this morning...

[timc]

Ottawa roundabout work is set to begin in earnest on Monday; but there are clear signs already. The 40+-year-old chain-liink fence around the loop ramp came down this morning...

An article about it was in today's Record.

[danbrotherston]

So our Mount-Hope Breithaupt neighbourhood's road mural was mentioned in citylab:

http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/07/st...ource=SFFB

[Pheidippides]

Erb Street Improvements Fischer-Hallman Road to Wilmot Line City of Waterloo
Public Consultation Centre #2 Information Package:
http://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Coun...17#page=14

[danbrotherston]

Erb Street Improvements Fischer-Hallman Road to Wilmot Line City of Waterloo
Public Consultation Centre #2 Information Package:
http://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Coun...17#page=14

Given the overall highly negative response to bike infrastructure in other places, I think it's important to show up to these if you support cycling infrastructure in the city, even if you're not directly impacted by it.

I attended the King St. PCCs repeatedly and advocated for segregated bike lanes, now my route to work would take me up King St. every day.

Other PCCs I have not attended and have seen solutions watered down to nothing, and those very same routes, I again ended up using.  Very sad.

More specific to this PCC however, why is a MUT only being considered west of the Market.  Given that there is a MUT on Ira Needles already, why not connect to this.  It seems to be a painfully obvious gap in the network.

[The85]

How long before they announce widening from Townline Rd to Hwy 25?

Is there a map with the timelines for each section from here to T-O?

There is an environmental assessment for widening from Hespeler Road to the Halton Boundary.

The Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) can be found below, with a map on page 19. The whole TESR document identifies the preferred alternatives for each major interchange.

http://highway401-hespeler-townline.ca/w...df#page=19

[jamincan]

I don't think that section is funded or scheduled yet, though.

[Elmira Guy]

The very same intersection where I have very nearly become a statistic (a number of times) for the same reason this woman was hit; because drivers turning right on a red either fail to look for pedestrians, or erroneously believe they have the right of way. Or simply don't give a shit and expect pedestrians to get out of their way. This has happened to me easily 20 times in the nearly six years I have lived here and used this crosswalk. Fortunately I have never been hit. Not yet anyway.
I'm glad she wasn't seriously hurt and sure hope she didn't yell at the driver.

Woman in wheelchair hit by vehicle while crossing Weber Street

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile/woman...sc=cSWeGlW

[p2ee]

How long before they announce widening from Townline Rd to Hwy 25?

Is there a map with the timelines for each section from here to T-O?

There is an environmental assessment for widening from Hespeler Road to the Halton Boundary.

The Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) can be found below, with a map on page 19. The whole TESR document identifies the preferred alternatives for each major interchange.

http://highway401-hespeler-townline.ca/w...df#page=19

I wouldn't expect any widening from Townline Rd to RR 25 within the next 8 years, if not much later than that.   There seems to be no mention of that section in any of the recent documents within the last 1-2 years.

The one exception is Highway 6 north to Highway 6 south.  That is planned to be 10-laned in the early part of 2020s.

[NotStan]

How long before they announce widening from Townline Rd to Hwy 25?

Is there a map with the timelines for each section from here to T-O?

There is an environmental assessment for widening from Hespeler Road to the Halton Boundary.

The Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) can be found below, with a map on page 19. The whole TESR document identifies the preferred alternatives for each major interchange.

http://highway401-hespeler-townline.ca/w...df#page=19

Thanks!

[MidTowner]

Re: the unfortunate incident at Weber and Lincoln. My experience crossing there to do errands reasonably regularly is the same as ElmiraGuy's: it is an uncommonly unpleasant intersection. The green on Lincoln seems relatively short for the amount of traffic that turns onto Weber, and I think that's the reason motorists there are even less patient than normal.

But, although you're right, ElmiraGuy, that motorists turning right on red and denying people on foot the right of way seems very common here (I think this is an intersection where 'No Right on Red' might be warranted), I don't think that was the situation with this woman who was struck. It seems like both the motorist and woman had the green light on Lincoln, the woman tried to cross Weber with the right of way, and the motorist turned right onto Weber, striking her.

It seems like a plain old case of someone not paying attention to what she was doing.

[SammyOES2]

I don't always agree with the suggestions/viewpoints of danbrotherston, but I imagine he'd point out that this intersection would be a lot safer without so rounded of a corner encouraging really fast turns. And I'd agree with him.