ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[clasher]

People drive into everything else at ground level and LRTs are pretty protected compared to pedestrians or cyclists.

[MidTowner]

A car can derail an LRT train, but it's not likely. You're right that cars collide with things all the time, and in the case of LRT a motorist colliding into a train is unlikely to kill anyone. Edit: except maybe himself.

[tvot]

I noticed that the crew at Erb & Caroline was still hard at work at 9:45 tonight when I was walking home from the Princess.

[panamaniac]

I hope so, but I'm not optimistic, given history.  It's one of the inevitabilities with the technology, since it interfaces at road level with all other modes of transport, instead of traveling above or below grade.  Houston has had a particularly bad time with this.

I still say a safety campaign should be started sooner, rather than later, to get the word out about safety and behavior around tracks.

You misunderstood me - I doubt we will have to wait three full weeks from the time ION starts running regularly to the first reports of contact with vehicles.  I fully expect ION to become K-W's "scratch and dent" trains.
To be clear, I don't expect any of it to be due to the trains - we will be able to thank local drivers!

[Canard]

(...and cyclists, and pedestrians)

[GtwoK]

I hope so, but I'm not optimistic, given history.  It's one of the inevitabilities with the technology, since it interfaces at road level with all other modes of transport, instead of traveling above or below grade.  Houston has had a particularly bad time with this.

I still say a safety campaign should be started sooner, rather than later, to get the word out about safety and behavior around tracks.

You misunderstood me - I doubt we will have to wait three full weeks from the time ION starts running regularly to the first reports of contact with vehicles.  I fully expect ION to become K-W's "scratch and dent" trains.
To be clear, I don't expect any of it to be due to the trains - we will be able to thank local drivers!

Of course, that's not how the driver's nor the Record will see it

"This crash wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the DAMN LRT. My car crash is the fault of LOCAL POLITICIANS."

[panamaniac]

It wouldn't surprise me!   My "complaint du jour" with the Record is their persistent use of the verb "to drop" rather than "to spend" or (God forbid) "to invest" in reference to expenditures of the Region or the municipalities.  E.g. today's report of Waterloo "dropping" XXX dollars on the Clay and Glass Museum.  Such loaded language seems intended solely to stir controversy, imho.

[timc]

I love this quote from the article:

"Hopefully, in the end everything at the corner, Erb and Caroline and the Clay and Glass will all be bright … and there'll be nice trains running through there maybe," she said.

Maybe?

[Canard]

Wonderful article today:

http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/6...r-the-job/

[KevinL]

As we know, the Region is planning public art installations at various stations. A short time ago, a tour was arranged for artists aspiring to be commissioned, showing them the physical context of each site and having members of the community give cultural context.

Each of these presentations were filmed, as it turns out, and have just been posted to the Region's YouTube channel.

[rangersfan]

As always the comments on the page of that Record article are absolutely ridiculous.

[tomh009]

As always the comments on the page of that Record article are absolutely ridiculous.

I usually remind myself not to read those.  

[Canard]

Cheers to granlinks for putting together a great plan to put tranes in the downtown, really cool project.

This made me laugh out loud!

[JoeKW]

With this heat it would be nice to have some Tranes running downtown to keep us cool

[GtwoK]

New Ion update! Mostly stuff we already know. Anyone know what's up with these?

Beginning on or about May 26 for approximately one week crews may work periodically overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) on King from Victoria to Moore

Beginning on or about May 26 for approximately one week crews may work periodically overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) at King/ Francis

Beginning on or about May 26 for approximately one week crews may work periodically overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) at Queen/Charles

Beginning May 19, for approximately two weeks, crews will work overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) from Fairview Park Mall to Hayward

Why would they need to work overnight? Between Victoria and Moore, MAYBE for move the rail onto the bridge. And Queen, possibly just to really push to get it done. But why at King / Francis, or on Courtland?

Also,

Francis, King to Duke, in Kitchener
The installation of curbs, sidewalks, and asphalt is underway. This work will be followed by the installation of track and the rest of the ION infrastructure

Holy hell, quickest stretch of road complete so far? That's incredible!