ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[timc]

Not because of Ion, but because of parking.  I'm pretty sure there is enough room for two way traffic, Ion and bike lanes if you remove the parking.

Oh, I wasn't aware there was going to be on-street parking there.

[danbrotherston]

@timc At least according to the project agreement, there are planned to be 17 street parking spaces on the west side of King St.

http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/..._Part2.pdf (page 21 and 22).

[Markster]

Its a little more complicated than just "the parking" causing there to be no bike lanes.

The road used to be 6 lanes wide:
4 travel lanes
2 parking lanes

Now, it will be 4 lanes wide:
2 travel lanes
1 parking lane
1 ION lane

They've given 2 lanes worth over to pedestrians, (minus some likely road lane widening) which is much appreciated. There really was no cycling vision to be had with the LRT project, which is the real reason there's no consideration for them. If they were to add cycling lanes, it would certainly have come out of the sidewalk space. The parking was an unfortunate requirement to help keep the BIA on side with LRT.

I was just there yesterday, and you can see where the parking is. These are two shots of the west side.

Looking North
   

Looking South
   

[Markster]

And here, have some more shots from yesterday:

   

   

   

East sidewalk looking south
   

East sidewalk looking north
   

[danbrotherston]

Its a little more complicated than just "the parking" causing there to be no bike lanes.

The road used to be 6 lanes wide:  
4 travel lanes
2 parking lanes

Now, it will be 4 lanes wide:
2 travel lanes
1 parking lane
1 ION lane

They've given 2 lanes worth over to pedestrians, (minus some likely road lane widening) which is much appreciated. There really was no cycling vision to be had with the LRT project, which is the real reason there's no consideration for them. If they were to add cycling lanes, it would certainly have come out of the sidewalk space.  The parking was an unfortunate requirement to help keep the BIA on side with LRT.

This is an oversimplification.  The LRT lane is far wider then the original undersized travel lanes, let alone the parking.  The sidewalk and amenity space has not been widened by 2 lanes, probably closer to 1.

The point is true, but it doesn't change that parking is prioritized above bike lanes.  

Some of this is historical with the LRT being planned and designed a fairly long time ago, certainly before more recent shifts towards bike infrastructure.

[Coke6pk]

us, on day 1 of Ion:

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/healt...ho-man-tin

I've already secured my spot on the first ion train thru a Facebook contest the region held!  No gate crashing for me!

Coke

[tomh009]

us, on day 1 of Ion:

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/healt...ho-man-tin

I've already secured my spot on the first ion train thru a Facebook contest the region held!  No gate crashing for me!

Coke

I'll want to be on the outside, to get a photo of all of you!

[Canard]

Work on the Cameron Heights crossover resumes today! Massive crew setting up there this morning. Forms, huge generators (for welding?), trailers, the works.

[KevinL]

I have time before work, I'll be sure to swing by!

[Pheidippides]

Very busy around uptown today:
-a huge pour is ongoing at Waterloo public square station with trucks lined up and unloading in to a huge concrete pumper
-sidewalks along shopify portion of caroline are being poured
-a large metal box was unloaded by crane on to this willis platform looks electrical in nature; ruins the look of the stop-hopefully it gets covered up; it looks #12, the system equipment cabinet, in the diagram http://rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca/...pdf#page=4
-framing of the concrete forms along king, William to willis is progressing quickly

[danbrotherston]

Very busy around uptown today:
-a huge pour is ongoing at Waterloo public square station with trucks lined up and unloading in to a huge concrete pumper
-sidewalks along shopify portion of caroline are being poured
-a large metal box was unloaded by crane on to this willis platform looks electrical in nature; ruins the look of the stop-hopefully it gets covered up
-framing of the concrete forms along king, William to willis is progressing quickly

Nitpick:

-sidewalk
+multi-use trail

...of course, it would be nice if design made this clear.

[urbd]

Very busy around uptown today:
-a huge pour is ongoing at Waterloo public square station with trucks lined up and unloading in to a huge concrete pumper
-sidewalks along shopify portion of caroline are being poured
-a large metal box was unloaded by crane on to this willis platform looks electrical in nature; ruins the look of the stop-hopefully it gets covered up
-framing of the concrete forms along king, William to willis is progressing quickly

Nitpick:

-sidewalk
+multi-use trail

...of course, it would be nice if design made this clear.

I'm perfectly fine with enjoying an extra wide 'sidewalk' even if most people don't know that it is a multi use trail, as long as cyclists are patient and respectful of pedestrians then everything should be fine.

[danbrotherston]

I'm perfectly fine with enjoying an extra wide 'sidewalk' even if most people don't know that it is a multi use trail, as long as cyclists are patient and respectful of pedestrians then everything should be fine.

The problem is not that it is a bad sidewalk, the problem is that it is bad for cyclists. Who either don't know it's a trail, so are forced to use the road (a la Weber St.) or contend with pedestrians who don't know it's a trail so feel that cyclists shouldn't be there, and who don't pay attention to the possibility of cyclists.

[Pheidippides]

   
   
   

They were jackhammering out some newly embedded track at King and William when I came by there at 5.

[Canard]

Ooooo, was King, Borden and Charles ever a mess around that area today, probably because Courtland/Ottawa being closed. I went to go that way to see what was up at the crossover but had to go another way because it was so congested. Couldn't stop at the crossover to see what the guys were up to today. They were wrapping up for the day when I passed by about 5pm.