ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[KevinL]

I stopped by Uptown Waterloo to pick some things up yesterday.  I spoke to one of the merchants who mentioned that the Caroline Street platform is 50mm too close to the tracks.  Time will tell if this is accurate.  If a change needs to be made, will it be with jackhammers and  new pour or simply chopping 50mm off the face of the platform?

You wouldn't get a jackhammer for that, a concrete saw would do the job.

[taylortbb]

I'd say that's correct, given that when I walked along Caroline St yesterday I saw a number of workers demolishing the edge of the Caroline platform alongside the tracks. Appeared they were using small jackhammers, and taking about 5cm off the edge.

[Coke6pk]

What is the ground clearance of a typical ambulance?

While the Functional Design Plans spec OPSD 600.090, the profile of the actual curb poured here does not match - OPSD 600.090 is a "semi mountable curb" with a nice sloped profile to aid vehicles in going over them, but the curbs actually poured along the rapidway on Charles are nearly vertical.  It would take a hell of a machine to climb over those (and withstand the drop on the other side, within the rapidway), and certainly not while driving parallel to it - you'd just chew up your sidewalls.

I can't help but wonder if something fell through the cracks here.  CTV recently ran a piece on how ambulance drivers are upset that along King, they foresee a clusterf because they know drivers will want to stop when they hear their sirens, but won't be able to pass. (Personally, I love Darshpreet's response in the video - clipped from the article)

I know CTV used the term "ambulance drivers", but a lot of my friends are Paramedics and if there is anything else they hate more than being called ambulance drivers is.... well, actually, that is what they hate the most...

Coke

[JoeKW]

Technically, if you don't stop your vehicle you'll be in contravention of the highway traffic act. It makes no provisions for using common sense or blocking the ambulance.

[isUsername]

Technically, if you don't stop your vehicle you'll be in contravention of the highway traffic act.  It makes no provisions for using common sense or blocking the ambulance.

At first glance, I thought the Act said something different, but it seems that you're right.

159. (1) The driver of a vehicle, upon the approach of a police department vehicle with its bell or siren sounding or with its lamp producing intermittent flashes of red light or red and blue light, or upon the approach of an ambulance, fire department vehicle or public utility emergency vehicle with its bell or siren sounding or its lamp producing intermittent flashes of red light, shall immediately bring such vehicle to a standstill,

(a) as near as is practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway and parallel therewith and clear of any intersection; or

(b) when on a roadway having more than two lanes for traffic and designated for the use of one-way traffic, as near as is practicable to the nearest curb or edge of the roadway and parallel therewith and clear of any intersection.  2009, c. 5, s. 49.

I would hope that there's precedence for a justice to disregard this section if following would clearly cause harm by blocking the emergency vehicle.

[panamaniac]

Technically, if you don't stop your vehicle you'll be in contravention of the highway traffic act.  It makes no provisions for using common sense or blocking the ambulance.

The requirement is to pull over and stop as close as possible to the curb.  In most cases, that would give the ambulance enough room to pass.  Don't know about the IONized King St.  You would never be charged if, there being no room for the ambulance to pass, you kept moving to allow the ambulance to move forward, or if you were physically unable to move out of the way, due to traffic or other reasons.

[Canard]

Guys, watch the CTV clip. The Paramedics want people to keep moving instead of stopping.

I personally know I would have a very hard time doing this -because even though I know it's the logical thing to do, I feel like everybody else would be like, "look at that idiot not stopping for an ambulance".

They should get the word out *now* about this in terms of media or a social media campaign to get people aware of what they're supposed to do so everybody is on the same page.

[JoeKW]

Yes, of course we shouldn't stop if doing so would block the ambulance's path.

[panamaniac]

Guys, watch the CTV clip. The Paramedics want people to keep moving instead of stopping.

I personally know I would have a very hard time doing this -because even though I know it's the logical thing to do, I feel like everybody else would be like, "look at that idiot not stopping for an ambulance".  

They should get the word out *now* about this in terms of media or a social media campaign to get people aware of what they're supposed to do so everybody is on the same page.

Is it necessary?  It seems like simple common sense to me.  Wait, now that I say that, I can see where extensive pubic education might be required! 

[Canard]

I don't mean to sound pessimistic but I can solidly guarantee you that 75% of drivers will just stop and wonder why the Ambulance hasn't gone around them.  I can say this with absolute confidence because I see this kind of stuff constantly with any kind of emergency vehicle - whether it's an ambulance, fire truck, pulled over police car... I can't count the number of times I've watched people on an empty 401 completely fail to move over a lane and just blow right by a cop car with half a metre to spare, oblivious that they've done anything wrong.  This will be a disaster and one that needs to be addressed by someone - whether it's the Paramedics union, ion's PR folks, the Region, whatever - put up some signs along King St., run an ad on the local radio and TV stations, flood social media...

[kps]

Is it necessary?  It seems like simple common sense to me.  Wait, now that I say that, I can see where extensive pubic education might be required! 

Common sense would be to make the line crossable by emergency vehicles.

[jamincan]

I think his response is maybe a bit vague due to being removed from the context of the question. My interpretation is that he is pointing out that they involved emergency services in consultation from the beginning of the project and that it is now a bit late to be identifying major issues such as this. Which is a perfectly legitimate point.

[JoeKW]

Is it necessary?  It seems like simple common sense to me.  Wait, now that I say that, I can see where extensive pubic education might be required! 

Common sense would be to make the line crossable by emergency vehicles.

This is the real problem. It's ridiculous that the area in front of the hospital, that has the main ER entrance, has single lanes with no way to bypass a stopped or stalled car.

[Canard]

I wonder why they chose these high curbs, and not the lower, flush curbs like they have on Borden, or Charles near the transit terminal.

[schooner77]

During that CTV piece, the spokesman for the paramedics also mentioned alternative routing and I suspect Park will become the routing street, especially during rush hours.