Grand River Transit

[Canard]

My guess is Transport Canada saw it and was like "Uh... no, you're not puling a bus full of dozens of people at a super-shallow angle across an LRT track, non-signalized..."

[MidTowner]

The stop should just be left out. How many riders would have to walk how far if it were? The detour disadvantages those same riders, along with every other rider on the route, by increasing trip time. It's absolutely nuts to have a detour like that without a really compelling reason to serve that particular block of Regina (and there is none).

[Pheidippides]

An island wouldn't even have to be as big as the one at King and Victoria. There's probably enough room to make an island like they did southbound at Charles and Water.

[ijmorlan]

An island wouldn't even have to be as big as the one at King and Victoria. There's probably enough room to make an island like they did southbound at Charles and Water.

Or the LRT could have just been kept in the middle of the street. Why is it at the curb, anyway? There are a million ways this could have been done without imposing a nutty routing on the bus.

[KevinT]

I suspect the Ion had to be at the curb because of the minimum turning radius to make the left into Waterloo town square. We have a minimum radius of 25 metres, not the TTC's super slow and squealing 11 metres.

[KevinL]

It seems there's a preference for single-direction track to be at the curb - the only place in the system where this doesn't happen is Benton-Frederick with its centre running (and that's mainly to avoid conflicts at the hotel's entrance, I think).

[Rick O'Shay]

I for one who has to drive that route will not like the left turn onto Willis Way then the right turn off Willis Way on King St. It would be easier to go up to Bridgeport and then onto King. But I didn't get asked. Sigh. I sometimes think the folks who make the routes don't drive them and think can a bus make this turn safely

[Canard]

Is there not any medium for feedback internally to discuss issues, suggestions and concerns like this?

[KevinL]

Normally a permanent route change like this would go through public consultation.

[Canard]

i just mean, it might be a good idea to actually ask the drivers what they think, too - you know, the ones that are actually out there driving them all day.

[ijmorlan]

I suspect the Ion had to be at the curb because of the minimum turning radius to make the left into Waterloo town square.  We have a minimum radius of 25 metres, not the TTC's super slow and squealing 11 metres.

That’s a bit hard to believe. The route isn’t tight up against a building there. Just shift the entire curve one lanewidth to the west. It would impinge on the public square a tiny bit more than it actually does but other than that it would be exactly the same as it actually is.

Also, a pedestrian island could exist north of the spur line in the “lee” of the LRT track.

[kps]

We have a minimum radius of 25 metres, not the TTC's super slow and squealing 11 metres.

Yeah, Ion shouldn't squeal.

[Canard]

Ion won't squeal (very much) thanks to the track lubricators. There will still certainly be noise and vibration.

[urbd]

100% confirmed that it will be a permanent stop of the 7, even after ION starts operating. The 7 will go right on William, then Regina for one block, then back onto King. I know, annoying.

Now that I've collected my senses, can you tell us how it is that you know this "100% confirmed"?

I talked to someone at the Region and they confirmed this will be the new 7 northbound route.

[Markster]

I talked to someone at the Region and they confirmed this will be the new 7 northbound route.

Well that's exceedingly disappointing.
Yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of rapid transit design decisions that are made out of convenience for the Rapid Transit team, without properly analyzing downstream impacts.