ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[ert86]

I truly do marvel at how bad the UI really is. I want to know my balance, I press "I have a fare card", which doesn't make sense in the context of the other initial options (which aren't displayed to start for some reason "press to start" is the first screen). Now there, easy "balance and history option" right. Well page with lots of information appears. Not one of those pieces of information is my history nor my balance. There is a button for history but none for balance. I add 20 dollars because I don't know and can afford it.  And I work in the tech industry and consider transit a hobby and have studied these machines extensively.

On the small tap terminals you can see your balance.  Press one of the buttons, tap and it'll give you the type of fare card (adult/reduced) and exp, press more and it'll give you the balance and what month you have a pass for, press again and it gives you the tap history. I think it will also tell you when your transfer expires.

[KevinT]

I think they should extend the double trail (pedestrian/bicycle) that exists in the park north to just north of University at the pedestrian crossing.

I think they should have the pedestrian crossing at University trigger automatically whenever the signals activate for a train, starting the terminal count the moment the gates begin to rise again. Cars would then get to cross for X amount of time before the beg button could activate another cycle. The last time I paid attention (and many time before that) both cars and the pedestrians crossing were red when the signals/gates were active, which is really a lost opportunity for handling Laurel trail flows.

[KevinT]

On the small tap terminals you can see your balance.  Press one of the buttons, tap and it'll give you the type of fare card (adult/reduced) and exp, press more and it'll give you the balance and what month you have a pass for, press again and it gives you the tap history.  I think it will also tell you when your transfer expires.

More often than not the EasyGO podium on the northbound end of the R&T Park platform is already in this mode when I present my card. If I'm not paying attention to the (very hard to read in direct sunlight) screen I miss that my card wasn't actually charged after tapping. Maybe somebody just presses the button to mess with people around the same time of day that I'm boarding to come home? In any case, those function buttons should have a timeout and revert to the 'tap to validate' mode after 30 seconds, so that pranksters who like to push buttons don't always cause the next person behind them to get busted by a fare inspector.

[danbrotherston]

I truly do marvel at how bad the UI really is. I want to know my balance, I press "I have a fare card", which doesn't make sense in the context of the other initial options (which aren't displayed to start for some reason "press to start" is the first screen). Now there, easy "balance and history option" right. Well page with lots of information appears. Not one of those pieces of information is my history nor my balance. There is a button for history but none for balance. I add 20 dollars because I don't know and can afford it.  And I work in the tech industry and consider transit a hobby and have studied these machines extensively.

On the small tap terminals you can see your balance.  Press one of the buttons, tap and it'll give you the type of fare card (adult/reduced) and exp, press more and it'll give you the balance and what month you have a pass for, press again and it gives you the tap history.  I think it will also tell you when your transfer expires.

I know that, but aside from them being hard to read in direct sunlight (they aren't under the canopy), that doesn't excuse the attrocious user interface on the TVMs.

[danbrotherston]

I think they should extend the double trail (pedestrian/bicycle) that exists in the park north to just north of University at the pedestrian crossing.

I think they should have the pedestrian crossing at University trigger automatically whenever the signals activate for a train, starting the terminal count the moment the gates begin to rise again. Cars would then get to cross for X amount of time before the beg button could activate another cycle. The last time I paid attention (and many time before that) both cars and the pedestrians crossing were red when the signals/gates were active, which is really a lost opportunity for handling Laurel trail flows.

Well aside from the fact that everyone knows this is braindead and thus does the right thing and cross even if our engineers don't.

[ert86]

On the small tap terminals you can see your balance.  Press one of the buttons, tap and it'll give you the type of fare card (adult/reduced) and exp, press more and it'll give you the balance and what month you have a pass for, press again and it gives you the tap history.  I think it will also tell you when your transfer expires.

More often than not the EasyGO podium on the northbound end of the R&T Park platform is already in this mode when I present my card. If I'm not paying attention to the (very hard to read in direct sunlight) screen I miss that my card wasn't actually charged after tapping. Maybe somebody just presses the button to mess with people around the same time of day that I'm boarding to come home?  In any case, those function buttons should have a timeout and revert to the 'tap to validate' mode after 30 seconds, so that pranksters who like to push buttons don't always cause the next person behind them to get busted by a fare inspector.

It's definitely set permanently 6am, 620, 630 doesn't matter, but I've gotten use to it and just press the button before i tap.

[bgb_ca]

On the small tap terminals you can see your balance.  Press one of the buttons, tap and it'll give you the type of fare card (adult/reduced) and exp, press more and it'll give you the balance and what month you have a pass for, press again and it gives you the tap history.  I think it will also tell you when your transfer expires.

More often than not the EasyGO podium on the northbound end of the R&T Park platform is already in this mode when I present my card. If I'm not paying attention to the (very hard to read in direct sunlight) screen I miss that my card wasn't actually charged after tapping. Maybe somebody just presses the button to mess with people around the same time of day that I'm boarding to come home?  In any case, those function buttons should have a timeout and revert to the 'tap to validate' mode after 30 seconds, so that pranksters who like to push buttons don't always cause the next person behind them to get busted by a fare inspector.

That terminal is glitchy. I stood next to it one day, pressed the button to go back to the main screen, and a few seconds later it went back to query mode. I think it may be a button short or something. I just got in the habit of pressing the cancel button before I tap my card at that one.

[boatracer]

I noticed today they had 3 transit security standing in the middle of the tracks between KCI and Agnes Street. Likely to keep people from crossing the road between the lights. This was at 3:30, seemed to be working as no one was crossing. But it was an hour since classes ended. Wonder what its like right after school.

[Square]

I noticed today they had 3 transit security standing in the middle of the tracks between KCI and Agnes Street. Likely to keep people from crossing the road between the lights. This was at 3:30, seemed to be working as no one was crossing. But it was an hour since classes ended.  Wonder what its like right after school.

Lots of signal/track/switches testing or work going on today according to the scanner.  Protection for the workers, maybe?

[ijmorlan]

I think they should extend the double trail (pedestrian/bicycle) that exists in the park north to just north of University at the pedestrian crossing.

I think they should have the pedestrian crossing at University trigger automatically whenever the signals activate for a train, starting the terminal count the moment the gates begin to rise again. Cars would then get to cross for X amount of time before the beg button could activate another cycle. The last time I paid attention (and many time before that) both cars and the pedestrians crossing were red when the signals/gates were active, which is really a lost opportunity for handling Laurel trail flows.

I think the pedestrian/bicycle crossing (crossings under my proposal to which you are replying) at University should be green (walking person) except when motor vehicle traffic on University (or a bicycle in the bicycle lane) triggers a green for the road. Of course since the road can’t have a green when the crossing protection is activated, the trail would definitely get a green at that time.

[timc]

I think they should have the pedestrian crossing at University trigger automatically whenever the signals activate for a train, starting the terminal count the moment the gates begin to rise again. Cars would then get to cross for X amount of time before the beg button could activate another cycle. The last time I paid attention (and many time before that) both cars and the pedestrians crossing were red when the signals/gates were active, which is really a lost opportunity for handling Laurel trail flows.

I think it is close to doing this. Yes, both signals are red when the gates are active, but if you push the button, the pedestrian signal will change for the duration. I don't think the timing is quite what you suggest.

[MidTowner]

I noticed today they had 3 transit security standing in the middle of the tracks between KCI and Agnes Street. Likely to keep people from crossing the road between the lights. This was at 3:30, seemed to be working as no one was crossing. But it was an hour since classes ended.  Wonder what its like right after school.

They're serving the same purpose for parents and children at King Edward (which lets out at 3:30), who have a habit of crossing between the school and the Tim Horton's at Andrew, instead of walking the ~60 metres to the crosswalk at Agnes.

It did seem to work, but they can't keep it up all school year, and I expect that parents will go back to old habits as soon as they're gone. They would probably do better to check fares instead...

[robdrimmie]

I noticed today they had 3 transit security standing in the middle of the tracks between KCI and Agnes Street. Likely to keep people from crossing the road between the lights. This was at 3:30, seemed to be working as no one was crossing. But it was an hour since classes ended.  Wonder what its like right after school.

This morning around 8:30 there was at least one security guard at Kitchener Market Station/Cameron Heights (standing on the Drewlo project side of Charles at Madison, watching the tracks) as well.

[danbrotherston]

This morning I noticed the board at Victoria Park station was reading 30 minutes till the next train. Does anyone know what was going on?

[trainspotter139]

This morning I noticed the board at Victoria Park station was reading 30 minutes till the next train.  Does anyone know what was going on?

Apparently there was another collision or something.