ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

I hope we can have an event like this once our system is up and running!



This is TramEM in Berlin - a tram driving competition held each year.

[Pheidippides]

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but the City of Waterloo's draft station area plans were released on 26-Apr-2016.
http://www.waterloo.ca/en/contentresourc...educed.pdf

I have only skimmed through it, but there are lots of interesting maps and renders showing "potential" urban forms and street grids around 5 of the stations in Waterloo. Not sure why the Uptown stops are not included though.

A public open house is scheduled for Thursday, May 12 (3:30 - 7 p.m., presentation at 5 p.m.) at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, Hauser Haus (101 Father David Bauer Dr, Waterloo).

[mpd618]

I have only skimmed through it, but there are lots of interesting maps and renders showing "potential" urban forms and street grids around 5 of the stations in Waterloo. Not sure why the Uptown stops are not included though.

I think the idea was that the city already has an urban plan/vision for uptown, and doesn't need a new vision to reorient it around a transit station.

[notmyfriends]

Just remember that they're only preserving one themselves, because of how expensive it is. The estimates out there are that unpreserved logs will last less than a month before disintegrating, now that they aren't artificially preserved in the ground. I had my own example of this, where a Seagram's barrel I'd gotten my hands on after their pyramid disassembly for CIGI, it didn't take too long on a covered outdoor space to rot and fall apart.

Another dream dashed. Very interesting points though, thanks.

[chutten]

   

Actually, no, I did not. Is this news to anyone else?

[gomesjustin]

I think I remember seeing on some seriously old material from the Region RE: lighting and streetscapes where lighting would glow brighter when a train is incoming. But that was years ago, SO COOL!

[KingandWeber]

Actually, no, I did not. Is this news to anyone else?

I just figured this plan got dumped for cost-savings. If this is true, I'm really glad it made it into the project. Small considerations like this make a good system great.

[Canard]

OMG! That is epic. The only other place I've seen something like that attempted to be implemented in DC, where the platform edges have embedded pot lights in them that shine upward and were supposed to flash more and more brightly as a train approaches, and then ebb and glow very dimly when a train had just left, so you could tell if you just missed one. In reality, they're just either "on" or "flashing" about 30 seconds before a train shows up - which you already know, because you can hear it and see the headlights.

This is so so so so awesome for ion though!

[Lens]

I think the original plan was for part of the shelter or wall to light up. Kind of a shame it'll just be the little ION logo (unless it's bigger in reality) but still cool!

[GtwoK]

I remember reading about the aBRT stops doing that with the overhead station lighting... Do they not?

[darts]

I remember reading about the aBRT stops doing that with the overhead station lighting... Do they not?

I don't think they have any lights. I only get on at Ainslie so can't speak for the others.

[Canard]

All of the aBRT stops have lighting.

[Square]

Actually, no, I did not. Is this news to anyone else?

No, this was a reply I got last July :



ION
@rideIONrt
Jul 07
 
@RegionWaterloo Hi there. The LED proximity lighting feature will be incorporated into the ION logo on the anchor walls.

[Square]

I remember reading about the aBRT stops doing that with the overhead station lighting... Do they not?

Me too, the blue border was suppose to LED LIGHT SIGNALLING PROXIMITY OF A BUS/TRAIN TO A STOP:

CHANGING FROM A LIGHT TONE TO A SATURATED COLOUR, shows it on this old link : http://www.rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo...ncepts.pdf

One day I will have to go after dark to check it out.

[zanate]

So, some notes on #fencegate (to coin a hashtag). I got to speak to Mayor Jaworsky last night. Here's what I remember (so please take all of this as my interpretation of what we talked about, not as actual quotes.)

Firstly, a 5 foot fence is in the cards. Waterloo Park, the spur, alongside UW, etc. There's not much room to maneuvre here, regulation is driving it.

However, the mayor is pushing for a more attractive solution for Waterloo Park. He claims that the funds are set aside to replace the black chain link with something that will still meet the height requirements. Not enough funds for something extremely fancy like a wrought iron fence, but better. He made reference to an example of fencing from a S.Cal. line but I didn't pursue that detail.

Given what GrandLinq has said (Canard's post) I would interpret that a better fence isn't a done deal yet. (GL will talk about the plan in place now, while DJ can talk about what he's trying to change.)

Interestingly, the mayor added that UW has signed off on the black chain link as the fence of choice for along their section. My opinion: they balked at spending money on something they don't have to. Whatevs, there's a long and proud history of chain link fence along this area.

Then, the mayor spoke about a situation with gates.

I didn't get an entirely clear picture but it seems there's a chance that strict rule interpretation is pushing us towards pedestrian gates for where ION is crossing sidewalks. So that would be on King near the town square, and then at the Caroline diagonal. There's a scenario the mayor mentioned where as many as 16 gate arms could be required at Caroline and Erb, firing off every three minutes. Bananas.

I'm not sure how likely this is, and this would be a point to follow up with the RT team staff. The gist I got was a combination of AODA rules and heavy rail rules where the interaction of freight with Erb is being considered at the average level of traffic Erb sees (50K vpd, apparently) rather than the level of traffic Erb sees when freight is actually rolling through (5 and a half cars, by my count).

I sense there's a bit of a battle going on with this one right now. I might need a new hashtag. #gategate.