Edmonton Public Transit

[stilicho]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

The City doesn't take on the delay costs tho, right? The politics at the time if I remember we were lucky to get any LRT at all in any shape or form.

I don't mind as a driver or train rider if it's at grade. Just don't run a red light. Plan your route. Slow down. Used to live by the crossing at Southgate and after a few tweaks it was fine. It's just a big dumb intersection to begin with.

The line to Southgate is controlled at grade by crossing gates. The Valley Line isn't.

I am pretty sure they're going to fix this before the body count rises but you need crossing gates in high volume locations. That includes most of the newer trams expected to go out to Lewis Farms.

Signage is a nice dividend. I live along a busy Edmonton roadway equipped with three large signs telling people not to turn right unless the traffic light is green.

Guess what?

[Coldrsx]

Darwin in full effect.

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by stilicho

The line to Southgate is controlled at grade by crossing gates. The Valley Line isn't.

I am pretty sure they're going to fix this before the body count rises but you need crossing gates in high volume locations. That includes most of the newer trams expected to go out to Lewis Farms.

Signage is a nice dividend. I live along a busy Edmonton roadway equipped with three large signs telling people not to turn right unless the traffic light is green.

Guess what?

Some people just won't listen to signage, to their detriment. You can't fix stupid.

[feepa]

Yea unfortunately, we seem to want to test who can pass a Darwin test with our transit system.

[Base]

Originally Posted by Slide

Are there any piers that didn't have problems? Sounds like the more they look, the more problems are uncovered. It's really quite shocking. Shame the repairs alter the rather clean look of the piers.

There was mention of the city needing to sign off on the final look of the repairs but don't think anything has come of that (or likely ever will).

How much advance notice do we think they will give when they announce an opening date? A month?

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by feepa

Yea unfortunately, we seem to want to test who can pass a Darwin test with our transit system.

Doesn't matter if it was a train going down the ROW or 5 private autos going 100 km. Don't run a red. Easy. Saves lives.

[feepa]

yea but this has higher consequences. An incident - of any sort - such as a collision on or near the tracks that involves shutting down the tracks makes either and/or both directions completely paralyzed. Transit riders are then forced to either de-board and find and wait for the replacement bus service. You've just ruined the day for everyone on the line. Road traffic can usually squeeze by some how - or at worst, find another way around and get back on course.

[snowman123]

Originally Posted by feepa

yea but this has higher consequences. An incident - of any sort - such as a collision on or near the tracks that involves shutting down the tracks makes either and/or both directions completely paralyzed. Transit riders are then forced to either de-board and find and wait for the replacement bus service. You've just ruined the day for everyone on the line. Road traffic can usually squeeze by some how - or at worst, find another way around and get back on course.

Yep, it can cause a lot of problems. As a side note, people seem to turn right at some intersections when there is a big sign that says No Right turn on Red. It's scary out there.
I'm guessing that people who run into trains get a simple, failure to yield, or some such other low level ticket. Imagine trying to explain that accident to the insurance company - yikes.
Simple barriers or flashing lights would save a lot of headaches for everyone.

[stilicho]

Originally Posted by feepa

Yea unfortunately, we seem to want to test who can pass a Darwin test with our transit system.

It gets even better. If you've ever attended a large event at the Rogers Place you have seen what happens when the crowd leaves. It's an every man for himself stampede to the F-150 parked in the plentiful paid parking spots followed by a mildly comedic scene of pedestrians wandering in the middle of the road, motorists straying down the dedicated bike lanes, and emergency vehicles trying vainly to get to some urgent location.

Add a train without crossing barriers that could be coming at you from either direction.

What could possibly go worng?

[Coldrsx]

Pretty sure that speaks to our collective lack of awareness, care, attention and respect for the orderly function of society.

[feepa]

Reality is always different than the utopian dream some have for society.

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by feepa

Reality is always different than the utopian dream some have for society.

Yuuup.

[s211]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Pretty sure that speaks to our collective lack of awareness, care, attention and respect for the orderly function of society.

I would add that the City's transport department has also been deliberate and express in its views that vehicular traffic is going to have to suffer to the point that they'll take traffic.

I recall vividly that one civic employee was quite explicit that they'd never support running the West LRT line underground near 109th St and 104th Av on that very point. The pinch point would be to the project's benefit. AND THEY GOT A FREE PASS on that ideological battle.

There was a way to address this issue from the get-go, but low-floor trams uber alles.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by s211

I would add that the City's transport department has also been deliberate and express in its views that vehicular traffic is going to have to suffer to the point that they'll take traffic.

I recall vividly that one civic employee was quite explicit that they'd never support running the West LRT line underground near 109th St and 104th Av on that very point. The pinch point would be to the project's benefit. AND THEY GOT A FREE PASS on that ideological battle.

There was a way to address this issue from the get-go, but low-floor trams uber alles.

Thought it was because of cost creep?
.

[Coldrsx]

Public transit should be making the transit option more attractive to other options, but also not at the outright expense of other options.

[s211]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Thought it was because of cost creep?
.

That may have been used as an excuse, but it doesn't help when the transport planner expressed zero f**ks for how much of a gong show traffic will be at that intersection.

I've got to find the original story. It's in this thread somewhere. It's gobsmackingly smug and full of urbanist pretension and ideology.

And it may be hard to believe it from my posts, but my lifestyle is urban. I just detest zealots on all sides.

[GenWhy?]

Why is traffic going to be a gong show? This isn't a 111 st situation.

[CMD UW]

Want to know what I think....most of these comments are nothing but speculative. Will there be incidents. Of course. But these types of tram systems have been built all over the place and guess what...eventually people get used to them. And many of these systems have been built in the most vehicle dominated cities - Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, Dallas, etc.

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Want to know what I think....most of these comments are nothing but speculative. Will there be incidents. Of course. But these types of tram systems have been built all over the place and guess what...eventually people get used to them. And many of these systems have been built in the most vehicle dominated cities - Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, Dallas, etc.

Don't forget the ION LRT in Kitchener-Waterloo that only opened in 2019. There have been vehicle collisions with the train there of course, but the sky isn't falling.

[Coldrsx]

RE: ARC
---

Stupid question for a guy that has a dumb phone, but do you need the physical card? Given that we are in 2023 and this technology is 20 years old, shall I presuppose that any smartphone can download the ARC app and tap with your phone?