West LRT | 7 Stations | 8.0 KM | In Service

[danofkent]

Originally Posted by DavidKuitunen

Commissioned graffiti would be great. The majority of Calgarians wouldn't agree, but putting commissioned work on surfaces actually decreases the chances of that area being vandalized. Reason being that typically younger less talented vandals respect the work of talented artist, and would never put their shitty throw up overtop.

I often hear that argument, but my first-hand experience is different. My hometown had graffiti murals in an underpass, but they were so covered by unsanctioned graffiti that the original is no longer visible at all! Neighbouring Canterbury is currently restoring its murals, which had been badly defaced by grafitti artists:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/kent/hi/peop...on_and_ethics/newsid_8967000/8967796.stm

A quick look on google pulls up plenty of similar stories from around the world.

[halifaxboyns]

Grafiti or public art space - anything that prevents vandalism; is a plus in my book. I'd say at least the pillars along the elevated section.

[DavidKuitunen]

Originally Posted by Sir.Humphrey.Appleby

I might have thought so before the debacle that was Shaw Millennium Park last year.

You can't just expect a handful of youth at a skatepark to be established graffiti artists. A good chuck of "productive" talented graffiti artists are regular working 9 to 5 adults. They just do it to kill bordem and some of these people are lawyers, doctors, white collar intellectuals. I've heard firsthand of a lawyer who paints trains for fun. Give a bunch of spray paint to youth in a skatepark and you're going to get a wall of shit.

The difference between vandalism and art isn't always easy to define. Especially when it comes to matters of aesthetics, but if you're business owner and you want a way to deter vandals from tagging your property; simply commission an authentic graffiti artist, and watch how many "tags" end up on your property. Think of how many "tags" end up on this wall in Kensington:



Commissioned art belongs in Calgary, we aren't ready for free walls yet. That is usually the next step a city takes. Some areas in London actually have higher property values because of this "vandal."

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by DavidKuitunen

You can't just expect a handful of youth at a skatepark to be established graffiti artists. A good chuck of "productive" talented graffiti artists are regular working 9 to 5 adults. They just do it to kill bordem and some of these people are lawyers, doctors, white collar intellectuals. I've heard firsthand of a lawyer who paints trains for fun. Give a bunch of spray paint to youth in a skatepark and you're going to get a wall of shit.

The difference between vandalism and art isn't always easy to define. Especially when it comes to matters of aesthetics, but if you're business owner and you want a way to deter vandals from tagging your property; simply commission an authentic graffiti artist, and watch how many "tags" end up on your property. Think of how many "tags" end up on this wall in Kensington:



Commissioned art belongs in Calgary, we aren't ready for free walls yet. That is usually the next step a city takes. Some areas in London actually have higher property values because of this "vandal."

With a dose of irony, the second picture shows a work done in the spring of 2008 by Banksy depicting a city worker using a power washer to wash away the Paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux.
An extra dose of irony is that a few months later this Banksy work itself was painted over by city workers to 'beautify' the area.

[cityscape_enthusiast]

Thought this was interesting, found it on one of my blogs I frequently daily. It's street art applied to infrastructure, buildings, etc.

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/1787/why-street-art-matters

It's a great example of how it can be done well, as long as you go through correct process and right people for the job.

[DavidKuitunen]

Originally Posted by cityscape_enthusiast

Thought this was interesting, found it on one of my blogs I frequently daily. It's street art applied to infrastructure, buildings, etc.

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/1787/why-street-art-matters

It's a great example of how it can be done well, as long as you go through correct process and right people for the job.

"Some city councils get it, others don’t. Tapping the creative talents of street artists, illustrators and graphic designers is an effective and cool way to make bland public spaces, old buildings, bridges and car parks new again, and to freshen up the concrete jungle. It is also an effective way of keeping graffiti away."

Yep... Anyways, West LRT?

[srperrycgy]

It looks like the first tunnel section has been completed at 17th Ave @ 38th St. Yesterday's rains filled the excavated tunnel section at 33rd ST @ Bow Trail. Portable pumps were setup on 33rd St to clear the mess.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by DavidKuitunen

"Some city councils get it, others don’t. Tapping the creative talents of street artists, illustrators and graphic designers is an effective and cool way to make bland public spaces, old buildings, bridges and car parks new again, and to freshen up the concrete jungle. It is also an effective way of keeping graffiti away."

Yep... Anyways, West LRT?

But without the graffiti, how will the Zombies know where to congregate??

Personally I would love to see sanctioned graffiti/mural zones where commissioned artists are allowed to show their talents HOWEVER I expect that for the foreseeable future, bare or std painted concrete will be the norm. Would be interesting to ask this Q to a mayorial candidates!

[yyc_engineer]

Originally Posted by srperrycgy

It looks like the first tunnel section has been completed at 17th Ave @ 38th St. Yesterday's rains filled the excavated tunnel section at 33rd ST @ Bow Trail. Portable pumps were setup on 33rd St to clear the mess.

That's correct! the first section is complete and forms are being taken off as we speak, it's a really cool set-up they've got on the red interior forms, they are on tracks and can be rolled along as construction continues and outside forms and rebar cages are built around them.

[PPAR]

Originally Posted by yyc_engineer

That's correct! the first section is complete and forms are being taken off as we speak, it's a really cool set-up they've got on the red interior forms, they are on tracks and can be rolled along as construction continues and outside forms and rebar cages are built around them.

Does anyone know if these forms came from Vancouver's Canada line construction? I believe it is the same general contractor.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by PPAR

Does anyone know if these forms came from Vancouver's Canada line construction? I believe it is the same general contractor.

They do look very similar. Here are some photos of the Canada Line forms:
http://www.ravprapidtransit.com/gallery.asp?galleryGroup=19&CurrPage=4#larger

[Dado]

What's the vertical clearance of these tunnels?

Using an onscreen ruler and assuming that the tracks are standard gauge (4'8½" / 1435 mm) I come out with an estimate of 3.6 m.

[mersar]

Originally Posted by Dado

What's the vertical clearance of these tunnels?

Using an onscreen ruler and assuming that the tracks are standard gauge (4'8½" / 1435 mm) I come out with an estimate of 3.6 m.

Probably just a bit bigger then that. I believe the caternary wire sits at about 4m. Those tracks in the tunnel look too far apart to be the tracks the train will run on, so its hard to guess how far about they are (that ladder on the wall is probably ~10 feet I'd guess, and theres a dumpster on the ground outside the tunnel thats only just slightly wider so that gives a bit of perspective on the width). Doing some digging I see a few references stating that the Canada line tunnel was 5.2m tall and the width of the two side by side was 10.6m, and they seem to be using the same forms here.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by mersar

Probably just a bit bigger then that. I believe the caternary wire sits at about 4m. Those tracks in the tunnel look too far apart to be the tracks the train will run on, so its hard to guess how far about they are (that ladder on the wall is probably ~10 feet I'd guess, and theres a dumpster on the ground outside the tunnel thats only just slightly wider so that gives a bit of perspective on the width). Doing some digging I see a few references stating that the Canada line tunnel was 5.2m tall and the width of the two side by side was 10.6m, and they seem to be using the same forms here.

I would have thought these tunnels would be the same inner dimensions as the tunnels already built for the NW line (between Motel Village and North Hill Mall) or the Downtown tunnels behind City Hall (running under the CPR tracks).

Theres no point to making them any larger then they need to be (more concrete, rebar &tc means more construction expense).

[MalcolmTucker]

As long as they are big enough for the city, who cares if they are too big? The lowest bid is the lowest bid. Plus, a bigger tunnel might lower the need for surface vents lowering the cost. In the end, letting the bidder design is really the best option (within certain minimal standards of course)

[You Need A Thneed]

Catenary wire isn't going to be any lower than about 6m, not 4m, or else large trucks could not get underneath.

[mersar]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Catenary wire isn't going to be any lower than about 6m, not 4m, or else large trucks could not get underneath.

Well the +15's are about 4.6m for the lowest ones, though its possible the ones over top of 7th Ave may be a bit higher. I still think 6m is too high though, the doors on the CTrain are 1.9m tall, the platform is about 1m above the ground and theres no way the pantograph arms reach nearly 3m up in the air.

Looking closer at those figures for the Canada Line tunnel and comparing a picture of the tunnel there to the segment here I'd say they are about the same. the numbers included the thickness of the concrete as well, which is well in excess of a foot on either side and probably 8" or more in the middle, and a foot thick or more for the floor and roof as well.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Catenary wire isn't going to be any lower than about 6m, not 4m, or else large trucks could not get underneath.

The height of the Catenary wire over a street to provide clearance for non-CTrain vehicles isn't relevant to the height of the Catenary wire inside a CTrain tunnel. The CTrain tunnel isn't expected to have anything running through it other than trains, so the distance between the top of the train and the Catenary wire in the tunnel can be minimised to reduce the height of the tunnel roof, while at the same time the Catenary wire can't be so close to the CTrain that you get an flash-over of electricity from the Catenary wire through the train body to the ground (the rails) instead of the usual path of electricity from the Catenary wire through the pantograph.

[CTrainDude]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Catenary wire isn't going to be any lower than about 6m, not 4m, or else large trucks could not get underneath.

Also keep in mind that thecatenary isn't the same height everywhere - it can be lower in a tunnel and go higher outside and at crossings.

[You Need A Thneed]

Still, there's no way that the catenary is only 4m above the track through the tunnel. The wire would barely be above the roof of the cars.