Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[phil235]

Originally Posted by roger1818

But street parking only provides a protective barrier and slows traffic when cars are parked on the street. Adding bollards (optimally between the bike lane and road) will provide a protective barrier and slow traffic at all times.

Fair point. I think that a protected bike lane between the sidewalk and the street is likely the ideal solution. However, on most of the main streets we are talking about, there is not room for a wide sidewalk, protected bike lane, bus lane and car travel lane. Once you sacrifice one of those elements, you are impacting the pedestrian environment.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Ideally we want our mainstreets to be fast roads for transit, slow roads for private cars, and convenient roads for pedestrians. The best way to do that is to have our mainstreets designed with narrow bus lanes (or queue jump lanes if there isn't enough room for bus lanes), closely spaced traffic lights with short cycle times, and transit signal priority. Closely spaced traffic lights and short cycle times make the street convenient for pedestrians, the bus lanes/queue jump lanes and signal priority make the street fast for transit users, and the frequent signals make the road slow for private cars.

The problem I have with that approach is that bus lanes along the sidewalk definitely detract from the pedestrian environment. They don't tend to be present in on neighbourhood high streets like Main. Queue jumping lanes sure, but they don't speed up transit to any great extent.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by phil235

The problem I have with that approach is that bus lanes along the sidewalk definitely detract from the pedestrian environment. They don't tend to be present in on neighbourhood high streets like Main. Queue jumping lanes sure, but they don't speed up transit to any great extent.

The problem Ottawa has is that with all of the rivers and grid changes, there are few streets that actually go anywhere and most of these are neighbourhood high streets.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Bank was rebuilt over a decade ago, Bronson close to a decade ago, Sparks hasn't been reconstructed in decades. Rideau and Elgin are the two recent reconstructions that don't include bicycle lanes.

I guess Wellington, Albert, Slater, Laurier, O'Connor, Bay, Percy, Mackenzie, Sussex, Laurier, Montreal, Macarthur, St. Laurent, Coventry, Ogilve, Cyrville, Belfast, Tremblay, Churchill, Scott, Richmond and Main aren't good enough for you.

Most of these streets got half-assed car-centric compromise instead of accessible and convenient cycling infrastructure. And the closer to actual people's destinations it gets the worse it becomes.

Perhaps if you are looking at things from the 1960s-1970s city planning perspective then you can say that moving from literally ZERO cycling infrastructure status quo to somewhat usable but broken environment, suddenly makes cycling top priority. But with modern best practices in mind, it's still nowhere close where it should be.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by phil235

The problem I have with that approach is that bus lanes along the sidewalk definitely detract from the pedestrian environment. They don't tend to be present in on neighbourhood high streets like Main. Queue jumping lanes sure, but they don't speed up transit to any great extent.

Queue jump lanes, when combined with signal priority and far side stop placement, actually make a big difference in transit speed and reliability.

There's no alternative to speedy bus service on our major streets. As acottawa pointed out, we do not have a street grid that gives us the luxury of having the neighbourhood high street be pedestrianized and have the major bus route a block over. They have to be one and the same.

[AuxTown]

So when is the LRT actually supposed to open now? How far behind schedule are they? Looks like there is still a lot of work to be done to get these trains rolling.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

So when is the LRT actually supposed to open now? How far behind schedule are they? Looks like there is still a lot of work to be done to get these trains rolling.

There's a project update this Friday at 1:30.

https://ottawa.ca/en/news/confederation-line-light-rail-transit-project-update

Friday afternoon is usually when bad news is released, as it tends to be less noticeable over the weekend. I do not expect this to be a good news event.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

Most of these streets got half-assed car-centric compromise instead of accessible and convenient cycling infrastructure. And the closer to actual people's destinations it gets the worse it becomes.

Crazy idea, that with so many competing uses for the streets, that there might have to be compromise.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Crazy idea, that with so many competing uses for the streets, that there might have to be compromise.

That's nonsense talk.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Crazy idea, that with so many competing uses for the streets, that there might have to be compromise.

Mods? This is way off-topic. Can we get this conversation moved to the Transit Fantasies thread? Compromise...

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

So when is the LRT actually supposed to open now? How far behind schedule are they? Looks like there is still a lot of work to be done to get these trains rolling.

Darwin is pretty sure its August and he tends to know things.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by Catenary

There's a project update this Friday at 1:30.

https://ottawa.ca/en/news/confederation-line-light-rail-transit-project-update

Friday afternoon is usually when bad news is released, as it tends to be less noticeable over the weekend. I do not expect this to be a good news event.

I wonder if they'll put out a new newsletter on their website, the last one was in the spring!

Parliament Station's mid entrance still looks like a hole in the ground, no evidence of the foundation for the head house yet. Trackwork and catenary wires look good west of the tunnel though, looking forward to seeing the vehicle testing come out this way.

[acottawa]

Anyone know what the announcement was?

[Lakeofthewood]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Anyone know what the announcement was?

As much as I wish today was Friday, its only Thursday. So you're about 23 hours early

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Lakeofthewood

As much as I wish today was Friday, its only Thursday. So you're about 23 hours early

I think -20 causes time to slow down.

Or at least brain function.

[acottawa]

Delayed beyond planned revenue service in May. Exact opening date TBC.

Some live tweeting here
https://twitter.com/ClaudiaCTV

I hope it is before the snow flies next year.

[1overcosc]

"Sometime in 2018". Actual opening schedule coming in Q1 2018. So really today was announcing an announcement.

RTG has said the handover date of May 24, 2018 may not be met. I wonder how quickly the penalty money accrues and where that money will go.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

"Sometime in 2018". Actual opening schedule coming in Q1 2018. So really today was announcing an announcement.

RTG has said the handover date of May 24, 2018 may not be met. I wonder how quickly the penalty money accrues and where that money will go.

Or if there is penalty money. Staff told the media there were penalties associated with not meeting Canada Day target to have surface construction done, and then there weren't any penalties at all.

[acottawa]

Awkward for politicians though. Unlikely to be any good photo ops before the provincial election and if they're no careful they may miss the municipal election blackout that starts in late August.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Awkward for politicians though. Unlikely to be any good photo ops before the provincial election and if they're no careful they may miss the municipal election blackout that starts in late August.

It's not really a surprise, considering other recent projects such as Vancouver's Evergreen line, TTCs Spadina extension and Edmonton's infamous metro line were all over a year late and vastly overbudget, so if we're only a little bit late and still on budget it's something of a miracle in successful transit planning. I was skeptical they'd make the date, but hopeful there were going to make it. I think it's really the tunnel that's far behind (especially Rideau station). At the rapid pace they are building the western stations, it really looks we'll have a complete line on either side of Rideau, but no connection through it until the spring.