London Roads

[tyeman200]

Originally Posted by jammer139

CTV story on new roundabout at Southdale and Colonel Talbot



https://london.ctvnews.ca/southdale-road...road-future-home-of-roundabout-1.6166485

London really needs to transform most of their intersections like this. If you've ever been to Kitchener down Homer Watson Blvd for example, they implement the round about a ton, and it makes for such a hassle free drive, you hardly have to stop. I feel like it would work for major intersections like Wellington/Commissioners, Southdale/Wharncliffe, Wellington/Exeter, etc. Londoners would just need to get more used to using them.

[jammer139]

Case studies on roundabout design. Good read and lays out the conditions where they work well.





https://www.ohm-advisors.com/insights/roundabout-design-theory-and-practice

[Djeffery]

The problem that London drivers would have is the idea that someone "got one up" on them when they get to the roundabout and they have to wait for a break in traffic from the left. The mindset that "if this was a 4 way stop, I would be ahead of those 4 cars, now they are ahead of me".

Also people need to use their signals so others know their intent, so they can go when they should be able to. Nothing worse than waiting for that line from the left only to have one car peel off to their right without signaling, which if they had signaled, you could have gone ahead.

You have to have a certain level of aggressiveness at a roundabout, to take your right of way when it's your turn rather than being so timid you sit there until there isn't a car in sight. But also not be so aggressive that you cut people off either. Not sure if Londoners could handle that balance at a major intersection. This new one in the west will probably be the big test of that. I don't have traffic figures, but my sense is it will be one of the busier ones in the city.

[jammer139]

New Hamilton Rd and Gore Rd roundabout design on the project concept drawing for new three storey townhomes proposed for the corner lot.


https://london.ca/sites/default/files/2022-11/2.%20Conceptual%20Site%20Plan.pdf

[haljackey]

Hope that roundabout is designed for 2 lanes one day. I could see Hamilton widened east to Gore, and Gore widened to Clarke.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by CanadianTalk

Spoke too soon. Road closure is now set to end on the 30th

Surprise surprise, still closed as of about 430pm today lol. Not sure what the latest plan is.

[Djeffery]

Drove down Dingman today, it's finally open.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Drove down Dingman today, it's finally open.

Just in time, the Costco gas station is open now too apparently.

[jammer139]

Planning at it finest. Dundas to be closed for 2 weeks between Maitland and William.



https://blackburnnews.com/london/london-news/2022/12/05/section-dundas-st-closed-two-weeks/

[Pimpmasterdac]

I went down Dingman today, after gasing at the Costco gas bar. Quite a big bar with 24 slots and still is not well known was an easy fill up.

Was surprised with Dingman bridge over 401 thought it would have built for 4 lanes of traffic, as Dingman is going to be widened west of Wellington and only see the area getting busier as more stores tthat area.

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Drove down Dingman today, it's finally open.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

I went down Dingman today, after gasing at the Costco gas bar. Quite a big bar with 24 slots and still is not well known was an easy fill up.

Was surprised with Dingman bridge over 401 thought it would have built for 4 lanes of traffic, as Dingman is going to be widened west of Wellington and only see the area getting busier as more stores tthat area.

I was surprised about the bridge as well. I had read a city committee report from a couple years ago that I thought had said the city was going to pay the MTO to make the bridge wide enough for 4 lanes. Last night I went back and searched for that report and it only said the city was going to pay the MTO to make the centre median pier wider to allow for future widening of the bridge in 20 years or so. Which that wasn't even done, but I couldn't find any reason why, whether it was the city that decided they needed the 300k for something else or if the MTO decided not to.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I was surprised about the bridge as well. I had read a city committee report from a couple years ago that I thought had said the city was going to pay the MTO to make the bridge wide enough for 4 lanes. Last night I went back and searched for that report and it only said the city was going to pay the MTO to make the centre median pier wider to allow for future widening of the bridge in 20 years or so. Which that wasn't even done, but I couldn't find any reason why, whether it was the city that decided they needed the 300k for something else or if the MTO decided not to.

I guess that makes sense but why not just do it all at once if it's a new bridge? I can't see Digman needing 4 lanes between Wonderland and the 401 for at least another decade, but that project would be so much easier if the overpass was built out now. Bah humbug lol

[Pimpmasterdac]

401/Dingman overpass should have been built as a 4 lanes, not allowing it to potentially be widening 20-30 years from now. It's the only continuous east-west road that goes over the 401 in London. I can foresee Dingman traffic picking up extensively as the new Costco and other stores to into the area, as Wellington & Exeter Rds gets more congested.

Originally Posted by haljackey

I guess that makes sense but why not just do it all at once if it's a new bridge? I can't see Digman needing 4 lanes between Wonderland and the 401 for at least another decade, but that project would be so much easier if the overpass was built out now. Bah humbug lol

[Djeffery]

If the city didn't end up wanting to chip in $300k to widen the median support, they certainly didn't want to spend the millions that would have taken to build the wider bridge. Sure, would be nice to have it already done for down the road, similar to Oxford St W, but there was already a cash crunch for other projects that are more immediate needs. To be honest, I don't have a problem letting the taxpayers of 20-30 years from now pay for it, least of all because I know I won't be one of them lol.

[CanadianTalk]

The intersection of Fanshawe Park Rd and Richmond St will be reconstructed next year. The public meeting was tonight and the slides have been posted:

https://getinvolved.london.ca/33683/widgets/138212/documents/94127

Here is a summary of proposed changes:

• Fanshawe Park will be widened to 3 lanes in each direction between both legs of North Centre Rd
• Dual left turn lanes from NB Richmond to WB Fanshawe
• New right turn lane from NB Richmond to EB Fanshawe
• Removal of those slip-lanes/ "pork-chop" islands to improve pedestrian safety
• Wider sidewalks and protected in-boulevard bike paths in all 4 directions (right now, there is just one bike lane heading EB)

You can see the renderings of the roads in slides I linked above

[haljackey]

Seems weird the third new EB lane will become a right turn lane to Silver City. Can they not extend it to North Centre Road?

-----

Traffic woes for Highbury north

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/london-ontario-highbury-avenue-traffic-1.6677968

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by CanadianTalk

The intersection of Fanshawe Park Rd and Richmond St will be reconstructed next year. The public meeting was tonight and the slides have been posted:

https://getinvolved.london.ca/33683/widgets/138212/documents/94127

Here is a summary of proposed changes:

• Fanshawe Park will be widened to 3 lanes in each direction between both legs of North Centre Rd
• Dual left turn lanes from NB Richmond to WB Fanshawe
• New right turn lane from NB Richmond to EB Fanshawe
• Removal of those slip-lanes/ "pork-chop" islands to improve pedestrian safety
• Wider sidewalks and protected in-boulevard bike paths in all 4 directions (right now, there is just one bike lane heading EB)

You can see the renderings of the roads in slides I linked above

I'm glad to see that intersection finally get some improvements. Some of the last several times I was in London and went to Masonville, I made the mistake of trying to turn left from Richmond NB onto Fanshawe Park Road. The left turn lane couldn't accommodate all vehicles turning left without backing up into the thru lane, and the left-turn arrow was so short it would only let 2-3 vehicles through at a time. Having a second left turn lane - and hopefully improved traffic signals - would make a big difference there.

Last time I went to Masonville this past July, I drove out of my way to avoid that intersection when I was leaving the mall.

[Djeffery]

Back to Dingman for a second. In prior posts, I commented that the city had said they were going to pay the MTO to make the median pier wider for future bridge widening. I had thought this wasn't done, but I mistakenly thought the idea was the actual pillars and the horizontal beam would have been put in. That wasn't done. I noticed on Friday that what was actually done was on either side of the bridge, there is an extra footing in place so that when the time comes, and support post can be added and the bridge widened. So I guess the city did actually do some advanced planning for this bridge, even if it will still be a rather major project down the road.

[haljackey]

Do you know if a similar thing was done for the 402/Wonderland overpass? I know long term plans call Wonderland to be widened to the 401, so it would be needed here or be twinned.

I'd assume Wonderland would get 4-laned to Digman first with the new roundabout planned for that intersection, and then eventually pushed through the 402 towards the 401.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by haljackey

Do you know if a similar thing was done for the 402/Wonderland overpass? I know long term plans call Wonderland to be widened to the 401, so it would be needed here or be twinned.

I'd assume Wonderland would get 4-laned to Digman first with the new roundabout planned for that intersection, and then eventually pushed through the 402 towards the 401.

There's nothing visible in the ground for that, but there is also plenty of room in the grass median to do that work without disrupting traffic on the 402 for an extended length of time. On the 401, it's a concrete median barrier with lanes right there, so putting in the 2 footings at the same time as doing the new bridge made sense to reduce future disruption and time to build the expansion.