Valley Line LRT | TransEd/Marigold | City of Edmonton

The_Cat said:
It's amazing how that transit bashers will blame TransEd, ETS, the City or other groups for their smashing into the LRT. Edmonton is a big city, and it's time to pay more attention in traffic. How many people could be hurt in these transit accidents if we don't exercise caution?
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The Edmonton subreddit is a gong show for this. The design would have been better grade separated but it's fine.

Each of these collisions (to my knowledge) are due to people ignoring what I understand is very visible signage. I'm not buying the "wE'rE nOt EuRoPe So We NeEd BaRrIeRs" argument, it's really hard to get hit by a train when you aren't on the tracks when it's coming.
 
Aaron_Lloyd said:
Not to repeat myself, but if the design for your multibillion infrastructure project can't withstand the occasional idiot, it's just not a good design and the city deserves some blame for that.
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Garneau2Go said:
The design would have been better grade separated but it's fine.
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I don't think that the design has anything wrong with it.

For once, the idea is NOT to be as much grade separated. This is a fundamental part of the project and its identity. People have to learnt respect the goddamn law, and be severely punished for not doing so and destroying public property on the way.
If an idiot makes a right turn where there is a CLEAR "no right on red" sign, he is 100% liable for ANYTHING that happens there and we should not be blaming the city of anyone else.

Professional drivers, like the truck driver the other day, or this cab driver yesterday, should have their licences downgraded to the lowest possible (probably a class 5 or equivalent), fired, fined and charged for the damages (and to be honest, I hope their insurance companies charge them a very large deductible, as well. It should hurt them as much as possible).
 
ChazYEG said:
I don't think that the design has anything wrong with it.

For once, the idea is NOT to be as much grade separated. This is a fundamental part of the project and its identity. People have to learnt respect the goddamn law, and be severely punished for not doing so and destroying public property on the way.
If an idiot makes a right turn where there is a CLEAR "no right on red" sign, he is 100% liable for ANYTHING that happens there and we should not be blaming the city of anyone else.

Professional drivers, like the truck driver the other day, or this cab driver yesterday, should have their licences downgraded to the lowest possible (probably a class 5 or equivalent), fired, fined and charged for the damages (and to be honest, I hope their insurance companies charge them a very large deductible, as well. It should hurt them as much as possible).
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While I think punishment is needed, punitive enforcement doesn't really result in better outcomes versus measured enforcement.
 
soupcrate said:
When it comes to deterrence, small punishments that are very likely to be applied after an infraction trump large punishments that are unlikely to be applied.
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It seems he would like to see more wealth transferred to the legal profession.
 
I think the design does have a bit to play into it. I personally think they should have run the line down the middle of the road like they have done on 83 Street between Argyll and Whyte Ave. This would have the trains on the drives side of the vehicles vs the passenger side as well as it would be left turns affected by the train crossings vs right turns. It'll be interesting to see the statistics on collisions in the areas where the train is in the middle of the road vs on the right side.

Also people say there is adequate signage - yes in some cases there, but in cases it gets lots in all our sign pollution as well. Personally i think there should have the light no right turn signs at each intersection where the train crosses - in a correct location for the driver to see. Not sure who designed the signal placement for this line but they do seem to be in the wrong place for the drive to see.
 
First of all re: the opening date: The ETS May/ June sign up has full 73 service so it seems on the surface ETS fully expects to be still serving the VLSE LRT corridor for the next sign up, which would take us to the summer sign up.
I am half expecting Edmonton to follow what Ottawa did and provide some form over overlap service for a period of time as riders get used to the new LRT line. This has never been done in Edmonton, but, the way this P3 has gone it might be better safe than sorry.
If testing and demonstrating goes fine, I could see it (I would prefer it!) the line to open with the Summer signup. That way TransEd can get 2 months of operating with passengers under their belt before the bigger crowds arrive in the Fall!

Curious if Edmonton's testing and demonstration is similar to Ottawa's. I believe they were supposed to demonstrate a full week of simulated service before the line could with no major delays. Any delays woulc reset the clock to 0. That was until officials started to get involved and letting thing go without resetting the clock.

Finally, any indication if TransEd is taking this rash of accidents to practice contingency operation? It would be a great time to practice single tracking, short turning etc. It would be a shame if all TransEd does right now is institute a system wide hold until something like a vehicle collision is sorted out.
 
Aaron_Lloyd said:
Not to repeat myself, but if the design for your multibillion infrastructure project can't withstand the occasional idiot, it's just not a good design and the city deserves at least some blame for that.
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What’s interesting though is that these are illegal right turns into a VERY large object.

Imagine all the close calls pedestrians experience every day in our city being much smaller and not just along a 13km route. I think this is actually highlighting a bigger problem with how we design our roads. Not the design of this train.

We shouldn’t have so many slip lanes. We shouldn’t allow right turns on red (at minimum in the core).

As someone that bikes, I have a close call weekly from people blowing through stops signs and red lights while looking left to turn right. It’s a huge problem in our city.

Solution? Cameras, enforcement and tickets. These people are running red lights, it’s a serious safety risk. This isn’t speeding 8km/hr too fast. Start ticketing people like crazy and they’ll learn. And use that money to help pay for transit projects and vision zero work.
 
thommyjo said:
As someone that bikes, I have a close call weekly from people blowing through stops signs and red lights while looking left to turn right. It’s a huge problem in our city.

Solution? Cameras, enforcement and tickets. These people are running red lights, it’s a serious safety risk. This isn’t speeding 8km/hr too fast. Start ticketing people like crazy and they’ll learn. And use that money to help pay for transit projects and vision zero work.
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The intersection at 109 Street and 100 Ave has no right turns on red at two of its 4 corners but everyday I walk across that intersection where there is also a bike lane, drivers are illegally turning right on red.
 
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