yeggator
Active Member
This is sarcasm, right?
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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
HappyJazzz
Active Member
Not really.. How many vehicle collisions does Vancouver's skytrain have?
Cheaping out on the design just ends up costing more long term with incidents like this.
yeggator
Active Member
The LRT worked fine for decades with the crossing gates. At some point, you just have to trust people with some basic common sense like not driving around a gate. And for those too stupid to follow a rule like that, maybe it’s just cheaper to let them feel the brunt of the consequences.
HappyJazzz
Active Member
So what's changed then? Sure seems to be a lot of these collisions lately... Were they just not well reported in the pre social media era?
yeggator
Active Member
Considering that all the collisions still make the nightly news, I don’t think that’s the factor. Maybe it’s just the influx of people here. Ontarians certainly are notorious for their more reckless driving habits. And there are millions of newcomers in Canada (the overwhelming majority of whom aren’t vetted permanent immigrants) who might be bringing bad habits. Not to mention recent news stories like driver’s license scams…
The_Cat
Senior Member
I think a railroad crossing with flashing lights and bells is pretty clear.
Barnaby
Senior Member
I wish the city still had the ability to "cheap out" like they did with the original 2 stages of the Capital Line.
This crossing you're talking about is 40+ years old..
yeggator
Active Member
I shiver imagining what these idiots would do at those rural freight train crossings that don’t even have lights or stop signs.
HappyJazzz
Active Member
Of I'm aware of its age, and when it was built it made sense to take the cheaper at grade option as there was still an active heavy rail line adjacent.
But when that was removed, there should have at least been plans made to elevate the line when funds were available and opportunity presented itself, like when Commonwealth station needed renewal.
Unfortunately that opportunity has passed now and as more buildings go up on the surrounding lots the chance to upgrade the line to something safer and faster is effectively gone forever.
The much worse and more recent instance of cheaping out is the Roper rd crossing on valley line.
The tracks go downhill from whitemud, to cross an industrial road at grade, only to go right back up to elevated for Davies station.
Would it really have cost that much more to extend the elevated track and blend it into the rise to whitemud instead?
And then there's the inverse situation at university av crossing.. Not only has that added collision risk and traffic delays, but it also prevented increased train frequency when metro line started operations.
Total lack of vision from council for decades with the LRT plans, and all these cut corners add up to poor tax dollar value for drivers and transit users alike.
HappyJazzz
Active Member
Well, not too be harsh, but at least Darwin has a potential solution to the problem there..
However if these trends continue within the city, I really think the planners and council have to do more to engineer these potential problems away.
Sadly, many drivers don't seem to be getting smarter.
Coprolite
Active Member
Most Edmonton thing you can do.Nope, car again. Glad there are no injuries.
Edmonton LRT train involved in crash after vehicle drives onto tracks: ETS
No injuries were reported after a collision between an LRT and a vehicle on Tuesday morning.edmonton.ctvnews.ca
Barnaby
Senior Member
LRT grade separation on the existing line should be taken from the road budgetWell, not too be harsh, but at least Darwin has a potential solution to the problem there..
However if these trends continue within the city, I really think the planners and council have to do more to engineer these potential problems away.
Sadly, many drivers don't seem to be getting smarter.
_urbanite
Senior Member
There's nothing wrong with that crossing. Flashing crossing arms, wide open sight lines, no left turn to confuse anyone. You have to really, really try to hit a train at this one. This might be the only time I ever recall this happening there
SarcasticMarmot
Active Member
There were two pedestrian fatalities near 112 ave in the late 2010s. After that the city added crossing arms for pedestrians, first I have heard of a car accident. Although, I have seen more cars trying to push though when traffic is backed up at 82nd st. recently. Possibly the car moved onto the track before the trains came and then when there wasn't space to move forward they got stuck. Really dumb driving mistake.
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dkazzed
Active Member
Car accidents seem exceedingly rare on Capital Line. Although I clearly remember my dad almost crashing us into one in the winter of 1989. The brakes worked, the tires didn't.
In terms of traffic disruption, the trains run through less often than the light turns red at 112 Ave and 82 St. The only existing at-grade crossing I would support spending limited resources on grade separating is University Ave.
In terms of traffic disruption, the trains run through less often than the light turns red at 112 Ave and 82 St. The only existing at-grade crossing I would support spending limited resources on grade separating is University Ave.