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I think he meant diamond interchange
If that's the case, then uh, there's a reason why there's been a massive push across North America to get rid of them. While they're not AS bad as cloverleafs, they are still a very problematic interchange method.
 

From the article:

-Get rid of slip lanes
-Signalize the ramps
-Separate pedestrian/cyclist paths entirely from car movements on different sides of the road

I would also add:

-Narrow the ramp lanes
-Increase turn radii with curb extensions
-Add rumble strips
-Improve sightlines for all road users and illumination

Raise the crossings to force the motorists to slow down. Better than just paint, if the motorist gets a jolt when they hit the raise at highway speed.

49418262648_95598fc905_h.jpg

From link.
 
I think folded diamonds or Parclo A2/AB2 might be the best solution for having signalized interchanges and as a bonus they are both T interchanges which are much safer than a 4 way light.
 
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hi, so does anyone know why the MTO highway design is still in the 1950's. their overpasses are huge barriers in the community. In Quebec the new highways are being designed in a way the fit into the urban fabric and can be easily crossed by cyclists and pedestrians.

I wish I knew. They dropped and rebuilt the Victoria St overpass in Kitchener a few years back to accommodate the on-again off-again new highway 7 project to Guelph, and the new overpass has the same narrow sidewalks without bike or windrow space that the original bridge had. Incredibly disappointing! The city has just put in a nice MUT on the north side of Victoria east of the expressway (hwy 85), but can't carry it any farther into town because of the cramped new bridge. :-(
 
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Diverging diamonds are also reasonably space efficient and can be built pedestrian and cyclist friendly with some care.
 
Diverging diamonds are also reasonably space efficient and can be built pedestrian and cyclist friendly with some care.
Yes they are, but I have heard that they don't work as well if there are intersections close by. As it has a tendency to back up quickly. The best use for the DD is a highway interchange with no signalized intersection within 400 meters. But it is safer and takes up little space similar to a regular diamond.
 
I admit it's rational to allow force majeure clauses to activate in the pandemic, but I think the cutoff date for that has effectively passed, and passed a few months ago.

Traffic congestion in the GTA is basically back to normal. MTO needs to notify the 407ETR that they will start enforcing traffic targets again, and get them to lower toll rates appropriately. For all we know 407ETR traffic levels will never fully return to pre-pandemic levels with the rise of work-from-home and the highway's nature as a high income commuter road, which is the commuter class most likely to see increased work-from-home measures long term.
 
I admit it's rational to allow force majeure clauses to activate in the pandemic, but I think the cutoff date for that has effectively passed, and passed a few months ago.

Traffic congestion in the GTA is basically back to normal. MTO needs to notify the 407ETR that they will start enforcing traffic targets again, and get them to lower toll rates appropriately. For all we know 407ETR traffic levels will never fully return to pre-pandemic levels with the rise of work-from-home and the highway's nature as a high income commuter road, which is the commuter class most likely to see increased work-from-home measures long term.

I'm behind the paywall. Do they say how much traffic dropped on the 407? As you noted, it almost certainly dropped more than other 400 series highways, for the reasons you noted.

Still, this move looks bad. Expect Del Duca and Horwath to grill Ford on this come the Spring, and with it, unleash the ghosts of the Harris era.
 
I admit it's rational to allow force majeure clauses to activate in the pandemic, but I think the cutoff date for that has effectively passed, and passed a few months ago.
But it's also normal to reduce tolls in response to decreased demand.

Did they even reduce the rush-hour rate at the peak of the pandemic?
 
But it's also normal to reduce tolls in response to decreased demand.

Did they even reduce the rush-hour rate at the peak of the pandemic?
no, all they did was cancel a planned seasonal summer toll increase.

Again, I don't think it's reasonable to hold the 407 to it's mandated traffic levels all the way through the pandemic, but I think the force majeure time has ended at this point. Time for them to start meeting their targets again. And that means toll cuts.
 
Again, I don't think it's reasonable to hold the 407 to it's mandated traffic levels all the way through the pandemic, but I think the force majeure time has ended at this point. Time for them to start meeting their targets again. And that means toll cuts.
Definitely force majeure ... but why wasn't negotiating on this to reduce tolls (which in they should increase revenue given the demand reduction.
 

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