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Two issues. One is emergency vehicles. And the other, you'll have have the UT crowd yelling that it ruins the streetscape. No winning here, unfortunately.
Why would an emergency vehicle feel the need to find itself in this trackway?

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Why would an emergency vehicle feel the need to find itself in this trackway?

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Hmm, I thought most of the track was going to be level like the streetcar tracks. In that case, I guess the only opposition you'll get is for the look, but I agree, barrier needs to be there (even half-height steel fence would be a great help, would also keep most jaywalkers off)
 
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I'm going to assume the only reason the driver drove onto the tracks is because they thought they could drive on them similar to the streetcar tracks.
 
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Hmm, I thought most of the track was going to be level like the streetcar tracks. In that case, I guess the only opposition you'll get is for the look, but I agree, barrier needs to be there (even half-height steel fence would be a great help, would also keep most jaywalkers off)

Now now...every UT'er knows the concept of "jaywalking" was a invention of the automotive industry! :D
 
Said it somewhere before, but we could try the Japanese method of making people sit through a "refresher" video whenever it's time to renew their licence.
Forklift drivers have to renew their certification every three years, with several hours of mandatory training and a test.

Cars are the largest killer outside of health conditions, and their license is renewed almost indefinitely based on a single test taken when most drivers were still children.
 
Two issues. One is emergency vehicles. And the other, you'll have have the UT crowd yelling that it ruins the streetscape. No winning here, unfortunately.
The biggest thing slowing down emergency vehicles is the density of cars in their way. Lower the number of cars on the road, and there's no reason for emergency vehicles to hop onto the tracks.
 
If someone is feeling brave, Metrolinx is advertising for a Snr PM to "manage and monitor the revenue service demonstration activities" of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT:


I guess that means they feel it's getting close enough to substantial completion that planning for the next "go-live" step can start.
 
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Besides, some of our driving regulations are pretty foolish. Like the two second distance rule: if you're counting seconds on the road, you're a goof. Accidents occur and are over in hundredths of a second. You should be able to intuitively gauge the distance from the car in front of you.
 
Besides, some of our driving regulations are pretty foolish. Like the two second distance rule: if you're counting seconds on the road, you're a goof. Accidents occur and are over in hundredths of a second. You should be able to intuitively gauge the distance from the car in front of you.
I'm not sure they mean you're supposed to count forever, just when you're learning so that you can get a sense of the bare minimum distance (which should soon enough then become intuitive).
 
Besides, some of our driving regulations are pretty foolish. Like the two second distance rule: if you're counting seconds on the road, you're a goof. Accidents occur and are over in hundredths of a second. You should be able to intuitively gauge the distance from the car in front of you.
Well you can call me a Goof as I use the 3 second rule I was taught at Driving School and used it on my real road test to the point the tester asked me why the space between me and the car in front of me on a raining day. He was very happy with my answer. These days if you leave a space of more than 1 second between you during peak time and the car in front of you, someone will jump in front of you that you have to hit the breaks. I used the 3 second rule at times, but normally judging the space.

At all time in slow and peak traffic I am not only looking at the car in front of me, but 5-10 cars down the road as I hit my breaks when I see red taillights come on. I am on the outlook for dumb drivers who can cause an accident on a dime.

Anyway, this is off topic and back to the Crosstown talk.

Only thing happening on Eglinton these days is fixing sidewalk issues, water drains inspections, manhole and catch basin adjustment and milling of the surface rail that can be seen. Then there is the hidden stuff we have no access to or knowledge what is really happening.
 
These days if you leave a space of more than 1 second between you during peak time and the car in front of you, someone will jump in front of you that you have to hit the breaks.

The first time I had to drive to Toronto in the late '80s, a friend told me the two rules of driving in Toronto:

1) If the car fits, put it there.
2) If you don't, someone else will.

It sounds silly, but that took all the stress away for me, and in the 30+ years since has actually served me pretty well. Should it be this way? No. Does knowing this and behaving accordingly help? Yes.
 
It's absolutely a foolish practice because like I said, things on the road happen way faster than any silly second counting you could do. I sure hope it's temporary like Natika mentioned, but clearly it isn't judging by Drum's post (and I've got friends who do the same). Personally I have no trouble keeping a safe distance that doesn't encourage anyone to swerve into that space, without ever counting seconds.

As someone who watched lots of crash test videos and read a lot about how such tests are conducted, I think anyone using the 2-3 second rule underestimates just how fast accidents occur--literally hundredths of a second. And much of safe driving is intuitive and doesn't lend itself to hard and fast rules. This is a major blindspot in our driving instruction.
 
It's absolutely a foolish practice because like I said, things on the road happen way faster than any silly second counting you could do. I sure hope it's temporary like Natika mentioned, but clearly it isn't judging by Drum's post (and I've got friends who do the same). Personally I have no trouble keeping a safe distance that doesn't encourage anyone to swerve into that space, without ever counting seconds.

As someone who watched lots of crash test videos and read a lot about how such tests are conducted, I think anyone using the 2-3 second rule underestimates just how fast accidents occur--literally hundredths of a second. And much of safe driving is intuitive and doesn't lend itself to hard and fast rules. This is a major blindspot in our driving instruction.

Yes, but that is the point of the 2 or 3 seconds, to give you time to react in case things go sideways.
 
As a motorcycle safety instructor/(and more importantly)rider for 15 years this hit a nerve...
Like the two second distance rule: if you're counting seconds on the road, you're a goof.
1) insulting people isn't helpful
2) It's a teachable rule so drivers develop safe distance following so they can react, and stop the vehicle without colliding with the vehicle in front. We aren't necessarily counting as we improve our skills...
Accidents occur and are over in hundredths of a second.
And peoples' reaction time + time for vehicles to stop in safe distance does not happen in such time. Unless you have some new data I'm unaware of... But let's not forget weather, road conditions etc.
You should be able to intuitively gauge the distance from the car in front of you.
This is not teachable. Tell a new student what? You should just know the right distance?

I will add that because we have some drivers that make bad decisions like the one who got stuck on the crosstown tracks above, does not imply our driving system is failing us. Volume (number of drivers) begets increased incidents and you may see the rare thing happen.
As someone who watched lots of crash test videos and read a lot about how such tests are conducted,.
Which tests are you speaking of?
1) If the car fits, put it there.
2) If you don't, someone else will..
It is not a competition. Everyone should aim to drive cooperatively and not competitively which puts yourself and others at risk. This is one my biggest peeves on any road I've ridden on around the world.
 
Yet another 50+ story condo to swamp this grossly undersized streetcar line with riders

 

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