The reason Waterloo's signals HTA non-compliant has nothing to do with the white vertical bar. As
@steveintoronto has noted, the use of the white bar indication conforms to the current HTA definition ("transit vehicles have the right of way when travelling left, straight or right"). In this case, ION appears to have adopted a more restrictive definition of "straight along the tracks only" to allow parallel movements to move simultaneously.
The HTA violations of the signals are rather to do with the lack of green, amber and red, as well as the placement at intersections:
HTA Regulation 626
1. (1) Every traffic control signal shall consist of
one circular amber and one circular red indication in combination with,
(a) a circular
green indication;
(b) a circular
green indication and one or more
green arrow indications;
(c) a circular
green indication, one or more
green arrow indications and one or more amber arrow indications; or
(d) one or more green arrow indications. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 626, s. 1 (1).
(4) Every traffic control signal system that is installed shall have
at least two traffic control signals located on the far side of the intersection from which vehicles are approaching, at least one of which shall be located on the far right side. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 626, s. 1 (4).
(emphasis added)
The trains will have equipment on board that can trigger a change to traffic signals so that they can easily get through intersections and arrive and depart on time.
Too rad for Toronto!
As you are well aware, all TTC streetcars and buses are equipped with radio transponders to trigger the 400 signals equipped with Transit Signal Priority (TSP). It remains to be seen whether ION's TSP is more or less effective than the TTC's. Now that TSP is back on in the King Pilot, I encourage you to stand around one of the TSP-equipped intersections and note the proportion of streetcars which get red lights, then consider that each light is red about 50% of the time. I watched streetcars King & John for half an hour and in that time only one late streetcar got a red light. Without TSP that should have been about fifteen.
While Waterloo will use international based transit signals:
Toronto's traffic department refuses.
Ah, W.K. Yet again your baseless and indiscriminate accusations make you look like a fool, because in reality Transportation Services has been arguing
IN FAVOUR of a greater use of white-bar transit signals.