[urbancog]

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:

Metrolinx hiring Senior Project Manager in Greater Toronto Area, Canada | LinkedIn

Posted 9:07:40 PM. Job DescriptionMetrolinx is connecting communities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Metrolinx…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

ca.linkedin.com

I guess that means they feel it's getting close enough to substantial completion that planning for the next "go-live" step can start.

 

[Undead]

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.

 

[Natika33]

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).

 

[drum118]

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.

 

[KevinT]

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.

 

[Undead]

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.

 

[goreckm]

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.

 

[Coolibop]

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.

 

[MrGoose]

Yet another 50+ story condo to swamp this grossly undersized streetcar line with riders

59-Storey Tower Proposed near Line 5 Mount Pleasant Station | UrbanToronto

Proposals to intensify Midtown Toronto continue, spurred on by the upcoming Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT. 54 Brownlow Avenue, a 59-storey tower designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for The Benvenuto Group, would stand just a short walk from the upcoming Mount Pleasant station.

urbantoronto.ca

 

[MrGoose]

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

View attachment 573553

20 BILLION DOLLARS FOR A STREETCAR LINE

That car should be towed and shredded. Send the bill to the former owner

 

[cplchanb]

Yet another 50+ story condo to swamp this grossly undersized streetcar line with riders

59-Storey Tower Proposed near Line 5 Mount Pleasant Station | UrbanToronto

Proposals to intensify Midtown Toronto continue, spurred on by the upcoming Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT. 54 Brownlow Avenue, a 59-storey tower designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for The Benvenuto Group, would stand just a short walk from the upcoming Mount Pleasant station.

urbantoronto.ca

username checks out

 

[nfitz]

Yet another 50+ story condo to swamp this grossly undersized streetcar line with riders

59-Storey Tower Proposed near Line 5 Mount Pleasant Station | UrbanToronto

Proposals to intensify Midtown Toronto continue, spurred on by the upcoming Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT. 54 Brownlow Avenue, a 59-storey tower designed by Sweeny &Co Architects for The Benvenuto Group, would stand just a short walk from the upcoming Mount Pleasant station.

urbantoronto.ca

It's grossly oversized based on the predicted ridership, at the low end of what LRT can handle.

Surely good news.

 

[MrGoose]

It's grossly oversized based on the predicted ridership, at the low end of what LRT can handle.

Surely good news.

According to this logic

1. The Prince Edward Viaduct should not have been built with a future subway deck because in the 1910s, a subway would have been grossly oversized along Bloor
2. We should have just let the Yonge line been an underground streetcar, running it through the center median north of York Mills because its ridership in the 70s would've made it grossly oversized based on the predicted ridership.
3. Development along Eglinton will never exceed our pre-construction estimates because unlike this case, SFHs will NEVER be redeveloped
4. Wasting the one ROW across the Don Valley between York Mills and Bloor (8km) on a 15K PPDPH streetcar, that we built with subway sized (and subway cost) underground stations and interchanges is an intelligent and future proofed way of building infrastructure.

Shortsighted, visionless, penny wise & pound foolish;

 

[nfitz]

According to this logic

1. The Prince Edward Viaduct should not have been built with a future subway deck because in the 1910s, a subway would have been grossly oversized along Bloor
2. We should have just let the Yonge line been an underground streetcar, running it through the center median north of York Mills because its ridership in the 70s would've made it grossly oversized based on the predicted ridership.
3. Development along Eglinton will never exceed our pre-construction estimates because unlike this case, SFHs will NEVER be redeveloped
4. Wasting the one ROW across the Don Valley between York Mills and Bloor (8km) on a 15K PPDPH streetcar, that we built with subway sized (and subway cost) underground stations and interchanges is an intelligent and future proofed way of building infrastructure.

Shortsighted, visionless, penny wise & pound foolish;

Where did I say that it shouldn't be built?

I was just refuting the unsupported claim that it is undersized.

 

[MrGoose]

Where did I say that it shouldn't be built?

I was just refuting the unsupported claim that it is undersized.

It is undersized because the projections that claim it will be grossly oversized for demand were conducted long before the Golden Mile was upzoned for 40K people, and all these 50+ story condos were proposed. This line will induce development, and thus ridership, as we should expect, as we have seen happen to Line 1 and Line 4

It is undersized because the lifespan of this infrastructure is at least 120+ years, if we are only projecting demand to 2030, then we are ignoring potential future growth for 100+ years. It is critical that when we occupy a valuable and UNIQUE ROW that spans the entire city and is the only such ROW for at least 4km in either direction, that we future proof it for what ridership could be in 25, 50, 75 years. We have many examples of long-awaited transit lines blowing way past projections when they are finally built out. The Elizabeth Line in London exceeded ridership projections the day it was opened. The Canada Line exceeded ridership projections within 5 years of opening.

It is undersized because everything else except the trains is built to a subway sized standard and subway sized costs. We have subway diameter tunnels, subway sized stations and 6! subway style interchanges with other rapid Transit lines, and will go to the airport.
- Kitchener Line/ UP Express
- Barrie Line
- Line 1 Spadina
- Line 1 Yonge
- Ontario Line
- Line 2 / Stouffville Line

Except that the trains are low floor and hold 30% less people than an equivalently sized subway train. And will have to interface with traffic, and wait for traffic and is incapable of high frequency automated operation because it has to interface with traffic.

But it still cost 20+ billion dollars, because we built 60% of the line like a subway, we just neglected to put subway cars in it. And the 40% we built as a streetcar, would've been the easiest part of the line to grade separate because it is a 27m wide suburban stroad.

Its undersized for the money we spent, for the ridership that we can expect to see within its lifetime, and for its length and the amount of interchanges it will have.