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Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

It wasn't a yes or no question. It was an A or B question. :)
It's quite possible to have opinions without basing the opinion on anything quantitative.

For example, if you talk to car drivers about using TTC they often say things about safety. Despite being ... what, hundreds of times more likely to die driving than on transit.
 
Highway 4/401 cloverleaf rebuild to start next year.

This should also allow for 6-laning the 401 in west London so it matches the widening they're doing by adding a concrete barrier towards Windsor.

https://www.hwy401coltalbot.com/

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Looks like they had the presentation yesterday. They decided to go with a design from 2018 with a couple modifications. Construction to start in March.

One of the overpasses will be rebuilt way to the east of the current structure. Usually replacements are made right next to the existing bridges.


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The new Highway 7 between Guelph and Kitchener seems to be chugging along.

New Highway 7 – Kitchener to Guelph
Progress Update; GWP 408-88-00


The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) continues to move forward with new Highway 7 from Kitchener to Guelph following a three-phase approach:

Phase 1 – Construction (Completed)

Phase 1 of new Highway 7 construction began in 2015 when the Guelph Street overpass was widened to accommodate the future interchange at Highway 85. Phase 1 construction included:

  • Widening the Guelph Street bridge (completed 2015)
  • Widening and extending Shirley Avenue in Kitchener (completed 2017)
  • Relocation of municipal utilities at the Victoria Street Bridge over Highway 85 in Kitchener (completed 2017)
  • Clearing vegetation and fencing in select areas along the new Highway 7 right-of-way between Kitchener and Guelph (completed in 2018)
  • Replacement of the Victoria Street Bridge over Highway 85 in Kitchener (completed in 2019)
Phase 2 – New Highway 7 Grand River Bridges

A Design and Construction Report (DCR) that documents the Detailed Design of the new Grand River Bridges and associated environmental mitigation measures is now available for 30-day public review from September 27, 2023 to October 26, 2023.

Notice is posted on the project website www.NewHighway7.ca, published in local newspapers, and sent to persons on the project mailing list. If there are no significant outstanding concerns at the end of the 30-day public review period for the DCR, the project may proceed to construction.

Start of construction is subject to approvals and funding.

Phase 3 – Completion of New Highway 7 (In Design)

The design for new Highway 7 from Kitchener to Guelph project is also progressing. WSP is updating the natural, social and cultural environmental conditions and developing mitigation measures; undertaking detailed soil and foundation investigations and analysis; and continuing detailed engineering work.

Advanced construction for Phase 3 includes:

  • Highway 7 and Frederick Street underpass replacement in Kitchener (tender 2023)
  • Highway 6 (Hanlon Parkway) and Woodlawn Road Interchange in Guelph
  • Guelph Junction Railway Modifications
  • Two Species At Risk (SAR) habitat restoration projects
    • Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark (started in 2022)
    • Little Brown Myotis
 
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Just bringing forward the renderings. Also, I like everything, but I wish they added sound barriers to the bridge, so the noise from traffic wouldn't carry very far through the ravine. I used to live by the rouge river and the noise would travel from the 401 to lake Ontario.

The same sound walls as on the QEW bridge would make this project perfect.
 
It's quite possible to have opinions without basing the opinion on anything quantitative.

For example, if you talk to car drivers about using TTC they often say things about safety. Despite being ... what, hundreds of times more likely to die driving than on transit.
Is death the only bad outcome? You generally can also control how fast and what time you’re driving. The times I use the TTC I’m too slow to have a serious injury. (I know it’s not zero)

I’ve been verbally assaulted dozens of times, I’ve stopped reporting since I knew nothing would happen. Everyone else I know who regularly takes it is in the same boat.

So far I’ve had ZERO issues in the over a decade I’ve owned a car, every other trip I take on the ttc has an issue.

Here’s a fun time from two weeks ago!
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Is death the only bad outcome?
No, but it's the only easily tracked outcome, and injuries tend to be proportional with deaths. There's a LOT more car injuries than death. Looking at Transport Canada data, there's a whopping 1,750 deaths a year, and over 100,000 injuries. Buses seem to range from about 0 to 10 deaths a year - and I'm guessing that's not local transit.

I’ve been verbally assaulted dozens of times, I’ve stopped reporting since I knew nothing would happen. Everyone else I know who regularly takes it is in the same boat.
And people aren't verbally assaulted walking or driving? Hell, I verbally assaulted another driver this evening, who seemed to think that a stop sign at a T-junction was optional, and almost ploughed into me (who had no stop sign) ... they looked like they were going to take the stop sign and corner at 40 km/hr! Of course, all he could hear was my horn ...

With murders lower this year than a while, I think the whole thing is way exaggerated. Yeah, there's more homeless on transit. But there's more homeless everywhere.
 
No, but it's the only easily tracked outcome, and injuries tend to be proportional with deaths. There's a LOT more car injuries than death. Looking at Transport Canada data, there's a whopping 1,750 deaths a year, and over 100,000 injuries. Buses seem to range from about 0 to 10 deaths a year - and I'm guessing that's not local transit.

And people aren't verbally assaulted walking or driving? Hell, I verbally assaulted another driver this evening, who seemed to think that a stop sign at a T-junction was optional, and almost ploughed into me (who had no stop sign) ... they looked like they were going to take the stop sign and corner at 40 km/hr! Of course, all he could hear was my horn ...

With murders lower this year than a while, I think the whole thing is way exaggerated. Yeah, there's more homeless on transit. But there's more homeless everywhere.
how many injuries are real, vs trumped up for insurance? Again you have a huge amount of control over the risk that you take when you drive.

There's a difference between getting yelled at by a pedestrian while you're in a car, vs some CLEARLY mentally unstable dude who you don't know if he has a knife yelling at you.
I've had no bad experiences like I do regularly on the subway ever happen in my car. I also don't have to wait for a bus that doesn't show up on tracking apps (501L)
 
how many injuries are real, vs trumped up for insurance? Again you have a huge amount of control over the risk that you take when you drive.

There's a difference between getting yelled at by a pedestrian while you're in a car, vs some CLEARLY mentally unstable dude who you don't know if he has a knife yelling at you.
I've had no bad experiences like I do regularly on the subway ever happen in my car. I also don't have to wait for a bus that doesn't show up on tracking apps (501L)

You've never seen a psycho wielding their couple hundred pound vehicle as a weapon? Come on now.
 
You've never seen a psycho wielding their couple hundred pound vehicle as a weapon? Come on now.
No I've seen those videos online but nothing IRL, but I did have a guy last week say he'd "kick my dick up my ass" then 30 seconds later another deranged psycho started doing pushups in front of me saying "f**k the blue jays" and then did pullups.
Then another day I saw the people playing around on the tracks, then the next day service being cancelled for all of downtown so I ended up having to walk.

And people here still wonder why I choose to drive at times???
How many service suspensions or personal attacks are reasonable to put up with?

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No I've seen those videos online but nothing IRL, but I did have a guy last week say he'd "kick my dick up my ass" then 30 seconds later another deranged psycho started doing pushups in front of me saying "f**k the blue jays" and then did pullups.
Then another day I saw the people playing around on the tracks, then the next day service being cancelled for all of downtown so I ended up having to walk.

And people here still wonder why I choose to drive at times???
How many service suspensions or personal attacks are reasonable to put up with?

Public transit by it's very nature is much more personal than driving is. That has nothing to do with feeling safer on transit than in a car, it's simply that the danger or aggression is felt much more personally.

You whinge about daily incidents on transit. Yet how many vehicles speed down the roads at unreasonable speeds. How many vehicles are driven aggressively following to close, weaving in and out of lanes, skipping ahead through misuse of merging lanes/shoulders, disobaying stop signs. How many accidents does it take. How many major lane closures. How much road rage does one have to put up with?

Your entitled to your opinion just understand that i's based on anecdotes and not facts.

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Public transit by it's very nature is much more personal than driving is. That has nothing to do with feeling safer on transit than in a car, it's simply that the danger or aggression is felt much more personally.

You whinge about daily incidents on transit. Yet how many vehicles speed down the roads at unreasonable speeds. How many vehicles are driven aggressively following to close, weaving in and out of lanes, skipping ahead through misuse of merging lanes/shoulders, disobaying stop signs. How many accidents does it take. How many major lane closures. How much road rage does one have to put up with?

Your entitled to your opinion just understand that i's based on anecdotes and not facts.

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I forgot the TTC doesn't have daily security incidents /s
Yes people drive like shit in this region! It's a huge decline from 10 years ago and that wasn't great either.

But I don't care about the "overall" statistics when my personal experience is all that matters to ME, but I know several people who share my frustrations. I can deal with "abuse" if service is at least consistent.
The 501 Queen has been closed for most of the last decade, the replacement bus DOES NOT SHOW ON TRANSEE/GOOGLE MAPS. I have a suspension or delay every other trip.

Drivers are insane but someone not signaling doesn't have a material effect on me. How many times can I give the "TTC Delays" excuse for being late to work?
I think you all need to understand these frustrations if you expect people to WILLINGLY get out of their cars.
 

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