Hamilton Hamilton Line B LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

[mdrejhon]

Excellent observation. Yes, I see these old tracks cross the street.

Sounds like there's more than one option, after all. It will be interesting to see what Metrolinx does to route LRTs to a maintenance yard.

 

[mdrejhon]

Thanks for posting the one way conversion map. Useful information.

If you live in Hamilton, please tell your city councillor that we want 2-way streets.

The one-way can be plesant cars going through, with beautifully synchronized green lights. But many of us Lower City residents we want to see roads to be for the people, cars, bikes, pedestrians, local businesses.

We've got the 2nd highest pedestrian death rate. Families are skittish about crossing King/Main to bring children to the new stadium (example -- this post) to watch soccer. Yet they still do it, but it can be a scary 5 to 10 block walk.

 

[mdrejhon]

The city has published a bunch of documents:
http://hamilton.siretechnologies.com/sirepub/agdocs.aspx?doctype=agenda&itemid=8562

The newest document is attached.

 

[mdrejhon]

I don't know how heavily it is used, but if there is going to be freight/LRT mixing, I think the Southern Ontario Railway would be a better candidate for running to/from the maintenance facility. There is an old unused ROW that goes east out of the site to Sherman Ave, and then it is used east of there but again I don't know how much.

Currently, the city is suggesting:

However, I've now tweeted your suggestion to our mayor (Fred Eisenberger). It might be cheaper -- though it might not be, due to condition or rail, distance, number of crossings, etc -- but it is something that the city needs to investigate the possibility of, to compare.

Doing things (tweeting suggestions) actually nowadays sometimes get to the right people in the City. There's been a fair bit of city collaboration via social networking / email / community meetings / facebook / twitter / etc in recent years in Hamilton. Someone tweeted a suggested cheaper 403 ramp redesign for LRT (Twitter pic); and our mayor actually replied on twitter. There's been some recent crowd-urbanplanning feats occuring in Hamilton -- like the first time green bike paint came to Hamilton last year (our first traffic-separated crosstown bike path). Advocacy efforts such as www.yeswecannon.ca (installed 2014) and www.hamiltonlightrail.ca (LRT funded 2015) have been instrumental to helping slightly loosen the "car-only" culture in Hamilton.

 

[mdrejhon]

Other interesting slides from the city's recent PowerPoint on LRT:

....(Side note -- this is a streetmix.net diagram -- King ROW isn't wide enough to fit all; this is concept only.)

 

[mdrejhon]

Layout of maintenance facility for LRT:

Stoney Creek GO station:

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Currently, the city is suggesting:

View attachment 52496

However, I've now tweeted your suggestion to our mayor (Fred Eisenberger). It might be cheaper -- though it might not be, due to condition or rail, distance, number of crossings, etc -- but it is something that the city needs to investigate the possibility of, to compare.

Looking at it again, it's likely a benefit that Birch Ave (which is currently proposed at this time) is a grade separated road at the Grimsby subdivision. The rail tracks are too, but its a small space; allowing LRT vehicles in there would require a rebuild, and other property requirements to the north. I have less confidence in it taking a second look.

 

[Amare]

That proposed area for the MSF is way too small. They should really find some land that will allow for the future provision for the expansion of yard and track space.

 

[mdrejhon]

That proposed area for the MSF is way too small. They should really find some land that will allow for the future provision for the expansion of yard and track space.

There's lots of difficulty finding a bigger MSF area close enough to the B-line at this time. Also, I see room for the MSF to have double the number of LRT tracks, if they tweak boundaries a little bit, and relocate the employee parking lot (or build it as a garage somewhere across a street).

If you look closely, 12 LRTs are parked in four sidings outside the MSF building. Several more sidings could be constructed into the parking lot, if the parking is relocated later -- so it could hold a couple dozen LRTs, if it had to.

Also, when the A-Line gets built onto the mountain, suddenly, space is accessible for another yard for the Hamilton LRT vehicles.

 

[mdrejhon]

I'm now starting up the Hamilton LRT advocacy effort -- www.hamlrt.ca -- Twitter @Ham_LRT -- and recruiting a team of local citizens. As a group, we're aiming to match the organization level of ONE Brampton, who made the kickass YouTube video.

The Brampton citizen-made video is very well done:

 

[TOareaFan]

I'm now starting up the Hamilton LRT advocacy effort -- www.hamlrt.ca -- Twitter @Ham_LRT -- and recruiting a team of local citizens. We're aiming to match the organization level of ONE Brampton, who made the kickass YouTube video.

There is a lot of speculation in Brampton that ONEBrampton is "working closely" with the Mayor's office and that other established group "Fight Gridlock".....so in your Hamilton group, aligning yourself with the Mayor may be a tip

 

[mdrejhon]

There is a lot of speculation in Brampton that ONEBrampton is "working closely" with the Mayor's office and that other established group "Fight Gridlock".....so in your Hamilton group, aligning yourself with the Mayor may be a tip

As a group of citizens we don't necessarily have to agree with every single thing the mayor does -- as a free society.
But we can, certainly of course, align ourselves with any specific LRT-related city-improving initiatives that the city council does, that we like very much!

There are many citizen goals involved, including helping businesses survive construction, engage citizens about any planned detours, influence station locations, school safety (such as the new school being built near stadium), concurrent badly-needed city improvements that are a natural fit for the LRT, helping the displaced poor, educate myths about LRT, etc. As an enthusiastic local citizen myself (amongst others) who has never met mayor before (yet as of today -- though as the group expands, it may be inevitable given the city's well-known desire for a "citizen panel" for the Hamilton LRT).

 

[TOareaFan]

As a group of citizens we don't necessarily have to agree with every single thing the mayor does -- as a free society.
But we can, certainly of course, align ourselves with any specific LRT-related city-improving initiatives that the city council does, that we like very much!

the suggestion floating around Brampton city hall, is that OneBrampton is less a group of independant citizens and more a masked social media spokesgroup for the Mayor......I was, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, suggesting that if your group strives to their level of success and professionalism in video production you might adopt a similar approach. It was meant in a joking fashion....I am sure you have good intentions (not sure about ONEBrampton).

 

[ShonTron]

There is a lot of speculation in Brampton that ONEBrampton is "working closely" with the Mayor's office and that other established group "Fight Gridlock".....so in your Hamilton group, aligning yourself with the Mayor may be a tip

Yadda, yadda, yadda. Knock it off. We know all about your views on the HMLRT. Go cry on San Grewal's shoulder.

 

[TOareaFan]

Yadda, yadda, yadda. Knock it off. We know all about your views on the HMLRT. Go cry on San Grewal's shoulder.

My views have nothing to do with this conversation.....my views are not even within the scope of what Brampton is trying to decide today or Sept 16 or at some postponed date. I was just conveying what I read this morning in the media and on social media.

Note I did not say "I think ONEBrampton is aligned with the Mayor"....I conveyed what others have said in print and online.....that's all.