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  #521  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 1:03 AM
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I recall there was something similar to this implemented in Texas.

Speed cameras were set up at various locations on freeways and took pictures of your license plate and measured your speed. If you were speeding, you were fined. A speeding ticket is sent to your house, much like how Highway 407 ETR sends you a bill if you use the highway without a transponder.

This 'money grab' was eventually canceled due to public outcry and other reasons (I believe it was somehow unconstitutional). Something similar might result from London's plan.
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  #522  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 4:30 AM
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Red light and speed cameras are very common in Edmonton. They don't seem to be going anywhere. They're a good money maker for the city.

Also, on the topic of Google Maps, looks like they've updated the map itself to reflect official changes. (for example, look at the roads in Innovation Industrial Park or any new neighborhoods)
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  #523  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 5:14 AM
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Toronto has red light cameras, Brantford does too.

Not a big deal if you ask me. Speed cameras are a completely different story.
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  #524  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 4:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by haljackey View Post
I recall there was something similar to this implemented in Texas.

Speed cameras were set up at various locations on freeways and took pictures of your license plate and measured your speed. If you were speeding, you were fined. A speeding ticket is sent to your house, much like how Highway 407 ETR sends you a bill if you use the highway without a transponder.
Not just Texas - Ontario had "photo radar" for a brief time in 1994-1995. Mike Harris promised to scrap it if he was elected Premier, and indeed one of his first acts as Premier was to scrap it.

As for London and red light cameras, anything to help the city make money while attempting to improve road safety is something I am in favour of. One of London's biggest traffic problems - which I rarely have seen in other North American cities, including Toronto and even in the wild traffic of Mexico City - is that Londoners don't stop at red lights when turning right. I have been almost hit so many times by these drivers that I lost count years ago.

Another potential solution is to outright ban right turns at red lights at certain intersections. I'd give drivers notice through the media that this will be implemented at undisclosed intersections after six months if there is not a noticable improvement.
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  #525  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 5:46 PM
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London is the worse for people turning left after the advanced left turn signal has gone off. I've seen 3-4 vehicles go through after the light has turned yellow.
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  #526  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 5:47 PM
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Originally Posted by manny_santos View Post

Another potential solution is to outright ban right turns at red lights at certain intersections. I'd give drivers notice through the media that this will be implemented at undisclosed intersections after six months if there is not a noticable improvement.
That likely would have to be done via the Province. Doubt regions or Cities can implement laws like that (unless they signed every single intersection)
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  #527  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 9:01 PM
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That likely would have to be done via the Province. Doubt regions or Cities can implement laws like that (unless they signed every single intersection)
You might be right...but can a municipality not implement it one intersection at a time?

The last time I was in Sudbury (1995) I noticed some intersections had this.
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  #528  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2012, 11:27 PM
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You might be right...but can a municipality not implement it one intersection at a time?

The last time I was in Sudbury (1995) I noticed some intersections had this.
They could definitely do that, but to have a blanket law without signage in place would violate the Highway Traffic Act. You'd need likely 8-12 signs per intersection (2-3 per direction), and you can just see how many signs would be necessary.
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  #529  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2012, 1:32 AM
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Red light cameras would be a great idea for this city. They have them all over the place in Toronto, and I've noticed that there are far fewer red-light runners at these intersections than there were a few years back. Now, I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about speed cameras and photo radar in general, because it is nothing but a money grab. Running red lights is far more dangerous, not to mention it's a serious violation of other drivers' right-of-way.

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Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02 View Post
London is the worse for people turning left after the advanced left turn signal has gone off. I've seen 3-4 vehicles go through after the light has turned yellow.
London isn't the worst, trust me. This is practically a daily occurance in Toronto, people will always try to get through the intersection at any cost and it's not uncommon to see three cars moving through after the turn signal has expired. My favourite are the people who try and beat oncoming traffic by bolting through just as the light turns green (with no advanced green).

My favourite London move, though, are people who proceed through a red light upon seeing the green left-turn signal. I've seen this happen twice here, but never anywhere else. No excuse for that, just pure inattentiveness.

Quote:
Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02 View Post
That likely would have to be done via the Province. Doubt regions or Cities can implement laws like that (unless they signed every single intersection)
Toronto has several intersections where you're not allowed to turn right on a red. Even London has a few along Hamilton Road. I think the city is well within its bounds by restricting right turns on reds at certain intersections.
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  #530  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2012, 4:27 AM
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Toronto has several intersections where you're not allowed to turn right on a red. Even London has a few along Hamilton Road. I think the city is well within its bounds by restricting right turns on reds at certain intersections.
They can certainly do it where ever they want with signage, they just cannot enact a regional traffic law that blankets everything without it being provincial.
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  #531  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2012, 11:14 PM
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They can certainly do it where ever they want with signage, they just cannot enact a regional traffic law that blankets everything without it being provincial.
I thought we were debating the legitimacy of specific signage... my mistake. You're right, you need the province to create a regional traffic law of any kind- I would imagine if London wanted to reduce the default speed limit from 50 to 40, they would also need to appeal to the province for that.
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  #532  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2012, 4:45 PM
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The Free Press mentioned yesterday or the day before that the City is going ahead with expropriating lands along Southdale Road for widening between Wonderland and Wharncliffe.

Has there been a definitive announcement when this widening is actually going to take place?
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  #533  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2012, 5:07 PM
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The Free Press mentioned yesterday or the day before that the City is going ahead with expropriating lands along Southdale Road for widening between Wonderland and Wharncliffe.
That is long over due, I must have missed the mention in the free press. I would hope it happens sooner than later as there is nothing in the way along that stretch.
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  #534  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2012, 8:25 PM
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The Free Press mentioned yesterday or the day before that the City is going ahead with expropriating lands along Southdale Road for widening between Wonderland and Wharncliffe.
Yes Finally!! Ever try turning onto Notre Dame from Southdale (making left) at 5-6. Good freaking luck. People are stupid and block the intersection all the time when it goes red.

I was thinking that if they just extended Bradley, Southdale wouldn't be as bad as it is. But it's good to hear they are at least thinking more about widening it. Needs a good repair too.
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  #535  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2012, 10:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by manny_santos View Post
The Free Press mentioned yesterday or the day before that the City is going ahead with expropriating lands along Southdale Road for widening between Wonderland and Wharncliffe.

Has there been a definitive announcement when this widening is actually going to take place?
It was supposed to happen this year, but pushed back to 2013 due to budget cuts.

Same goes with Commissioners between Wonderland and Warncliffe. I think that begins in 2015.

There are no major widening projects taking place this year.
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  #536  
Old Posted Apr 13, 2012, 1:28 AM
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There are no major widening projects taking place this year.

Fanshawe Between Highbury and Adelaide??
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  #537  
Old Posted Apr 13, 2012, 3:13 AM
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Fanshawe Between Highbury and Adelaide??
The Fanshawe and Highbury intersection is being expanded. Fanshawe Park will be just widened just east of it and Highbury just north of it as part of the project.

I hardly consider this a widening project... maybe just a minor one.

Links:
http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Road_...ghbury2012.htm
http://webmap.london.ca/RoadConstruc...=600&LAYERURL=
http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Road_...ters/s13-1.htm
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  #538  
Old Posted Apr 13, 2012, 2:19 PM
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It was supposed to happen this year, but pushed back to 2013 due to budget cuts.

Same goes with Commissioners between Wonderland and Warncliffe. I think that begins in 2015.

There are no major widening projects taking place this year.
That's unfortunate - Commissioners, Southdale, Hyde Park, and Oxford (west of Hyde Park) all are in desperate need of widening. I wonder how much the current transportation situation is costing London's economy, in terms of wasted gasoline, and delays in delivering goods. That's a number we almost never hear about when we hear about London transportation improvement project proposals.

I really wish that London forced developers to finance widening projects at the time developments take place, which is what other Canadian jurisdictions such as Halton Region do. The only case I'm aware of where this ever happened was when Wal-Mart and/or SmartCentres was asked to finance the widening of Fanshawe Park Road between Hyde Park and Wonderland. They, along the residential developers in the Hyde Park area, should have been asked to finance the widening of Hyde Park Road, and even Gainsborough Road. Of course, now it's too late, but it's something London needs to look at for the future. I know it's something Vic Cote argued in favour of when he was with the City of London.
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  #539  
Old Posted Apr 13, 2012, 3:20 PM
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It almost makes too much sense.

I guess low density residential development isn't enough to spur costly widening projects in the city's eye. That will deter developers as it will increase their costs and ultimately push housing prices up. Good planning, but bad economics (in the short term).

The only reason Southdale is 4 lanes around Wonderland is because of that big box development. It got 4-laned east of Wonderland when the Loblaws went in, and widened in the west when Home Depot got built. While this may help push more traffic through the intersection, short 4 lane sections don't do much to reduce traffic congestion... Long stretches are needed.

It's a known fact that London's poor road (and transit) system have had a dynamic effect on this city's economic and population growth.
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  #540  
Old Posted May 2, 2012, 4:26 PM
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So Google fixed the Highbury Avenue N/S confusion, butfor some reason all of it is now labelled as part of "Ontario Hwy 126". Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but Highway 126 has been gone for more than 20 years. So where the HELL are these Google people getting their information? Are they all still using the 1987 Ontario Road Map, or do they just have some obsession with resurrecting dead highways?
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