Lynx Blue Line (South Corridor)

[fulcrumsf]

Yeah I think that was a test. I've been out doing work around the tracks fairly regularly and it has never been going that fast.

[MZT]

They're still rushing to finish... saw them working in the dark last night at the Tyvola station under those "highway work lights". The lamps and street lights near the Archdale station/parking are still not functioning.

[dubone]

http://media.charlotteobserver.com/static/...ationGuide.html

The Observer has created an interactive guide to each station, which I think it pretty useful for average people to get the 'what's in it for me'. I think think it would have been more useful to actually target people planning to ride rather than a random resident that may or may not be planning to ride. The reason is that it can give people examples of the areas that the train serves by having people list where they plan to ride it. A few did mention Imaginon and so on. Maybe that is for a time after it is open to really poll people who rode it.

I'm not expecting the Observer to drop its coverage of people who are opposed or indifferent, but on a station guide, choosing to highlight one person who lives in the area that says 'It really won't make a difference to me' seems rather non-useful.

[atlrvr]

^ Hahaha.....I enjoyed that resident...I assume you are talking about the Carson Blvd. area resident. He also said that some of his friends who live further south aren't happy that its coming. I thought that was super classy for the station guide......not to mention they mixed up the photos for Carson Blvd. and Bland St.

All in all, I thought they were pretty good.

[MZT]

The Woodlawn station is one of the few that has quick access to caterers, that are already right next to the station and parking area. Since Woodlawn is also a major east-west bus artery, it has among the best chance of bringing in lots of pedestrians.

[dubone]

It was sad to see them list the businesses who left and the fact that Tyvola and Woodlawn both claim to be struggling for retail. I try to support them, as it is much more useful to have middle ring retail rather than having it all sucked out to the outer ring. I do plan to use the Lynx (that is going to take some getting used to) to go to that retail. I am about a 1/2 mile walk to the 7th Street station (10 minute walk), so I think it will end up using the train to get to both SouthEnd and to the Woodlawn and Tyvola for retaurants and retail. I will also likely use the new cross town routes that link into various stations to get to other places like SouthPark, Park Road Shopping Center.

I'm happy with the guides overall, but I think they erred too much on the local tv news of just asking for a quote and popping it in, regardless of whether it is useful or poignant.

[Spartan]

http://media.charlotteobserver.com/static/...ationGuide.html

The Observer has created an interactive guide to each station, which I think it pretty useful for average people to get the 'what's in it for me'. I think think it would have been more useful to actually target people planning to ride rather than a random resident that may or may not be planning to ride. The reason is that it can give people examples of the areas that the train serves by having people list where they plan to ride it. A few did mention Imaginon and so on. Maybe that is for a time after it is open to really poll people who rode it.

I'm not expecting the Observer to drop its coverage of people who are opposed or indifferent, but on a station guide, choosing to highlight one person who lives in the area that says 'It really won't make a difference to me' seems rather non-useful.

[Guest]

I was on the way home from work today, and I took the stupid way through downtown ( I work in University City and live on Sharon Rd). It was actually very good that i did, because as I drove down trade I looked up and they lit the trade st. station with blue LEDs, it looks great. I have dispatched a fellow UP photographer to go take a picture we'll see if he comes through for us. Unfortunately due to the Davidson Carolina Game there is a bright light pointing towards the 210 trade cam so you can't see it very well.

[Mobuchu]

^ Not gonna make it for pics tonight, maybe before work tomorrow if its lit until sunrise...

[Andyc545]

I was on the way home from work today, and I took the stupid way through downtown ( I work in University City and live on Sharon Rd). It was actually very good that i did, because as I drove down trade I looked up and they lit the trade st. station with blue LEDs, it looks great. I have dispatched a fellow UP photographer to go take a picture we'll see if he comes through for us. Unfortunately due to the Davidson Carolina Game there is a bright light pointing towards the 210 trade cam so you can't see it very well.

[origin.clt]

It's been a while, so here is a brief photo update.

east/west blvd. station

trolley canopy signs.

trolley platform

trolley canopy retrofit?

fence art. custom for each station. the pattern inside the leaf is the surrounding street grid. the light rail station is indicated with a circle.

i could not believe how many cars squeezed under the gates as they were coming down. that mentality is going to have to change.

sensor that triggers the warning lights and gates.

future trolley museum site, about to begin construction.

ctc station

the canopy really doesn't look that good right now. it resembles a heavy guage sheet of painters plastic.

rope lighting?

nice......

Aside from the excitement of seeing the line completed, I have been thoroughly disappointed with the amount of redundant work I have seen in the last 2 months. It ranges anywhere from busting up and re-pouring parts of the station platforms several times over, to seemingly asinine canopy assemblies that require a wide variety of trades and layers of materials. I get the sense that alot of the design for these station has happened on the fly. I will eventually post a collection of photos illustrating this. I have to imagine that labor costs could have been saved had these things been done right, the first time.

However, Im glad to see things progressing towards the 24th.

[dubone]

Luckily, those labor costs really just come out of the contractor's profits, as the bid has already established. I agree, though, that there are a number of true and symbolic things that seem to have been wasteful.

I'm very happy with that leaf art on the station fencing. Not only does it tie in to the city, but I think it is interesting, noticeable, and I can actually see a number of conversations around it from people who didn't at first realize that the pattern was the actual grid map.

Overall, I am happy with the appearance of the stations. Somehow, they seem very Charlotte.

What is that roofing on the Trade Street Station? I'm sure they will have to fix that wrinkle, as it is the first thing I noticed, so I'm sure somebody who's paying will notice, too. (This station was privately funded). Will the fabric actually keep people dry, or just mostly dry like a tent might?

[monsoon]

.......

i could not believe how many cars squeezed under the gates as they were coming down. that mentality is going to have to change.

[Mobuchu]

Yeah, people really need to get used to stopping at thes gates before we have an incident. Along with cameras, CMPD could crackdown on the violators for the first couple months to get the point accross. Stiff penalties and a zero tolerance policy will make people think twice about saving themselves 20 seconds.

ps. I didn't know that about the grid design inside the leafs on the fences, what a wonderful idea

[swampfox43]

sensor that triggers the warning lights and gates.

[origin.clt]

That sensor seems a little too close to the crossing to me. Is that the sensor that raises or lowers the gates?

[mshook]

Thanks for the photo tour. The line is shaping up nicely and will be a fairly unique feature for the city compared to Charlotte's peers. Certainly there is nothing else like it in the Carolinas.

I can think of two easy solutions that would encourage people to not try and chase the train across the tracks. They could put an extra set of crossing arms further out into the lane. And/or, they could install some red light cameras at these intersections. These cameras did a really good job at the intersections where they were located of getting people to obey the signals.

[geekUSA1981]

Regarding the canopy:

Do they plan to go back and cover it with fiberglass at some point? I'm hoping that this fabric thing is just temporary, so the line can open on time next weekend.

[orulz]

the canopy really doesn't look that good right now. it resembles a heavy guage sheet of painters plastic.

[uptownliving]

RE the Trade St Canopy I noticed that plastic flapping in the wind the other day as well. The parts that are wrinkled or flapping are not the hard plastic that is the permanent covering. Some of that is a protective layer that was used for transit of the matieral from Germany. I also read in a memo somewhere that the materiel was delayed in getting shipped here from Germany...and they had to end up flying it over instead of by container ship. The protective coating will be removed once the installation is complete.

[Justadude]

The leaf/map fence art is a really fantastic idea. Judging by the picture, it appears to be in between the tracks; I wish it were in a place where people could actually use it to plot their trips near the station. Nice idea to have something functional and unique built into an otherwise overlooked station feature. Are these at all the stations?

[origin.clt]

The leaf/map fence art is a really fantastic idea. Judging by the picture, it appears to be in between the tracks; I wish it were in a place where people could actually use it to plot their trips near the station. Nice idea to have something functional and unique built into an otherwise overlooked station feature. Are these at all the stations?

[Andyc545]

Thanks for that lovely photo tour.

Regarding the Trade St. Canopy. I posted earlier in the thread exactly what that was. Of course I can't find the material name right now, but it is a type of hard plastic that is the same being used on the new Olympic Stadium in Bejing. It gives durability and protection from the weather, but is translucent. I agree, though, so far it does not look like a good quality job, but I am skeptical that it will all be fixed and finished lookin' good, since there tends to be flaws like these in any project that gets fixed in the end.

Regarding the sensors: those sensors in the picture are not the only sensors. The whole track is lined with them for various reasons, some GPS, some safety. When a train approaches an intersection, it is going through some initial sensors that communicate the speed and sends back to slow, also, there are sensors further out that trigger the crossing arms. I imagine those sensors there are the last sensors for the approaching trains in the sequence, but are not triggering sensors but more as backup sensors that the intersections are lined with for safety reasons incase a train stalls, etc.

[Spartan]

I like the leaf idea. I had noticed the one on Scaleybark last time I was out in that direction, but I didn't notice the street grid. Thats a really cool idea.

[MZT]

Maybe I take it for granted that most people know that they are asking for a death sentence if they are stopped on a train track. If not, then they should have their license revoked.