Kingston to Replace Traffic Lights near Kingston Centre with Traffic Circle.

In an effort to save money on energy used by lights at the intersection of Bath Road and Princess St., the City of Kingston City Council has voted to remove the traffic lights and replace them with a traffic circle.

We asked ordinary citizen Blake Lumos what he thought about the change. "Regarding the lights? Sounds de-lightful," he responded. Lumos did have other questions, though. "Why did they decide on a traffic circle instead of a triangle? If they remove the lights what happens at night?" 

Reading through the announcement, we found that solar-powered Glow-In-The-Dark lighting strips will be installed in the central structure thingy that will be placed in the center of the traffic circle. 

Construction of the new traffic circle is expected to follow a similar timeline to that of the Waaban Crossing and includes funding initiatives from the federal and provincial governments as well. As such, we expect construction to begin as early as Spring 2050. 

Hope you have a Happy April Fool's Day!

City of Kingston to Begin Using Town Crier to Deliver News

 

Kingston news is about to get a change and update in format. After a major local news station suddenly dismissed most of its regular local staff last week, local residents were left without a source of local news to watch on the evening news. The City of Kingston is hoping to change that.

According to sources, the City of Kingston has been looking into other options for delivering news after hearing about cuts to news services in other areas and has settled on using a Town Crier. Kingston already has a town crier and is also looking into how to best bring this format to the residents of Kingston.

Local Voicealist expert Jordan Newscaller believes the most likely format will be to have the Town Crier announce the local news briefs in Confederation Basin, across from City Hall, at 6pm. Still unknown is whether or not they will be recording or livestreaming his announcements online or if the Town Crier will be travelling to various parts of the city to repeat his news callouts to gathered residents. 

This new format will see local news being reported locally and still allows residents to stay informed about events and happenings in the city around them. 

Local resident Blake Citizens welcomes the new format. "It might be nice to gather once again with other residents and keep up to date on what's going on in the city." they said, adding that, while they still read the news online from excellent locally-produced news sources, having it still summarized in a format like this can still be a positive thing.

News media expert Parker Newsie acknowledges that media companies are in difficult times. "The landscape of news media is changing and media companies are feeling the pinch, financially. With companies tightening the belt, many feel it's time to consolidate services while still trying to keep the same amount of services. It's understandable why local residents may feel the need to seek other options to keep up to date on local goings on."

It's still unknown as to when the Town Crier news services will begin as the format is still being decided, but the idea seems to have gained positive support from local residents.

Kingston Residents gather near the Lasalle Causeway to Sing "Ode to Joy" to the bridge.

 It's carried them across the water many time and sing its song to them each time. However, like many things, its time has come to an end. The Lasalle Causeway Bridge is being demolished and dismantled this month and, to help mark the bridge's passing, a number of residents in Kingston have gathered to show their appreciation.

In 2012, with the help of musician Jared Coleman, the bridge sang Ode to Joy to customers passing over it. This rendition was recorded and shared on YouTube and has since gathered nearly 10,000 views (9,487 as of this writing). As their way to saying Thank You, residents of Kingston gathered on the Wolfe Island Ferry and sang their hearts out to the song of Ode to Joy while facing the bridge. Afterwards, they cheered and whooped and clapped to show their appreciation in a fond farewell.

One resident, Landon Bridges, said they'll forever be grateful for the bridge for being supportive of them during the times when they needed to cross the water. "Whether I've been driving, walking, or cycling across, the bridge has been there to support me. Sure it's had some tough times, but who hasn't? I just wanted to be here to show my appreciation for the bridge!"

Officials involved in the demolition of the bridge have stated that the demolition of the bridge will not involve explosives, but will instead be dismantled with a series of cranes. It is unknown what kind of bridge will ultimately replace this one, but one proposed idea involved a jump over "sharks with frickin' laser beams" as well as a new Celebrity Sports World entertainment complex. So far, no word on how much consideration this idea is being given.

As for the old bridge, current timeline estimates put the bridge dismantling to finish before July 1st to allow water passage of boats trapped in the harbour. A temporary bridge will be built while the replacement bridge plans are being considered.

Lasalle Causeway actually closed Temporarily to Compose Kingston City Anthem.

Image of The Lasalle Causeway in Kingston, taken from Google Maps

It's been 10 years since Jared Coleman and John Sanfilippo produced "O Canada" using sounds from cars passing through the Lasalle Causeway. Now that the Waaban Crossing is open, City Council has decided it's time for Kingston to have an official anthem and that the Lasalle Causeway sounds are perfect for composing the Kingston Anthem.

Local composer Blake Bridgerton has been hired to compose a short tune that will be played at the start of each City Council meeting as well as various special events taking place in and around City Hall. Once Bridgerton has determined what types of sounds are required for his music, a group of motorists will drive across the closed-off bridge in a pre-determined sequence to produce the required sound. 

While the city will determine when exactly this summer the sounds will be recorded at a later time, Bridgerton has noted that the sound from the Causeway is best recorded during the morning hours and will require uninterrupted access to the bridge for a few hours. Bridgerton stated that impact on traffic should be minimal now that the Waaban Crossing has opened.