The company that manages the ION system has safety reminders for motorists

If you come across any malfunctioning LRT crossing arms, don't try to force the gates open or attempt to drive around them.

That's the message from Keolis, the company that manages our local ION system.

"In cases where you see flashing lights but the gates have not descended, please do not attempt to cross," said Spokesperson Gurjeet Kaur in an e-mail statement.

Kaur added the gates are designed to be "fail safe".

"Which means if a fault is detected then the gates, lights, and bells will remain active as the system cannot determine if it is safe for motor vehicles to proceed. If the gates remain down, the light rail vehicle is unaffected, however, our operators may not be aware of the issue."

Kaur said Keolis can see the status of each LRT gate, and monitors the system for such issues.

"Along with our operators, we are also notified by other agencies that are impacted by this kind of malfunction. Faults can be caused by many different reasons. As various factors impact the functioning of gates, it can take some time to diagnose the exact cause and implement a remedy."

If you have any concerns regarding the functionality of the LRT gates, you're encouraged to contact the Region of Waterloo at 519-575-4400.



The safety reminders come after a dangerous situation was reported in Waterloo on Monday. Callers to 570 NEWS said motorists were getting out of their cars and trying to force open the LRT gates so cars could drive through.