[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by someone123

There is a staff report from 2020 and I think this was essentially approved by council:
https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/200526rc917.pdf

Around page 45 they show detailed maps. Looks like around 2/3 of the BRT routes will be in 2-way transit lanes. I would guess that these lanes will generally have signal priority where it makes sense, plus some stretches beyond would have it too.

Thank you for the link. I am trying to figure out what they will do for Robie and Chebucto roads as they were 3 lanes, last I remembered. They want to take 2 lanes away. It'll be interesting how they do it.

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I wasn't thinking about a plan that fit the city's existing budget. I was thinking about what kind of higher-order transit would probably offer the best solution for Halifax's transportation issues.

I don't think rail is feasible off the downtown peninsula unless it's lower-cost commuter rail or low investment "rapid transit" like the Trillium Line in Ottawa along the CNR line that goes along the west side of Bedford Basin.

At the same time, I don't think a bus solution is ideal for the Halifax peninsula, given the dense, urban built form and narrow right of ways.

And, finally, I think extensive grade separation is too hard to justify from a cost perspective.

So, I think the best solution is a circular LRT that is a mix of at-grade LRT along urban corridors, use of the grade-separated CNR ROW as much as possible on the western leg, and some strategically placed elevated or short cut and cover tunnel sections to get past heavily-trafficked intersections.

This isn't cheap, but given the rate at which Halifax is growing and the fact that it is pushing a lot of that growth into a dense urban core with few transportation links of any kind, this is the kind of investment that will have to be made eventually.

PS: Express ferries are a great idea, and very low hanging fruit, although they don't get people from downtown to all the trip generators that are a bit inland.

Outside of downtown, and except for a few roads, surface LRT could work. It are those spots that it won't that will only make traffic worse.

Originally Posted by biguc

This is exactly how I've thought of the CNR ROW. I think VIA offered to run commuter service along it, which is not a bad idea. That said, the ferries should pick off a lot of the riders that would use that service (and I agree, the ferries are a great idea). Anything more involved than that or something Trillium-esque, and Halifax isn't ready. But down the line, service to Sackville and the airport, even around the Basin will look awful good using that ROW.

Your peninsula circle line, though, is an interesting idea. If I had my druthers I'd probably build a few tram lines now, plan for some kind of commuter rail on the CNR ROW in the medium term, and in the long run turn it into a real metro ring. Other than a new rail bridge to Dartmouth, I have a hard time seeing Halifax ever needing much more.

3rd Harbour crossing?
This is where I can agree with most of it. I am still stuck on surface LRT on those tight areas.

Originally Posted by biguc

This is it for me: I am ignoring congestion. The point should be moving people, period. If some people want to sit around in cars, going nowhere, that's their problem. We can't build our way out of congestion by worrying about drivers--they'll just drive more. So, take away road space and use it for more efficient transportation.

This has serious knock-on effects: cities get quieter, cleaner, safer, more spacious, more prosperous. For everyone whose identity isn't wrapped up in a steel box, it's nothing but a win.

Boston is a fine American city, but it's a bit big and American for direct Halifax inspo. I'd go for Rostock.

If I were to ignore congestion, sure, LRT galore.... But this is not Toronto downtown where that is feasible. I am working in the real world where politicians are going to try to get voted in with the plan.

I'll give you that the port is about the same length, but it appears the downtown cores are at opposite ends of the port. That makes any bridge or tunnel that much harder.

Originally Posted by someone123

For what it's worth I follow the city's transit in a bit of detail (though haven't been back in a few years) and this is my take too.

While the CN ROW is promising I don't think it'll work out in the near term, though you never know what might happen years down the line, and we don't really know why the recent commuter rail discussions fell apart because all of the CN stuff was in camera. I also think it's relatively politically challenging for Halifax to implement a peninsula-specific transit strategy (transit discussion there traditionally went down a bizarre "what about Truro and Musquodoboit?" blind alley), even though it makes complete sense, but that could change too. The 2020 transit plan is not something I would have predicted in 2018. The population on the peninsula is going up a lot and the metro are is becoming more urban-focused over time. The extreme suburban focus has diminished over time since amalgamation. I tend to think that the metro should try to support different lifestyles, whether that's people living in quasi-rural areas with no transit or urban areas where transit is important. Trying to provide the same services levels everywhere is not going to work well. Hopefully people can accept that an area that pays 100x more taxes per acre might have better transit.

I agree. However, I also feel that getting some commuter rail going on existing lines, and future planning new lines on old ROW or on new ROW is something that should be planned and started in the next 20 years.