Quote:
Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark
Why just yesterday I had to drive downtown during rush hour - no problems whatsoever. So there's that.
Honestly, if a person finds driving in Halifax to be so difficult that they have to be constantly complaining about it, it might be time to consider other methods of getting around. Driving in Halifax isn't that hard to do at any time, especially when you compare it to larger cities like Toronto and Montreal. Just focus on what you're doing, assess the situation, and anticipate what is about to happen so you can be proactive in your driving. It's really as simple as that.
Worst case scenario is that added bus lanes and bicycle lanes might add 10 minutes to your commute - so plan ahead, allow yourself extra time, and be thankful that it doesn't take you 2 hours to travel 10 km, like in a lot of larger cities. Also consider that the added bus service and cycling lanes have the potential to take some car traffic off the roads, thus cancelling out some of the reduced road capacity.
Really, none of this is all that bad.  |
I couldn't agree more.
I know that I come from the pro-cycling side. But I am also an automobile driver, I live on the peninsula and I have been working downtown for 15 years.
Traffic is not bad in the downtown area, considering the factors that I will mention below.
When we think about the real traffic, perhaps it may be better to pin point the actual chokepoints. They are likely those areas where motorists are trying to get on/off the peninsula. Downtown traffic is not the issue unless you are trying to get home from the Parade of Lights.
Factors that really affect downtown traffic are the narrow streets that result from Halifax's historic layout, trucks running between the container piers and buses. There are only bike lanes on Lower Water Street and Hollis Street.
In fact, I fail to see how bike lanes really influence traffic. But if you prefer to focus on bike lanes in order to miss the real problems,...we're all allowed to have our opinions.