Halifax Transit

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by kzt79

Representative of the city's approach to almost any sort of progress or positive change.

My 3 years living in the Halifax area showed me that they think they area small town and to admit they aren't means doing "big city" things

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

My 3 years living in the Halifax area showed me that they think they area small town and to admit they aren't means doing "big city" things

Aren't you glad you live somewhere so much better now?

Not up for Halifax bashing, as it's still a great place to live. The transit situation needs to be fixed, though. Soon.

[someone123]

I remember an attitude that it's not a big city and it doesn't change much so there isn't much need to do anything bold or adapt quickly. I wonder how many public servants are still around from that era and still have the same attitude even though the city is growing very quickly right now.

I was looking at some old HRM plans and last year's Statistics Canada estimate for Halifax's population is what they projected for 2031. That projection was used as the basis for cost-benefit analysis for commuter rail. I would guess transportation is already to the point where there will be major traffic issues before anything can be done. The province is partly to blame for that as they have dragged their heels on funding transit projects.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Aren't you glad you live somewhere so much better now?

Not up for Halifax bashing, as it's still a great place to live. The transit situation needs to be fixed, though. Soon.

Better?
I live somewhere smaller, but I'd hope that once my area reached a population of 400,000 that it would not still try to act like it is a small town.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by kzt79

I don't believe a word from Mason or anyone else (with the city) on this subject. They are 100% lying, as they have already done for years and years.

Not believing anything spouted by Mason is always a wise course of action.

[bartekci]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Better?
I live somewhere smaller, but I'd hope that once my area reached a population of 400,000 that it would not still try to act like it is a small town.

Not sure why this narrative is still being shared. We are not zoned for a small town within the regional centre (yes, we could be taller, but there's plenty to build once other constraints are removed)

And the new regional plan has suburbs growing, not maintaining any sort of quaint small-town feel. The battle for small-town feel will likely play out in Lunenburg County and similar. To that I say, let them keep it!

[Keith P.]

I have 2 Transit stories that come to mind, one recent, one from a long time ago.

The recent one was seeing on social media that the Great Transit Ticket Shortage of Summer 2023 at the 47 vendors that sell the things was in part due to the one person who works at Transit World HQ in Burnside being away from the office for a while and so he could not do his job of ferrying tickets to the vendors - something that was stated as normally requiring only 3 days or so for them to handle after getting word that a vendor was out of inventory and needed a new supply, remarkable in itself - until he got back. A totally normal way of dealing with a regularly-occurring issue of course, at least if you are an organization that operates with no regard for customer needs.

My old story is still worth retelling as I suspect it has not changed in decades. When I first moved to Dartmouth in the late '90s I was not concerned with getting to and from work in DT Halifax every weekday as I lived within 1 block of a bus stop and my workplace was on a transit route too. My eyes were opened early on. The morning bus to DT was almost always jammed, often way off schedule, and usually you had to be a standee for at least part of the trip. But the real eye-opener was coming back to Dartmouth after 5PM. The buses often simply did not show on Barrington for a very long time past their due time until you would get 2 or even 3 arriving bumper to bumper with each other. Usually the first one was a sardine can while the ones following were empty. Hmmm.

Quickly growing tired of dealing with that, I realized that I could take the ferry and avoid it all. Big mistake. The ferry itself was fine, keeping a dependable schedule, and seldom crowded at the end of the day. The problem was getting from the DT Dartmouth ferry terminal to the area I needed to get to near MM Mall. It was virtually impossible. I would exit the terminal and cross the street to the stop in front of Queens Square and stand in the cold and wind for at least 30 minutes or more every time, while watching innumerable buses traveling in the opposite direction on the other side of the street. Once one going my way did show up, it only would take me to the old Sportsplex "terminal" with more standing around in the open air until the proper bus arrived. It would usually take me over an hour to get home via this route, so it was no improvement.

Frustrated, I wrote an email to Transit suggesting that their Dartmouth connections from the ferry to the bus system northbound needed some adjustment to better synchronize their services. I remember after a week or two getting a response written by a secretary or admin assistant to the bossman at the time. She explained who she was and that she was writing to me upon his direction. She then went on with what I suspect was a verbatim transcription of what he had told her, which was that due to the rigid union work rules, an uncooperative workforce, and what he considered an inadequate budget, it would be impossible to solve the problem in our lifetimes. It read as though he had simply given up. It was a remarkable display of someone who was supposedly in charge simply throwing up their hands.

I suspect that things have not changed much there. The entire organization needs to be dismantled and the system rebuilt from scratch.

[Keith P.]

Even though Transit has no modern or convenient alternative for payment of a fare, they have nice-looking signage advising of that fact:

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Better?
I live somewhere smaller, but I'd hope that once my area reached a population of 400,000 that it would not still try to act like it is a small town.

Sorry, it just seems like a strange comment as Halifax seems anything but a small town to me these days. Sure, there are struggles (like any city), and the state of transit has been a frustration for many of us for years, but the "small town" narrative is becoming a little tiresome. I don't know how long ago you lived here, but perhaps you are due for a visit to experience it for yourself again, before you throw shade at the entire city because you lived here for 3 years and didn't like it.

[MonctonRad]

So, if you rushed onto a Halifax bus and shoved a $20 bill in the drivers hand and said "keep the change", would they still force you to get off the bus???

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Even though Transit has no modern or convenient alternative for payment of a fare, they have nice-looking signage advising of that fact:

This is quite ridiculous, as who even keeps spare change anymore. Plus, the fare being $2.75 means that you always have to have at least 3 quarters with you or a pocket full of mixed change. I don't even carry change anymore, FWIW, I do everything by cc.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Even though Transit has no modern or convenient alternative for payment of a fare, they have nice-looking signage advising of that fact:

Yeah, I suppose the poor min.waged security staff, with no power to fix it got tired of being grossed out by tourists asking for change over and over all day long

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

So, if you rushed onto a Halifax bus and shoved a $20 bill in the drivers hand and said "keep the change", would they still force you to get off the bus???

Nah, you can definitely overfare. Used to do this in a pinch with a five and pay for my friend too, back in the $1.65 days ( BTW that farw was fun to find exact change for)

I remember the transfers used to have an "overfare" reciept on the back. Presumably you could overpay and have the driver fill it out so you could claim the difference? Never saw anyone use it. Maybe it was for appearances alone.

[bartekci]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I suspect that things have not changed much there. The entire organization needs to be dismantled and the system rebuilt from scratch.

For once, I agree with Keith. It is clear the issues within Hfx Transit are deeply systemic and they begin at the top. No one is keeping these managers, directors, etc. accountable and they are likely friendly with city councillors and other leaders, so the necessary voices will not speak up.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by fatscat

For once, I agree with Keith. It is clear the issues within Hfx Transit are deeply systemic and they begin at the top. No one is keeping these managers, directors, etc. accountable and they are likely friendly with city councillors and other leaders, so the necessary voices will not speak up.

Sounds like the time is ripe to disband Halifax Transit and replace it with a provincially run Halifax Regional Transit Authority with responsibility for the management of bus, regional rail, ferry and LRT on the peninsula, within the greater HRM and extending to the northern Annapolis Valley, Lunenburg County and Truro. The emphasis of this new authority should be on efficiency and interconnectivity of the different modalities at play.

- LRT/tram on the peninsula
- bus for the inner suburbs
- ferry for harbour connections to Dartmouth and Bedford
- commuter rail for the exurbs and central Nova Scotia.

Blow the whole God damned thing up.

Keith is right.

[GTG_78]

Originally Posted by someone123

I remember an attitude that it's not a big city and it doesn't change much so there isn't much need to do anything bold or adapt quickly. I wonder how many public servants are still around from that era and still have the same attitude even though the city is growing very quickly right now.

As someone who had to work with HRM staff in a professional capacity until recently: parochialism is a concern, though the problem is more prevalent with senior managers and councillors.

Mason is an excellent example: he is a professionally unpleasant person who appears to believe that Halifax has a population of 100,000 and that residents are ungrateful and do not recognize all the hard work he and the other councillors do.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

Nah, you can definitely overfare. Used to do this in a pinch with a five and pay for my friend too, back in the $1.65 days ( BTW that farw was fun to find exact change for)

I remember the transfers used to have an "overfare" reciept on the back. Presumably you could overpay and have the driver fill it out so you could claim the difference? Never saw anyone use it. Maybe it was for appearances alone.

I remember that too. They offered the overfare slip for a long time but yeah I doubt many people used it since you needed to submit it to the main transit office which seems like more bother than losing a little cash. There probably were a few of those "It's my money and you're not getting it" types who would go through an unlimited amount of bother to recoup 1 cent. Anyone who has ever worked in customer service has met at least one.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by fatscat

Not sure why this narrative is still being shared. We are not zoned for a small town within the regional centre (yes, we could be taller, but there's plenty to build once other constraints are removed)

And the new regional plan has suburbs growing, not maintaining any sort of quaint small-town feel. The battle for small-town feel will likely play out in Lunenburg County and similar. To that I say, let them keep it!

It isn't about tall buildings. It isn't about having cookie cutter housing.
It is about the fact that simple things that make bigger cities more livable, Halifax seems to ignore. However, if you compare the livability of a small town, and then compare it to Halifax, it starts to look too close to it. For instance, a bridge that is over 50 years old is not new. And, if in 50 years, you cannot build another crossing, you are not keeping up with the traffic. Especially when the other one was built only 15 years earlier.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Sorry, it just seems like a strange comment as Halifax seems anything but a small town to me these days. Sure, there are struggles (like any city), and the state of transit has been a frustration for many of us for years, but the "small town" narrative is becoming a little tiresome. I don't know how long ago you lived here, but perhaps you are due for a visit to experience it for yourself again, before you throw shade at the entire city because you lived here for 3 years and didn't like it.

How long have you lived there?
Where else have you lived?
My 80 year old father who lived most of his life in our hometown says things like that too. Doesn't mean he is right.

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Sounds like the time is ripe to disband Halifax Transit and replace it with a provincially run Halifax Regional Transit Authority with responsibility for the management of bus, regional rail, ferry and LRT on the peninsula, within the greater HRM and extending to the northern Annapolis Valley, Lunenburg County and Truro. The emphasis of this new authority should be on efficiency and interconnectivity of the different modalities at play.

- LRT/tram on the peninsula
- bus for the inner suburbs
- ferry for harbour connections to Dartmouth and Bedford
- commuter rail for the exurbs and central Nova Scotia.

Blow the whole God damned thing up.

Keith is right.

The problem is then you have the small town provincial agency. So, unless it is run by someone from one of the 3 largest urban centres in Canada, it won't work.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

So, if you rushed onto a Halifax bus and shoved a $20 bill in the drivers hand and said "keep the change", would they still force you to get off the bus???

Yes. Exactly my experience. Knowing that a car would be $80 ish I was happy to hand over a $20. With a smile I was told 'exact change only' or leave the bus.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by GTG_78

Mason is an excellent example: he is a professionally unpleasant person who appears to believe that Halifax has a population of 100,000 and that residents are ungrateful and do not recognize all the hard work he and the other councillors do.

His personal manner is equally unpleasant: smug, arrogant, condescending, an expert on anything, and the smartest person in any room according to his own mind.

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

For instance, a bridge that is over 50 years old is not new. And, if in 50 years, you cannot build another crossing, you are not keeping up with the traffic. Especially when the other one was built only 15 years earlier.

I have long found the entire "new bridge" thing to be baffling. Unless you are over 60 years old you probably only remember Halifax having 2 harbor bridges, so it makes no sense, yet people continue to use this moniker. I have no idea why. It's not as if "MacKay" is some unpronounceable term.

The intransigence of HRM to the idea of a 3rd harbor crossing is a big drawback. I believe it was over a decade ago that HHB floated the idea of a 3rd harbor crossing in the south end connecting to Woodside. The ink was barely dry on the documents when the mayor immediately dismissed it by stating we did not need it, and it gained zero momentum as a result. There was no basis for such a statement other than a desire to avoid change and maintain the status quo, a typical small-town mindset. We are now paying for that move. The same can be said for the never-ending mismanagement of Transit. I would not support a provincial agency to replace them as they are no better and in many cases even less responsive and more bureaucratic than HRM. But transit does need to be completely blown up, something I have been saying here for a long time. The organization needs a total restructure, the deadwood pruned, and new client-centric management brought in to ensure that it does not continue to exist just to satisfy its own workforce.