Halifax Active Transportation

[fatscat]

Agree with the above in how much sense it makes to see these numbers ... the peninsula is so geographically small (relative to many cities) that it's perfect for getting around on foot. One can run the whole peninsula (loop around it) in around ~22km.

I've been living in Fairview (at the bottom near DVR) and even in the short 4 years I've been here I see myself walking to more places. We have the Superstore a short walk for groceries and a growing amount of retail on DVR (and finally, sidewalks this/next year!). With the upcoming condos to be wrapped up on Joe Howe in the next 1-2 years, we'll see even more ground floor retail, amenities. Then, there's the growth nodes at Mumford and eventually Bayers Rd Centre.

I presume most of those stuck in traffic are coming out of the peninsula, eg Sackville and other areas where commuting by vehicle is the only (sane) option

[OldDartmouthMark]

Three levels of government contributing to active transportation in Lower Sackville, N.S.

The Lower Sackville area in Nova Scotia has access to a new section of trail, according to a news release from the government of Canada on Saturday.

The federal, provincial and municipal governments combined to spend $680,000 to add 1.5 kilometres to Beech Hill Trail, making it a 2.9-kilometre gravel trail in the Sackville Lakes Provincial Park.

The federal government will provide $237,642 in this phase of the project through the Active Transportation Fund (ATF). The provincial government contributed $94,000 and the Halifax Regional Municipality will spend $205,000.

In addition to the contributions from each level of government, The Sackville Lakes Park and Trails Association contributed $136,701 and the Trans Canada Trail contributed $15,000.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Bike lane construction delayed in Halifax after tram lines discovered

Construction on Almon Street in Halifax that started more than a month ago will continue longer than expected after city crews uncovered old tram lines beneath the road.

“In order to remove the tram lines, we had to bring in larger breaking equipment that could cut through the concrete and steel rails,” said Laura Wright, spokesperson for Halifax Regional Municipality(opens in a new tab) (HRM).

The city discovered the tram lines while building bike lanes through Almon Street. Crews have completed one lane, with plans to add another on the opposite side of the street. Construction has restricted traffic on one side of the road.

The city said it is unable to accommodate traffic for safety reasons due to the depth of the tram lines. Closing the road will allow the contractor to backfill gravel during the removal process to restore local access.

FWIW, I'm a little surprised that the City didn't seem to be aware of the location of their old tram lines. It's not like it was secret information...



Tracking Halifax's history: Tram tracks, cobblestone uncovered on Spring Garden Road

[Keith P.]

Geez, if they knew they were there I have to wonder why some bright light within the vast HRM bureaucracy hasn’t proposed reinstating the trams. They would serve far more people than these lanes.

Oh, wait, it’s the HRM bureaucracy. How silly of me.

[Dmajackson]

Might as well just casually throw a photo of Almon Street Bikeway in here.


HalifaxDevelopments.ca (Photo by David Jackson)

[OldDartmouthMark]

That looks really nice!

[Keith P.]

This particular section is the sort of bike lane that should be used more widely if there is any rational case for spending so much tax money. I'm sure it wasn't cheap to relocate and replace the sidewalk there and acquire whatever land was required to do it, but this looks far safer and less intrusive.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

This particular section is the sort of bike lane that should be used more widely if there is any rational case for spending so much tax money. I'm sure it wasn't cheap to relocate and replace the sidewalk there and acquire whatever land was required to do it, but this looks far safer and less intrusive.

Yeah I think this is the kind of install that's good for everyone - drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

It surely costs more, but doing it "right" is the right thing to do. It's nice to see Halifax finally building mature AT infrastructure.

On a related note, the Integrated Mobility Plan dashboard is pretty cool. There do seem to be some short-term data quality issues (was February 3rd REALLY the peak day for the Hollis bike lane??), but the long-term trends are really helpful. This year (2024) is showing as a banner year in the Hollis and South Park data. This certainly aligns with my anecdotal experiences - I now have days where my bike home will have lines of cyclists waiting for a light. I think very shortly--as the core AT network nears completion and as overall traffic gets worse--we're going to see a real tipping point in the number of cyclists.

[DBaz]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Yeah I think this is the kind of install that's good for everyone - drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

I’m in the process of driving down Quebec’s Cote-Nord and I’m surprised how well developed their bike infrastructure is. Much of what I’ve seen is of this type. It’s not a region of the country known for having a lot of extra cash yet they seem to be doing a lot.

It’s hard to argue that Baie-Comeau or Saguenay aren’t cold, windy, snowy, and hilly!

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by DBaz

I’m in the process of driving down Quebec’s Cote-Nord and I’m surprised how well developed their bike infrastructure is. Much of what I’ve seen is of this type. It’s not a region of the country known for having a lot of extra cash yet they seem to be doing a lot.

It’s hard to argue that Baie-Comeau or Saguenay aren’t cold, windy, snowy, and hilly!

Nobody’s denying that. What gets denied is the contention that these things get used a lot.