General Updates and News

[bluenoser]

Construction appears to be underway on this little boat building workshop + wharfs (part of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic) on the waterfront.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scot...lantic-mi-kmaw-black-immigrant-1.7276313


Source (this rendering may be a bit out of date)


Source

[Dmajackson]

Mount Saint Vincent University has submitted a building permit for it's new CHILD STUDY CENTRE. It will be located at the top of the campus replacing The Meadows building. It will have space for 120 children.

Press Release from 2024

[MonctonDowntown]

The progress of that boat building shop in front of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic referenced two posts up can be viewed from this webcam..

https://www.novascotiawebcams.com/webcams/museum-wharves

[Keith P.]

I've been to the Maritime Museum on the waterfront many times and recognize that it is an older 1960s/70s building, but I always think it is just extremely unimpressive given its prominent location for tourists and the stories it could potentially tell. This latest addition is just more of the same, another shack. They really need a full teardown and rebuild with a much more spacious, better thought-out and better-looking structure there.

[Antigonish]

It appears Andy Fillmore is putting the kibosh on the bike lane network planned for the peninsula. All that work flushed down the drain

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Antigonish

It appears Andy Fillmore is putting the kibosh on the bike lane network planned for the peninsula. All that work flushed down the drain

Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He’s introducing a motion to council on Tuesday to pause tendering on new projects so council can “receive a report listing projects that could impact traffic capacity, along with an exploration of alternative ways to meet our active transportation goals without compromising the flow of buses, commercial vehicles, and private automobiles.”

See first news item here.

The whole thing is written with the assumption that the bike network is going to exacerbate congestion, which is a weird takeaway. But I’m sure the real inspiration behind it is the recent cost estimate increase. Fillmore has proven himself ultra-sensitive to municipal spending, and, as is typical, bike stuff is the first thing to hit the chopping block.

If he gets his way it sounds like we can look forward to the AAA network being reduced in scope and made generally worse/smaller. It sucks, after all these years of delays, to see even our modest network threatened in this way. I already wrote to the mayor and all 16 councillors—ultimately council can reject his motion. Even if they don’t, there will be a fight over this. But it’s incredibly disheartening that here we are, fighting for the survival of the network that council and staff have sworn up and down would be completed, and which is three years overdue already.

[Keith P.]

Well it is hugely over budget, poorly thought-out and designed, and chronically under-used, so it makes sense to pause and take a look. Otherwise it becomes another "Having lost sight of our objectives, we redoubled our efforts" sort of thing. I'm sure the cost of the Sam Sticks, Mason Masts, and concrete curb extensions along must be staggering.

[LikesBikes]

Traffic is bad and we're spending too much money, so let's push people off of bikes - probably the cheapest most efficient mode of transportation after walking. Bloody genius this man is.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I've been to the Maritime Museum on the waterfront many times and recognize that it is an older 1960s/70s building, but I always think it is just extremely unimpressive given its prominent location for tourists and the stories it could potentially tell. This latest addition is just more of the same, another shack. They really need a full teardown and rebuild with a much more spacious, better thought-out and better-looking structure there.

To me this boat house looks nice and I like the fine-grained area around the old brick building and Lower Water Street. It is good to have a mix of larger and smaller buildings and spaces. But I also get what you are saying. The main museum building is small and plain looking and the museum itself could probably use something more impressive like an indoor boat exhibit where you can walk around the whole thing, seeing it up close, comfortably in any weather. It would be interesting to have another older tall ship corresponding to a historical era like the Seven Years' War or when the city was first founded (are we still allowed to celebrate that?).

Halifax played a major role in Canadian history but there isn't much left of that stuff. Imagine if a ship from the conquest of Louisbourg/Quebec were built and a replica of the Great Pontack were built as small attractions. The dockyard clock monument is also a bit unimpressive for what it is; the postmodern base doesn't really key you in to what you are seeing. It looks like a below average version of Midwestern type towns that demolished their 1900 town halls and kept the cupola. But it's not that, it's the oldest public clock in North America.

The surface lot is also out of step with this area. Queen's Marque has a 300 space garage.

[Musicman Halifax]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Well it is hugely over budget, poorly thought-out and designed, and chronically under-used, so it makes sense to pause and take a look. Otherwise it becomes another "Having lost sight of our objectives, we redoubled our efforts" sort of thing. I'm sure the cost of the Sam Sticks, Mason Masts, and concrete curb extensions along must be staggering.

100%. First off we need to figure out transit. It is a monumental mess that nobody seems to want to fix. The other issue that bike lane supporters don’t realize is bike lanes end up costing you more than just the obvious. Take for example s service electrician. If they have to drive around the block 20 times to get that coveted parking spot so he can go fix your heat, do you think they won’t charge for that? At a minimum of 150-175$ per hour it adds up in a hurry. The costs associated with bike lanes is almost all hidden costs that get passed on to the consumer.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by someone123

To me this boat house looks nice and I like the fine-grained area around the old brick building and Lower Water Street. It is good to have a mix of larger and smaller buildings and spaces. But I also get what you are saying. The main museum building is small and plain looking and the museum itself could probably use something more impressive like an indoor boat exhibit where you can walk around the whole thing, seeing it up close, comfortably in any weather. It would be interesting to have another older tall ship corresponding to a historical era like the Seven Years' War or when the city was first founded (are we still allowed to celebrate that?).

Halifax played a major role in Canadian history but there isn't much left of that stuff. Imagine if a ship from the conquest of Louisbourg/Quebec were built and a replica of the Great Pontack were built as small attractions. The dockyard clock monument is also a bit unimpressive for what it is; the postmodern base doesn't really key you in to what you are seeing. It looks like a below average version of Midwestern type towns that demolished their 1900 town halls and kept the cupola. But it's not that, it's the oldest public clock in North America.

The surface lot is also out of step with this area. Queen's Marque has a 300 space garage.

I remember when the clock / structure was unveiled and I was shocked at how shallow the planning was for this important artifact. What’s also disturbing is the poor planning that allowed this to happen persists 30 years later and shows up in areas like the Cogswell Interchange or the allowance of the demolition of the four historic buildings on the corner of Robie and Jubilee.

[Dartguard]

[QUOTE=Antigonish;10437514]It appears Andy Fillmore is putting the kibosh on the bike lane network planned for the peninsula. All that work flushed down the drain [/QUOTE

The real issue is the paltry return on the investment. The planned 54 Kilometer network is 60% complete but has spent 94 Million on a planned 25 Million Dolla r budget. Fillmore also commented in All N.S. that Council members are getting daily calls about congestion AND empty bike lanes. Time to get serious about a Harbour Tunnel,MacKay replacement and serious Transit enhancements.Sorry Bikes,back of the line.

[Keith P.]

[QUOTE=Dartguard;10437907]

Originally Posted by Antigonish

It appears Andy Fillmore is putting the kibosh on the bike lane network planned for the peninsula. All that work flushed down the drain [/QUOTE

The real issue is the paltry return on the investment. The planned 54 Kilometer network is 60% complete but has spent 94 Million on a planned 25 Million Dolla r budget. Fillmore also commented in All N.S. that Council members are getting daily calls about congestion AND empty bike lanes. Time to get serious about a Harbour Tunnel,MacKay replacement and serious Transit enhancements.Sorry Bikes,back of the line.

Could not agree more. This is an artifact of the Mason/Cleary/Austin axis that sent an otherwise deaf dumb and blind Council down the bike path of profligate waste of public funds that the taxpaying public not only did not ask for but in a majority of cases intensely disliked. Thankfully with the leader of that gang removed we can now be allowed to look at alternatives for those funds. Cancelling the ill-advised Macdonald flyover alone would free up funds to allow Transit to make useful changes. Those staff members responsible for these cost overruns should also be removed.

[Summerville]

[QUOTE=Dartguard;10437907]

Originally Posted by Antigonish

It appears Andy Fillmore is putting the kibosh on the bike lane network planned for the peninsula. All that work flushed down the drain [/QUOTE

The real issue is the paltry return on the investment. The planned 54 Kilometer network is 60% complete but has spent 94 Million on a planned 25 Million Dolla r budget. Fillmore also commented in All N.S. that Council members are getting daily calls about congestion AND empty bike lanes. Time to get serious about a Harbour Tunnel,MacKay replacement and serious Transit enhancements.Sorry Bikes,back of the line.

CBC is reporting today that only $16million has been spent. The $94million is probably to do the whole build out.

Fillmore wants to review each future project on a case by case basis

[Dartguard]

[QUOTE=Summerville;10437983]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

CBC is reporting today that only $16million has been spent. The $94million is probably to do the whole build out.

Fillmore wants to review each future project on a case by case basis

I would double check that CBC source. Fillmore apparently can read as well.
The bike overspending is atrocious and will hopefully kill the virtue signalling in our fair City.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scot...-complete-bike-network-by-2028-1.7541584

[JET]

I say stick with the bike lane plan, sooner we get the bridge flyover the better.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by JET

I say stick with the bike lane plan, sooner we get the bridge flyover the better.

The very definition of useless and wasteful spending.

[Drybrain]

[QUOTE=Dartguard;10437907]

Originally Posted by Antigonish

It appears Andy Fillmore is putting the kibosh on the bike lane network planned for the peninsula. All that work flushed down the drain [/QUOTE

The real issue is the paltry return on the investment. The planned 54 Kilometer network is 60% complete but has spent 94 Million on a planned 25 Million Dolla r budget. Fillmore also commented in All N.S. that Council members are getting daily calls about congestion AND empty bike lanes. Time to get serious about a Harbour Tunnel,MacKay replacement and serious Transit enhancements.Sorry Bikes,back of the line.

1. The network is 37 percent complete, and only $16 million has been spent.

2. Ridership has been hitting all-time highs—lanes are busier than ever. As the network grows more complete, these numbers will grow, as has already been happening.

3. The fact that people perceive bike lanes to be empty is irrelevant to the facts (see above). The fact that people perceive bike lanes to be the cause of congestion (which they’re not) is also irrelevant. We can’t make infrastructure and transportation decisions based on people’s vibes.

4. Bike infrastructure is crazy cheap on a per kilometre basis, and there’s no reason it has to go to “the back of the line” behind road and transit spending. Even Fillmore is arguing instead that all modes must be planned in a complementary fashion. He told CBC that he expects most planned bike projects will still go ahead, even with his proposal. (We’ll see about that, of course.)

Look:

Adding more active transport infrastructure is about providing people with choices about how they get around. I can’t really be chill about the holier than thou, “you cyclists are so entitled” BS from certain people on here. Biking is how I mostly transport myself. It’s how I get my kids around. Listening to people argue against modest investment in decent, convenient and safe infrastructure feels quite honestly like people saying “your family’s safety so simply not as important as my (perceived) convenience as a driver.” It’s genuinely enraging.

[DartmouthSteve]

My small 2 cents as a pedestrian, cyclist, and yes, driver- the bike lane/street on Dahlia is always busy. I like seeing bikes go up and down my street. I like that the vast majority of drivers are respectful to these bikers. I often see cars pull over to give a cyclist space. My street is still a "shortcut" street for drivers, so vehicle traffic is still steady.

I realise Dahlia is not like Wyse Road; the level of congestion is very different, but the "bike lanes cause congestion" argument falls a bit flat for me.

I can see the same critics saying "LRTs cause congestion." But maybe I'm wrong.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The very definition of useless and wasteful spending.

Yeah, but it’s my tax money, so what the hell.