Halifax Transit

[Keith P.]

I always enjoyed getting one of those because they seemed so new and clean and bright inside. I recall they used a space-age style starburst pattern Formica on the ceiling. I have two distinct memories of them, The first, probably from not too long after they were put into service, was when we lived on Robie St near Young. One of them, unit number 310 (odd the things you remember) was on the hook of a big tow truck going back to the "car barn" further up Young St where NSLP had their trolley storage/maintenance facility, where the Young St Superstore is now. It had taken a hard hit to the nose in a crash somewhere and was pretty beat up. I think I eventually saw it back in service a long time later but I'm not sure.

The second memory was years later in the late '60s. I was in junior high and one afternoon a week we had "Industrial Arts" at a converted school building (Edgewood?) on the corner of Bayers and Connaught, now long gone. I don't know if that program still exists, but back then, one day a week the boys were sent to learn skills like woodworking, metalwork, etc., while the girls had Home Economics where they learned cooking, sewing and the like. How times have changed.

Anyway, a classmate had a major project where they had him build a large coffee table with a frame made from bar steel that he had to weld together, and then attach a wooden top onto, so it covered a lot of different skills. It was maybe 5 feet long and rather heavy but actually turned out nice when all the finishes were applied. At the end of term it was done and he had to get it home. Maybe there were other options, but he approached me to help him carry it over to the the bus stop on Connaught near the corner and get it to where he lived in the North End. We were wondering as we carried it over to the stop if we could even get on the bus with it. But it was mid-afternoon when the NSLP fishbowl arrived, and the driver gave us a long look before telling us to bring it aboard and take it all the way to the back since it was pretty empty at that time of day. We took it all the way to the rear and fit it in the aisle and succeeded in our task. Amazing to look back on now.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

... I recall they used a space-age style starburst pattern Formica on the ceiling...

Too bad it seems like we've lost whimsy when implementing public infrastructure these days

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The second memory was years later in the late '60s. I was in junior high and one afternoon a week we had "Industrial Arts" at a converted school building (Edgewood?) on the corner of Bayers and Connaught, now long gone. I don't know if that program still exists, but back then, one day a week the boys were sent to learn skills like woodworking, metalwork, etc., while the girls had Home Economics where they learned cooking, sewing and the like. How times have changed.

These programs still exist, and have instead just adapted to not be separated by gender, and hence you don't take them for an entire year. For example, my junior high aged son is currently doing wood working this term, and will have a cooking class in the winter term. He has previous had a term of sewing, a term on computer coding, etc. It is basically a grab bag that varies by term so that they all get exposure to each during the junior high period.

I am glad that at this educational stage that they still do get some of this, as practical stuff like this could otherwise be lost. Obviously once you hit HS then things have to focus academically depending on interests, but in JHS it is great that all students learn things like how to cook, how to build things, how to do basically computer coding, etc.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

Thanks for the flashbacks, Mark. Those GM fishbowls were a treat to ride when they were new. And Halifax Transit's first livery, in purple and orange, positively screamed early-70s design.

The 400-series T6H4521 models weren't the first GM fishbowls in Halifax. Those were the TDH4519s acquired by predecessor Nova Scotia Light and Power in 1963. Numbered 301-312, they were repainted for Halifax Transit in 1969 and retained their original numbers. They were the only non-electric transit vehicles NSLP owned (well, since the last horse cars were retired in 1896).


Image credit: David A, Wyatt, University of Manitoba

The photo above, of NSLP 309 on route 8 Bicentennial, was shot just over two months before the city assumed transit operations. The buildings behind are 1895 and 1889 Granville Street. Miller Bros. was a long-lived (c. 1867) supplier of pianos, organs, sewing machines and phonographs. S.S. Keddy & Sons, barber and beauty supplies -- I find the Glidden Paints sign amusing -- is another venerable business. I don't know when it began but it apparently survives today as Eastern Esthetics at 19 Crane Lake Drive, according to a Facebook post by current owner, Susan Keddy.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Too bad it seems like we've lost whimsy when implementing public infrastructure these days

I keep hoping that modernist minimalism will one of these years be replaced by something more creative, and yes, whimsical. Still hoping…

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by beyeas

These programs still exist, and have instead just adapted to not be separated by gender, and hence you don't take them for an entire year. For example, my junior high aged son is currently doing wood working this term, and will have a cooking class in the winter term. He has previous had a term of sewing, a term on computer coding, etc. It is basically a grab bag that varies by term so that they all get exposure to each during the junior high period.

I am glad that at this educational stage that they still do get some of this, as practical stuff like this could otherwise be lost. Obviously once you hit HS then things have to focus academically depending on interests, but in JHS it is great that all students learn things like how to cook, how to build things, how to do basically computer coding, etc.

Myself and a few of my friends (all male) elected to take a term of home ec in JH. We had all gone through the metal shop, woodworking, electronics, etc and wanted something different, maybe learn a skill like cooking that we could carry into our bachelor years some day. Overall, other than “mock chop suey” it was a good experience. That was decades ago, so not a new thing.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Myself and a few of my friends (all male) elected to take a term of home ec in JH. We had all gone through the metal shop, woodworking, electronics, etc and wanted something different, maybe learn a skill like cooking that we could carry into our bachelor years some day. Overall, other than “mock chop suey” it was a good experience. That was decades ago, so not a new thing.

Cool. When I went through JH in the 80s it was a transition point. In grades 7 & 8 the boys all took shop class and the girls all took home ec, but in grade 9 you could choose which one you wanted to do for the year. Most guys did shop class, but my memory was that the guys who did home ec were more driven by the opportunity to be with the girls for an hour every week. haha

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by beyeas

Cool. When I went through JH in the 80s it was a transition point. In grades 7 & 8 the boys all took shop class and the girls all took home ec, but in grade 9 you could choose which one you wanted to do for the year. Most guys did shop class, but my memory was that the guys who did home ec were more driven by the opportunity to be with the girls for an hour every week. haha

Smart guys!

[someone123]

"Province to Explore Solutions for Halifax Peninsula Traffic Congestion"
https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/1...fic-congestion

It seems like this is more quick fixes like changing lane markings. And it might have a political aspect with the anti-bike stuff. Hopefully it won't include reactionary interventions that cripple the bike network for dubious gains for vehicle traffic.

There's a bit of an irony in that the province chipped in for an LRT study for CBRM but seems to be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic for peninsular Halifax.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

"Province to Explore Solutions for Halifax Peninsula Traffic Congestion"
https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/1...fic-congestion

It seems like this is more quick fixes like changing lane markings. And it might have a political aspect with the anti-bike stuff. Hopefully it won't include reactionary interventions that cripple the bike network for dubious gains for vehicle traffic.

There's a bit of an irony in that the province chipped in for an LRT study for CBRM but seems to be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic for peninsular Halifax.

Really incredible how useless this all appears to be. I imagine it will involve fiddling with one ways, some HOV lane proposals and maybe some of the AI-enabled traffic light rejiggering they mentioned earlier this year. Basically, incremental fixes to move a few cars through a little bit faster, rather than any kind of transformative investment in transit, for example.

I definitely don't expect it to recommend any kind of active transportation improvements, but I agree; I certainly hope it doesn't seek to intervene in the network that already exists/is planned.

[someone123]

The province could have enabled the implementation of one or more BRT corridors now with bus lanes and signal priority, instead of studying studies for years and dabbling in municipal traffic planning.

If they wanted to get involved maybe they should have pushed forward something to do with the Windsor Street Exchange. That whole area from the 102 across Joseph Howe and the MacKay is overly convoluted.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

The province could have enabled the implementation of one or more BRT corridors now with bus lanes and signal priority, instead of studying studies for years and dabbling in municipal traffic planning.

I really wish I had someone with insider knowledge to explain why this simple option is such a non-starter. Is it simply that it's not their idea? I'm baffled.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

I really wish I had someone with insider knowledge to explain why this simple option is such a non-starter. Is it simply that it's not their idea? I'm baffled.

I don't know but I wonder if it is study paralysis and the goal of having a good regional transportation plan and authority. Then there's the "if Halifax gets X, all of NS needs X" impulse which complicates everything.

It's true that HRM dropped the ball on regional transportation, they didn't do a good job of matching land use to infrastructure, they have no clue about what to do in the long run, and the problem is more acute due to population growth. However, I don't think it is a good idea to stop all significant transit development while that is figured out. It would be completely reasonable to invest in a couple of BRT corridors right now. If they end up not being exactly the long-term focus in the plan they'll still be useful and they're not expensive.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

I was happy to see the Wright's Cove transit terminal mentioned in the press this week. Apparently construction will happen sometime in 2026. It seems the delay in getting it built may have added about $2,000,000.00 to the cost. Sigh.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

I don't know but I wonder if it is study paralysis and the goal of having a good regional transportation plan and authority. Then there's the "if Halifax gets X, all of NS needs X" impulse which complicates everything.

It's true that HRM dropped the ball on regional transportation, they didn't do a good job of matching land use to infrastructure, they have no clue about what to do in the long run, and the problem is more acute due to population growth. However, I don't think it is a good idea to stop all significant transit development while that is figured out. It would be completely reasonable to invest in a couple of BRT corridors right now. If they end up not being exactly the long-term focus in the plan they'll still be useful and they're not expensive.

On the ground, as one who doesn’t live on the peninsula and has experienced traffic growth that anecdotally followed relatively quick and massive population growth, I do wonder whether the idea of lopping off a traffic lane to facilitate a BRT corridor and thus coerce people to use the bus has been overly successful thus far. I suspect, again from anecdotal conversations, that quality of life has decreased substantially for many living in HRM in recent years, and that this is a factor in it.

IMHO, planned or not, the provincial government did proclaim a desire to double the population of NS in recent years, yet had no tangible plan to improve infrastructure significantly. HRM did no better, and the feds were tossing cookies for the cameras while opening the back door to vastly boost population while people were looking the other way. Failure on all three levels of government, and now really the province seems to be the only one who has noticed that something is wrong.

When can we start to think big around here? Let’s have LRT that runs on its own ROW, not pinching off existing traffic lanes and running overhead or underground in critical areas. Don’t blame active transportation, facilitate it while understanding that it is not a solution unto itself, but a necessary concession for the safety of those who choose to travel by that method, and not the mass solution for traffic ailments that some would like us to believe.

There’s lots of work to be done, as this type of system would take decades to complete, so now’s the time to be bold, and come up with a plan that will actually make a difference. In the meantime, what the heck is going on with the ’fast ferries’? There were estimates of a 2026 rollout but now we find that there are struggles with obtaining the land to do it? This might be the best way for the province to intervene and get some shovels in the ground. The harbour is already there, so all we need is boats and terminals, and a way to get to them. Let’s get er going!

[someone123]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I do wonder whether the idea of lopping off a traffic lane to facilitate a BRT corridor and thus coerce people to use the bus has been overly successful thus far.

To be fair though this isn't the original extent of the HRM plan or even all that has been implemented. The HRM plan involved expanding corridors like Bayers Rd and Robie and putting buses in new dedicated lanes. I'm generally against lane-widening, but it can be justified when planned or when there are small bottlenecks that would enable much larger corridors. And fundamentally it's just obvious the city can't forever be limited to whatever road infrastructure it had in 1990. There are other solutions like reversing lanes that aren't zero sum. Quinpool reversing lanes have been discussed for decades.

I agree there should be more ambition. The more I think about it, the more I think Halifax would do well with a streetcar system that transforms into something like LRT serving outer areas (like Lacewood). It could operate in a mix of modalities; some tunnels and elevated portions, some mixed traffic, some mixed transit lane with bus, and a grass-covered portion around the Commons. Some areas could do cut-and-cover tunnels with surface stations with relatively short platforms to remove bottlenecks but keep costs down.

[eastcoastal]

I heard on the radio this morning that 24/7 bus service to the airport is coming. This feels positive-slash-optimistic.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I heard on the radio this morning that 24/7 bus service to the airport is coming. This feels positive-slash-optimistic.

I suspect that the bus service will still be directed at airport/airport area workers rather than travelers.

Being in Athens/Piraeus recently I discovered that their airport is perhaps twice the distance from the city as YHZ is from Halifax. Cost is about 90 or more euros for taxi/transfer....OR, 9 euros on the subway. From the Piraeus end to the other end at the Athens airport it's 26 stops and 1 hour and 10 minutes duration. ...and they provide luggage racks.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

I'm posting a couple of pics of the tram in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. This city has a population of about 200,000. These trams run fairly frequently in both directions on a single line. Envy.

PXL_20260129_151324565.MP by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr


PXL_20260129_151240417.MP by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr


Beautiful city in the warmest area of the EU in January.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

I'm posting a couple of pics of the tram in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. This city has a population of about 200,000. These trams run fairly frequently in both directions on a single line. Envy.

It is worth pointing out that they only have around 2/3 the GDP per capita of NS, so "we can't afford luxuries like this" arguments fall a bit flat.

I think streetcars would work well in Halifax, and the roadblocks are more to do with underfunding and narrow utilitarianism than anything else. There would be a big payoff to having a more attractive, quieter, more comfortable mode of transit for backbone routes, but such things often don't register.