Bayers Road widening: chance for new direction
Once in a while, we get a great opportunity to really think about a new direction for Halifax Regional Municipality: Will we continue down our current path of widening major arterial roads or will we embark on an ambitious and progressive program of supporting sustainable transportation — public transit, cycling infrastructure, commuter rail, ferry service and sidewalks?
Two decisions before regional council this fall will set the direction for this debate: the recommendations to accept the Road Network Functional Plan that includes the planned widening of Bayers Road, and the proposed establishment of a Transportation Reserve Corridor on Bayers Road that will define the lines where the future widening would take place.
Two compelling reasons for changing to a sustainable transportation agenda are the economics of road widening and the necessity of strengthening the urban core as a place to live.
The economics of road widenings are complex. Road construction and maintenance are staggeringly huge financial commitments. The projected costs in 2009 dollars for the Bayers Road widening (CN overpass to Windsor Street) are $16 million for construction and $5 million for land acquisition. The projected cost for the whole Highway 102/Bayers Road widening is $292 million, not including land acquisition. Costs of road construction are hard to predict, as we have just seen with the $5-million overexpenditure of the Washmill Court underpass.
With steadily increasing oil prices, it does not make economic sense to be planning road widenings when most employees may not be able to afford to travel in a private car. When we choose this direction, we severely limit our ability to ensure reliable transportation options for our economy in the future.
New and widened roads may not meet the needs of future commuters, but we seldom challenge ourselves to look at other options. Instead, we often bemoan the expense of public transit as a subsidy benefiting just a few and treat active transportation as a frill. At the household level, every time a resident chooses not to own a car or not to use one, it means more disposable income in their pocket to support other economic activity in our municipality. The real costs of subsidizing the private car at a community and personal level rarely enter the debate.
Central to the future planning direction of HRM is to make our community more sustainable. One important step in achieving this is to encourage more people to live in the urban core: This saves costs since it maximizes the use of existing infrastructure and it reduces our overall environmental footprint. The key phrase describing this goal is building vibrant, affordable communities where people live, work and play.
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