Halifax Active Transportation

[Dmajackson]

This is the current state of a main artery in Halifax right now. The first photo shows the desperate attempt by an adajcent landowner (NOT HRM!) to make the road slightly safer. Most of the "sidewalk" is just a dirt path worn into grass. From the upper rail crossing to Windmill Road there are at least four spots where pedestrians are forced onto the road. The second photo shows the current state of an intersection along this stretch. The pedestrian button is almost impossible to reach and it gives no time to cross the parking lot entrance. I would post a third photo but the subject matter is too disgusting for anyone to be thinking about.

[Jstaleness]

That's the corner of MacDonald and Wright Ave. isn't it? They used to take way better care of that than what I see here. It's not a high traffic area for pedestrians compared to other places but that mess is only going to discourage it more.

I think I found a hobbie if I ever win the lotto. Travel around HRM with my wipper snipper and help the needy intersections.

[Dmajackson]

Just received this in my email;

Dear AT Advisory Committee,

This is an invitation to the above Public Information Session. If you could forward this to anyone who you think may be interested, that would be appreciated. Thanks.

As part of the Highway 107 Burnside to Bedford project, a new 5km Active Transportation Corridor will be constructed between Akerley Blvd. and Rocky Lake Road. This will mean new opportunities for cycling, walking, in-line skating and wheeling and a connection between Bedford/Sackville and Burnside/Dartmouth.

Provincial and Municipal staff will make a short presentation on the corridor and will be available to discuss the route and other Active Transportation initiatives in Burnside. Everyone is welcome to attend.

This is a joint project of the Province of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Regional Municipality and will be a key connection in the Region’s Active Transportation network.

When: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Where: Best Western Plus Dartmouth Hotel & Suites,
15 Spectacle Lake Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

[Dmajackson]

^Just bumping the post above .... I'll be in attendance so I hope to see some of you there.

[Empire]

Does anyone know why there are no traffic cams in Halifax?

Lazy HRM traffic staff?
Uninformed HRM planning/traffic depts.?
No budget?

Prime locations............

- Both bridges...cameras already there
- 111 ...three locations
- Bedford Hwy. 5 locations
- Robie 3 locations
- Quinpool 2 locations
- Barrngton 4 locations
- Portland St. 3 locations
- Windmill Rd.
- Cole Hbr. Rd.
- Main St.
- Dunbrack
- Bi Hi
- 20 0ther locations

[Dmajackson]

So I went to the meeting on the Burnside-Sackville trail and I am pleased to say it was well attended. Most of the active transportation people with HRM were in attendance there seemed to be almost unanimous support for the corridor.

The initial plan is for a 4m trail about 10m from the travel lanes. There will be a barrier between the travel lanes and trail. They are also considering lighting and winter maintenance. The surface will be paved by the province.

There are no plans finalized for connections in Bedford/Sackville but in Burnside the trail along Burnside Drive is expected to be complete by the opening of the highway. This will connect the pedway over the Circ with Rocky Lake Road in Bedford. The plans call for roundabouts at the three intersections along Duke Street all of which will allow safe AT movements in some manner.

Here's a PDF showing the proposed roundabouts at Exit 4C on the Bi-Hi

[Empire]

Is there any way to fire the UARB?

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/70672-shut-out-ns-party-bus-thrives-nb

[Dmajackson]

Some tidbits from the last few months;

- Dunbrack Street now has bicycle lanes from Lacewood - Langbrae. This adds onto the existing pair from Lacewood to Willett.

- A new ~$50'000 path will be built on the west side of Trollope Street (along the tennis courts and Commons).

- "puck" detector loops are being introduced to HRM. The first site is Bell @ Trollope @ Summer. These dectectors are sensitive enough for cyclists to trigger and are clearly painted at intersections.

- The Mainland North Linear Parkway is planning its southern extension to Washmill Lake Drive (from its current end at Main Street).

- new "pedestrian bridge" will be built at Moirs Brook on the Bedford Highway (at Mill Cove). Construction starts next week.

- Phase I of the Burnside Trail is well under construction and should be completed soon. This links the Hwy 111 pedway at Highfield Park Drive to Commodore Drive. Next year this will extend to Wright Avenue and eventually along the 107 extension to Duke/Glendale in Bedford/Sackville.

[Dmajackson]

All are welcome to attend the following public consultation meetings on the proposed Sackville Greenway Trail:

Date: Monday Oct. 1, 2012
Location: Knox United Church on Sackville Drive
Time: 2:30 – 8:30 PM

Date: Wednesday Oct. 10, 2012
Location: Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church on Sackville Drive
Time: 2:30 – 8:30 PM

Sackville Greenway Website

Sackville Greenway Development Plan

Online Survey

This is one of HRM's Top 5 active transportation priorities for the next decade. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND attending one of these meetings and filling out the online survey. I am in good standing with the Sackville Rivers Association so any questions or comments can be sent to me via SSP's private messaging system.

[Jstaleness]

I have been biking for a little while now (Sorry Keith). Not so much for the commute but just for fun. I have always kept myself off the sidewalks. I just got a new kids trailer which means for my own kids safety I bike on the sidewalks. Got me to thinking. Why do we waste time on bike lanes? Why can't we widen sidewalks instead and allow walkers and bikes to co-exist on the same raised level of concrete. It just seems safer. The cyclists could yield to the pedestrians when and if space was to become limited but other wise it would be shared equally. I have never felt safe in a bike lane. Still end up with parked cars with 4-ways flashing or intersections where it suddenly ends. I have ALWAYS felt safe on a sidewalk. Thoughts?

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Jstaleness

I have been biking for a little while now (Sorry Keith). Not so much for the commute but just for fun. I have always kept myself off the sidewalks. I just got a new kids trailer which means for my own kids safety I bike on the sidewalks. Got me to thinking. Why do we waste time on bike lanes? Why can't we widen sidewalks instead and allow walkers and bikes to co-exist on the same raised level of concrete. It just seems safer. The cyclists could yield to the pedestrians when and if space was to become limited but other wise it would be shared equally. I have never felt safe in a bike lane. Still end up with parked cars with 4-ways flashing or intersections where it suddenly ends. I have ALWAYS felt safe on a sidewalk. Thoughts?

I completely agree. I have seen paved bicycle paths that are next to sidewalks and these are much safer places to ride a bicycle.

25 years ago, I rode a bicycle to work for about 3 months; it was about a 1 hour bike ride each way. I rode on city streets (Hamilton, Ontario) and took York Blvd. and Plains Road through Burlington to Appleby Line to a business north of the QEW. There were no bicycle paths at that time, I just stayed close to the edge of the city streets. It was good exercise but at the end of each day my nerves were frayed by having trucks pass within a few feet of me and the occasional car that would cut in front of me turning right.

I was also in Japan for 2 years from 1984 - 1986 and I rode a bicycle everywhere within the cities where I lived. The experience in Japan was much different; many people in Japan ride bikes and I felt completely safe riding my bike and sharing the street with cars.

[pchipman]

I currently live in Japan (just outside of Tokyo) and the majority of cyclists where I am bike on the sidewalk itself alongside pedestrians. They don't go too fast generally, but there's a lot of them - typically many more than there are pedestrians - and I've nearly been run over a dozen times already (and I've only been here for about 2 months). This can make even a short walk very very frustrating. Although it is generally safer for the cyclist, I don't think that this is the answer.

I am an active commuter cyclist and I agree that proper bike lanes should be physically separated from traffic, but they should also be separated from pedestrians, even if its simply done using a widened path and well-identified lanes. I think that is what has been done on multi-use trails in many other Canadian cities and whats recently been done on the small stretches of paths around the commons. Unfortunately, painting a line on the road is the cheapest way to 'install' bike lanes and is therefore the best political non-solution, if done at all.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I completely agree. I have seen paved bicycle paths that are next to sidewalks and these are much safer places to ride a bicycle.

25 years ago, I rode a bicycle to work for about 3 months; it was about a 1 hour bike ride each way. I rode on city streets (Hamilton, Ontario) and took York Blvd. and Plains Road through Burlington to Appleby Line to a business north of the QEW. There were no bicycle paths at that time, I just stayed close to the edge of the city streets. It was good exercise but at the end of each day my nerves were frayed by having trucks pass within a few feet of me and the occasional car that would cut in front of me turning right.

I was also in Japan for 2 years from 1984 - 1986 and I rode a bicycle everywhere within the cities where I lived. The experience in Japan was much different; many people in Japan ride bikes and I felt completely safe riding my bike and sharing the street with cars.

Yeah, I'll say it again... Real bike infrastructure is separate from both people and cars. Amsterdam has it right.

The stuff they are doing in Halifax is a waste of money and effort. Bikes should never be that close to cars, its extremely dangerous.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by pchipman

I currently live in Japan (just outside of Tokyo) and the majority of cyclists where I am bike on the sidewalk itself alongside pedestrians. They don't go too fast generally, but there's a lot of them - typically many more than there are pedestrians - and I've nearly been run over a dozen times already (and I've only been here for about 2 months). This can make even a short walk very very frustrating. Although it is generally safer for the cyclist, I don't think that this is the answer.

I am an active commuter cyclist and I agree that proper bike lanes should be physically separated from traffic, but they should also be separated from pedestrians, even if its simply done using a widened path and well-identified lanes. I think that is what has been done on multi-use trails in many other Canadian cities and whats recently been done on the small stretches of paths around the commons. Unfortunately, painting a line on the road is the cheapest way to 'install' bike lanes and is therefore the best political non-solution, if done at all.

That was my experience in Japan also. You had to be really aware when walking on the sidewalks that you didn't stray into the path of an oncoming bicycle. Very annoying and a little dangerous as well. Not a good solution.

Agree that the best solution for everybody is to separate bike lanes from pedestrians and traffic, but how to do in a place like Halifax with old infrastructure. There just doesn't seem to be room to do it properly.

When I was in my 20s I used to bicycle everywhere, even in the winter sometimes (back when it wasn't fashionable). Had many close calls dicing it out with traffic, but was young and agile enough to luckily avoid disaster. Now that I'm in my 40s, and realize that I can die, I won't bicycle on the city streets as it's not worth the aggravation and risk. As much as I enjoy cycling, I will always choose to walk, drive or take transit unless a "proper" solution is introduced for bicycle traffic. At the rate they are going, I expect to be too old to ride by the time that happens (if at all).

[Dmajackson]

From Councilor Watt's district email;

Active Transportation Plan Review Public Open Houses: March 20 – April 21

Peninsula Consultation March 21

HRM is currently conducting a planned five-year review of the Active Transportation Functional Plan. Six public open houses on Active Transportation will be hosted by Halifax Regional Municipality between March 20 and April 10. The objectives of the review are to:

· assess the success of the Active Transportation Plan to date in meeting its goals and objectives;

· engage and educate HRM residents and stakeholder organizations regarding Active Transportation and their priorities for future actions; and,

· develop a practical, costed, work plan to guide the next five years of Active Transportation Plan implementation.

The consultation on the peninsula will take place on Thursday March 21 from 4:30 to 8:30 at the Olympic Hall, 2304 Hunter St. Presentations and questions and answers will be at 5:15 and 7:15. For more information and dates of other consultations please go to: http://www.halifax.ca/activetransportation/ATPlanReview.html

[Dmajackson]

HRM 2013 Bike Week: List of Events

Woodside AT Greenway Connector

AT Bridges Plan. This is an innovative recycling proposal that will reuse the extra MacDonald Bridge deck panels on local AT Bridges.

Hammonds Plains Road Upgrades. This approved plan will see wide paved shoulders installed on the length of HPR for use by cyclists and pedestrians until proper infrastructure can be built later on.

---

And last but certainly not least ATAC (Active Transportation Advisory Committee) will be voting on their recommendation for the Cross-Town Connector this afternoon. This recommendation is the final step in a multi-year process to get a marked bicycle route from North-End to Downtown and the South-End.

ATAC Staff Report

Traffic Study and Renderings by GENIVAR

The staff recommendation is to begin with Windsor Street (Young-St. Pat's lot) with the sub-option to continue the bicycle lanes up to the signalized intersections of North Street and Almon Street. This is the most likely recommendation to be supported today but judging by the flood of emails I have received over the last 48 hours there is a strong possibility that the staff recommendation will be voted down and the option for Agricola Street bicycle lanes will be supported.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

And last but certainly not least ATAC (Active Transportation Advisory Committee) will be voting on their recommendation for the Cross-Town Connector this afternoon. This recommendation is the final step in a multi-year process to get a marked bicycle route from North-End to Downtown and the South-End.

The staff recommendation is to begin with Windsor Street (Young-St. Pat's lot) with the sub-option to continue the bicycle lanes up to the signalized intersections of North Street and Almon Street. This is the most likely recommendation to be supported today but judging by the flood of emails I have received over the last 48 hours there is a strong possibility that the staff recommendation will be voted down and the option for Agricola Street bicycle lanes will be supported.

Which could well mean that Council will decide to not approve anything until a realistic approach is agreed upon. This is the type of thing that happens when zealots get appointed to committees.

[coolmillion]

I heard that the Active Transportation Committee voted unanimously to recommend both the Windsor-Vernon option and the Agricola option. Who knows what Council will do but IMO lanes are needed on both streets and others.

Apparently the side-streets option (which would have gone down Maynard and Isleville) was shelved at the staff report stage because policies don't exist for its implementation. I'm not sure exactly what this means but I think it has to do with traffic calming measures for the purpose of enabling bicycles. This is kind of a shame because this option basically provides the same route as Agricola and is less controversial. In Vancouver the "off Broadway" route is similar and very successful. Basically the only drivers that use the route are people that live on it. Others give it a wide birth because there are so many cyclists.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by coolmillion

I heard that the Active Transportation Committee voted unanimously to recommend both the Windsor-Vernon option and the Agricola option. Who knows what Council will do but IMO lanes are needed on both streets and others.

Apparently the side-streets option (which would have gone down Maynard and Isleville) was shelved at the staff report stage because policies don't exist for its implementation. I'm not sure exactly what this means but I think it has to do with traffic calming measures for the purpose of enabling bicycles. This is kind of a shame because this option basically provides the same route as Agricola and is less controversial. In Vancouver the "off Broadway" route is similar and very successful. Basically the only drivers that use the route are people that live on it. Others give it a wide birth because there are so many cyclists.

Glad to hear both routes were recommended. Considering the minimal amount of funding required I hope Regional Council agrees to implementing both at the same time.

[Waye Mason]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Which could well mean that Council will decide to not approve anything until a realistic approach is agreed upon. This is the type of thing that happens when zealots get appointed to committees.

I can't resist - David Hendsbee, known zealot and leftie, supported the Agricola motion.