Roundabouts in HRM

[Dmajackson]

This is Armoury Gate one of three new plazas along North Park Street;


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

I have noticed there is one downside to the roundabouts and that is they work too well. Traffic has increased on Agricola and instead of clumping it is now a solid line-up outbound from North down to Cunard moving at a slow-speed. The slow-speed is caused by traffic lights and cyclists who have to take the lane because of parked cars. For commuters like myself who have to turn left across this traffic it is damn near impossible (I tend to dismount and use the crosswalk).

Halifax really needs to re-examine bicycle lanes on Agricola now that traffic patterns have changed. At a bare minimum parking needs to be banned during peak hours. Ideally bike infrastructure on Agricola and transit infrastructure on Gottingen would clearly state to commuters that Robie and Barrington are the main drags out of town.

[Keith P.]

I find the Cogswell roundabout very hazardous, even more than the Cunard one which is bad itself. I cannot exactly explain why the Cogswell one is worse but I suspect it is a combination of factors including the reverse camber, the numerous crosswalks, the lack of sightlines and the way lanes magically appear and disappear within it. I have almost been hit several times by cars that veer suddenly within it.

What are those 3 hoops embedded in the concrete in your picture supposed to be?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

What are those 3 hoops embedded in the concrete in your picture supposed to be?

Bike racks??

[stevencourchene]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Bike racks??

that's to funny!!! I just looked at this pictures for like three minuets looking for "HOOPS"

[Nouvellecosse]

I didn't even notice them because I was so blinded by the ugly condos in the background.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Bike racks??

They look low for that. It almost looks like a base for a bench but it doesn't have any seat.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I didn't even notice them because I was so blinded by the ugly condos in the background.

Better?


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

[Nouvellecosse]

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

What are those 3 hoops embedded in the concrete in your picture supposed to be?

They are bike racks. If you're looking for a more traditional style quite a few were just installed on-street at Agricola & Charles

Halifax Developments Blog - New Bike Racks Installed At Charles & Agricola

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

They look low for that. It almost looks like a base for a bench but it doesn't have any seat.

I checked them out the other day. They are indeed bike racks (they have a bike symbol on them). They are oddly low compared to typical racks. They go up to just below my knee (I'm about 6' tall). They should still work fine though if you put the pedals inside the hoop and lean the front wheel and frame piece going to the pedals against the verticals.

[stevencourchene]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I didn't even notice them because I was so blinded by the ugly condos in the background.

I see your point! honestly they both look like buildings you would see in clayton park on parkland drive.

poor look for this part of town.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Better?


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

That area is quite attractive in this view. Actually I don't mind the other view either. Regarding the condos, I've seen much worse, these don't actually look so bad IMHO. I'm assuming that there is some idea that downtown-ish condos should all be glass wall clones?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I didn't even notice them because I was so blinded by the ugly condos in the background.

The ones on the left are perhaps somewhat forgivable since they were an early Westwood project when Danny C. was still more of a convenience store owner than a developer, and were built some years ago now. But the ones on the right were discussed here when they were proposed and represent perhaps the worst-designed project constructed on the Peninsula in the last 15 years. It never should have been approved in that form.

[Drybrain]

I'm going to have to back up Keith and the others regarding those condo buildings. They're both horrendous, and the ones on the right really are unforgivable. They've got that classic cheap-out of having an ostensibly natural cladding material on the ground level (faux stone and chintzy fake doric columns in this case) and then just a bare, unfinished-looking stucco exterior above.

I'm not sure why this is such a common development strategy--everything from the new building at Almon and Isleville, to 1920 Brunswick, to Garden Stone Place in the Hydrostone utilize this. Do builders think people can't see what the buildings look like from more than a few meters above the sidewalk?

Of course, that's only the beginning of the problems with the building pictured here. The penthouse unit in here is listed at $1.3 million, which is lunacy. You could buy three perfectly good detached houses in the neighbourhood for the same price.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

I'm going to have to back up Keith and the others regarding those condo buildings. They're both horrendous, and the ones on the right really are unforgivable. They've got that classic cheap-out of having an ostensibly natural cladding material on the ground level (faux stone and chintzy fake doric columns in this case) and then just a bare, unfinished-looking stucco exterior above.

I'm not sure why this is such a common development strategy--everything from the new building at Almon and Isleville, to 1920 Brunswick, to Garden Stone Place in the Hydrostone utilize this. Do builders think people can't see what the buildings look like from more than a few meters above the sidewalk?

Of course, that's only the beginning of the problems with the building pictured here. The penthouse unit in here is listed at $1.3 million, which is lunacy. You could buy three perfectly good detached houses in the neighbourhood for the same price.

Meh. Like I said, I've seen worse, which doesn't mean that I think they are beautiful. In 30 years we'll be saying that the 'state of the art' buildings they are now throwing up are ugly junk, likely - especially after the windows start falling out.

I guess, overall, I was stating that they don't look so bad in that photo, which actually has really nice light balance, IMHO.

[Nouvellecosse]

I can think of rental apartment buildings that are uglier, but I'm not sure I can actually think of any condo buildings that are uglier.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I can think of rental apartment buildings that are uglier, but I'm not sure I can actually think of any condo buildings that are uglier.

I don't make that distinction when viewing from the street.

[JET]

I've been thinking about the parking near the roundabouts. I'm remembering last winter when the streets narrowed beacuse of snow and it was hard getting through (North end of Trollope, by the High School; fire truck could not get through). the streets near the roundabouts narrow, and it won't take much for parked cars to impede driving. I don't think they calculated the impact of snow on the parking spots by the entry/exits of the roundabouts. I still like the roundabouts and use twice daily. So far, so good.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by JET

I've been thinking about the parking near the roundabouts. I'm remembering last winter when the streets narrowed beacuse of snow and it was hard getting through (North end of Trollope, by the High School; fire truck could not get through). the streets near the roundabouts narrow, and it won't take much for parked cars to impede driving. I don't think they calculated the impact of snow on the parking spots by the entry/exits of the roundabouts. I still like the roundabouts and use twice daily. So far, so good.

I dunno, my recollection of the North Park/Cunard roundabout last year was that it much improved snow clearing. While the streets do narrow going in to them, they also don't allow parking anywhere close to the roundabout.

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

This is Armoury Gate one of three new plazas along North Park Street;


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

The irony is that right now on MLS - the "penthouse" condo for the building on the right is going for 1.2 million $. I was looking for condos in Halifax and stumbled upon it. Not only is the building blech; but the condo itself was just way over the top.