@OldDartmouthMark - very well said!!
The downtown in Halifax
has to be shared by everyone. The solution lies in the "mushy middle". If nobody is satisfied with the solution, this usually means an appropriate compromise solution has been obtained.
Here in Moncton, we have been quite lucky with our bicycle solutions. The city has been constructing an extensive trail system for the last 10 years using old railway ROWs, power ROWs and natural features like linear parks centered around streams. These trails intersect in places and happily converge on the downtown area. It is entirely possible for me to walk (or cycle) about 80% of the way from my house to the downtown area (a distance of over 8 km) on paths completely separate from roadways. Our mayor (Dawn Arnold) famously cycles to work at city hall almost every day that the weather allows, and she lives in my neighbourhood. It's too bad that Halifax doesn't have the flexibility for something similar.
Since your roadways (in Halifax) have to be shared however, compromise solutions are necessary. Right now the cyclists down there seem to have the upper hand with the city planning department. Let's hope that Halifax keeps a sense of balance on this issue........
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