Halifax Active Transportation

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Of course in reality, all the people that I've ever encountered who claim to want more less government just want the government to interference less with them and their priorities, but have no such concern on behalf of those with totally different or conflicting priorities.

There are true libertarians but they are a minority even in the US. They are the kind of people who are against military spending, the drug war, or anti-gay discrimination going back many decades.

I think they are a good voice in politics although I disagree with them on many issues. For example I think government needs to provide a social safety net and good quality services in many areas.

[Hali87]

The recent bike infrastructure is a bit of a mixed bag - there are some corridors like Windsor that still only have painted lines and can feel pretty sketchy when there's a lot of traffic. A lot of the newer stuff has gone in the other direction - lots of bollards and "curbs" but it feels overbuilt in places, a confusing mess and honestly a bit of an aesthetic blight sometimes. In the middle is something like the redesigned Hollis St. lane, which is utilitarian but straightforward, and seems to work well.

The newest ones really seem to be getting it right though:


Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr


Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr


Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr


Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr


Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

[MonctonRad]

Five photos of bicycle lanes, one bicycle.

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Five photos of bicycle lanes, one bicycle.

Doesn't really mean much, to be honest.

I see them get used plenty. Glad the cyclists are off the streets.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Hali87

The recent bike infrastructure is a bit of a mixed bag - there are some corridors like Windsor that still only have painted lines and can feel pretty sketchy when there's a lot of traffic. A lot of the newer stuff has gone in the other direction - lots of bollards and "curbs" but it feels overbuilt in places, a confusing mess and honestly a bit of an aesthetic blight sometimes. In the middle is something like the redesigned Hollis St. lane, which is utilitarian but straightforward, and seems to work well.

Well, the ones on Hollis and on Windsor get virtually zero use so there is little reason to waste more money on those. The only ones that get much use are the one on South Park heading to Point Pleasant and SMU, and the Vernon St one which is really an expressway to Dal. The rest, as the photos show, are mostly window dressing and are designed to punish motorists.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Five photos of bicycle lanes, one bicycle.

... and five pedestrians who think the lanes are sidewalks.

The other day, I was headed south on South Park Street and was rolling my eyes at a cyclist who was biking up the sidewalk RIGHT NEXT TO A PROTECTED BIKE LANE.... then saw some idiot jogger running up the bike lane instead of the sidewalk (so maybe the cyclist was trying to avoid the jogger?). Conclusion for me was that maybe Haligonians are the issue, not cyclists or drivers.

[ButterNutPecan]

That looks great! It'll probably see more use once the Cogswell project is done, it's the missing link between Hollis/Lower Water and the Barrington Greenway.
The bike network is a patchwork right now, as seen here, but it's slowly coming!

[Summerville]

I've posted this link before,...but it shows the actual use of certain bike lanes in Halifax where they are counting trips. This isn't anecdotal...its actual data

#bikehfx stats


https://twitter.com/bikehfxstats?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor


The site provides daily, weekly and monthly counts. Last week had the highest counts for Hollis and Vernon.

Its true,...as routes are built out, they will be used more regularly.

[Summerville]

And while I am here....bicycle licensing...


https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments...o/cycling-and-the-law/bicycle-licencing/

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Summerville

I've posted this link before,...but it shows the actual use of certain bike lanes in Halifax where they are counting trips. This isn't anecdotal...its actual data

#bikehfx stats


https://twitter.com/bikehfxstats?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor


The site provides daily, weekly and monthly counts. Last week had the highest counts for Hollis and Vernon.

Yes, that's where I got my data indicating that Hollis and Windsor are largely unused.

It is also interesting to note that some of the highest numbers come outside of normal commuting times, indicating that people use them for mostly for exercise.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Summerville

And while I am here....bicycle licensing...


https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments...o/cycling-and-the-law/bicycle-licencing/

All very dated info compared to the state of things at present and the very reckless nature of many current-day cyclists. Also, by actively encouraging those cyclists to mix with vehicle traffic as cities are presently doing they could well be found liable for negligence by failing to ensure that a segment of road users are not required to understand and follow the rules of the road.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Summerville

I've posted this link before,...but it shows the actual use of certain bike lanes in Halifax where they are counting trips. This isn't anecdotal...its actual data

#bikehfx stats


https://twitter.com/bikehfxstats?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor


The site provides daily, weekly and monthly counts. Last week had the highest counts for Hollis and Vernon.

Its true,...as routes are built out, they will be used more regularly.

Will also be interesting to see how the current numbers compare to those prior to universities going remote. From my observation it seems that a decent chunk of cyclists on these routes are uni students. Transit ridership has also dropped in most places due to schools and workplaces going remote but fortunately under-used bike lanes don't burn through subsidies in the way that buses do since they're mostly a fixed cost once built.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

...they could well be found liable for negligence by failing to ensure that a segment of road users are not required to understand and follow the rules of the road.

That's extremely unlikely.

On second thought, let me rephrase: that would never happen.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Five photos of bicycle lanes, one bicycle.

There's a cyclist in the second image, but regardless, there are very few cars moving on the street in these pictures either; almost all the cars are parked. The streets look empty. Just a snapshot in time.

And as others have said, as we develop a more coherent network of protected lanes, ridership will grow. There are already times that South Park feels more crowded with bikes than ever, almost rush-hour-y, and that's definitely because it's a good infrastructure on a major route.

[Dmajackson]

Staff Report recommending the installation of 0.9km of protected bikeway on Almon Street from Agricola to just west of Windsor Street. It will be a mix of raised and on-street protected lanes. Intersection improvements at all three major intersections. The Windsor intersection will be partially protected intersection for bikes and I think the first intersection in Halifax to have intersecting bike lanes on all approaches. Main impacts appear to be queueing on Agricola in PM peak heading west (Stadacona traffic heading home) and relocating some accessible parking spaces near Windsor Street.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Staff Report recommending the installation of 0.9km of protected bikeway on Almon Street from Agricola to just west of Windsor Street. It will be a mix of raised and on-street protected lanes. Intersection improvements at all three major intersections. The Windsor intersection will be partially protected intersection for bikes and I think the first intersection in Halifax to have intersecting bike lanes on all approaches. Main impacts appear to be queueing on Agricola in PM peak heading west (Stadacona traffic heading home) and relocating some accessible parking spaces near Windsor Street.

Well then,won't that be a clogged mess when the construction on Almond is finished and the ensuing residents compete for the left over space. Perhaps the Province should step in now and eradicate the idea.

[Keith P.]

The stretch of Almon from Gottingen to Agricola is ill-suited for this. It is just too narrow.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The stretch of Almon from Gottingen to Agricola is ill-suited for this. It is just too narrow.

Yeah, the report mentions this. That stretch would not have any sort of bike lane facility.

This looks great to me. Especially in regards to making it better for crossing Robie. Now’s the time to do this work so that it’s in place for all the people who will live in Richmond Yards, Bloomfield, etc

[IanWatson]

In a direct follow-up to our discussion on the Spring Garden Road thread, HRM is currently investigating two options for Water Street: https://www.shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/water-street-corridor

One option is transit-focused, and one is pedestrian-focused.

[Keith P.]

The pedestrian-oriented PDF file fails to open every time I've tried.