Halifax Active Transportation

[Keith P.]

Those who say it can be a great cycling city overlook the hills, which as we know from the Macdonald Bridge Flyover boondoggle, are kryptonite for cyclists, and the fact that the city is divided by a harbor. Add to that the antiquated and undersized street network in older parts of the city plus the miserable climate much of the year and it should be obvious that it will never be a great cycling city.

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Those who say it can be a great cycling city overlook the hills, which as we know from the Macdonald Bridge Flyover boondoggle, are kryptonite for cyclists, and the fact that the city is divided by a harbor. Add to that the antiquated and undersized street network in older parts of the city plus the miserable climate much of the year and it should be obvious that it will never be a great cycling city.

Hills are not a big deal. The McDonald Bridge approach on the Halifax side is not about the hill its a safety issue and is incredibly awkward to get on the bridge coming down from North St/Gottingen St.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Those who say it can be a great cycling city overlook the hills, which as we know from the Macdonald Bridge Flyover boondoggle, are kryptonite for cyclists, and the fact that the city is divided by a harbor. Add to that the antiquated and undersized street network in older parts of the city plus the miserable climate much of the year and it should be obvious that it will never be a great cycling city.

I addressed the weather and hills things a couple of posts up, and stand by that. As to the "antiquated" street network, there are many, many examples of cities with narrower streets and older street networks that beat us on cycling.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Or lunacy or any number of other words. I don't think I've seen anyone ride a bike past my home since November.

I've noticed people on bikes who appear to be commuting or taking their kids to school on the stretch of Isleville, between Young and Almon. I keep meaning to write it down or something so it's at least a little less anecdotal...

...

... but, anecdotally, I've noticed more people recently commuting on bikes. Even in the winter.

[someone123]

I have commuted by bike here and biked a bit in Halifax but mostly avoided it, not due to weather but due to a lack of infrastructure. The biggest differences amounted to minor things. For example around here you can generally trigger a light change from the bike side at an intersection, and in Halifax one drawback was road shoulders that were too small or crumbling/messy. The weather per se wasn't a huge issue although transit as an alternative on so-so weather days is important. On bad storm days nothing works including transit or cars so maybe we should factor that out of the discussion. I'm not sure what the current cycling infrastructure state is in Halifax.

Lately cycling has become much easier due to improved electric bikes.

I wonder if the city has really "internalized" what the current growth rate means and has any plan for transportation around the urban core. The BRT plan is a good baby step that feels suited to 2010 or so but it's still not funded, right? Cycling infrastructure is a relatively low impact way (depending on how it's done) to build new transport capacity. If there is little or no new transit, the remaining options are either crippling traffic or a lot more people walking and cycling. Halifax always had fairly bad traffic; it didn't go into this boom period with spare road capacity.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

in Halifax one drawback was road shoulders that were too small or crumbling/messy.

Not to mention those storm drains with grooves that could trap a bicycle front tire if you weren't careful. Getting a mountain bike solved that for me, but those things were still a hazard.

Cycling infrastructure, aside from attempting to separate traffic from bikes, also removes hazards like that, which you wouldn't even think about until you are out there and scanning for hazards while also keeping an eye and ear out for traffic... and hoping for the best that some inattentive driver isn't going to unintentionally take you out.

[bartekci]

The anti bike brigade here, for whatever reason, thinks that Halifax is special because the "if you build it, they will come" approach that has worked basically *everywhere else* will somehow not work in Halifax, cause hills? (They aren't that bad -- go do some cardio -- also ebikes). They argue we've built it and no one has come but look at the bike map. We have *not* built it. A bike network, like a road network, needs to be connected to be functional. We are apparently 5 years from that (because of the minimal investment and resources!)

The amount we spend on active infrastructure is peanuts relative to everything else (how about those highways?). It is marginal in comparison. Infrastructure also means there is a chance one less car is on the road. This means less traffic. The evidence in increased use is everywhere, but those who choose to put a blind eye to it will likely always put a blind eye to it.

It's really that simple.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

Cycling infrastructure is a relatively low impact way (depending on how it's done) to build new transport capacity. If there is little or no new transit, the remaining options are either crippling traffic or a lot more people walking and cycling. Halifax always had fairly bad traffic; it didn't go into this boom period with spare road capacity.

Indeed, probably half of my (non-walking) trips around the city are by bike—small grocery and other shopping runs, going to the gym, going downtown to eat out or see a movie, going to appointments, etc. These are almost all short trips, between 5-15 minutes, which would otherwise have been taken by car. The bike doesn’t replace all car trips, but it takes a huge bite out of them, especially short- and medium-distance ones. If we had good infrastructure that encouraged more people to do that safely, we'd absolutely be taking more cars off the road and reducing congestion.

In fact this is already demonstrably happening. In the 2016 census, there were census tracts throughout the peninsula with bike-commuting mode share around above 10 percent. And not just in student-focused areas. One of the tracts in the Hydrostone had a 13 percent cycling share, one in the far west end was at 12 percent, and the highest was 19 percent, on between Robie and Oxford, below Quinpool. (I'm using the 2016 census, since the the 2021 census shows far lower bike mode share, but that's almost definitely because the survey for it was done when commuting of all kinds plummeted due to office closures.)

That's pretty good, and though the infrastructure is still pretty incomplete, there's a lot more than there was in 2016, and I'm definitely going to guess the numbers are higher today in 2023. A safe, fully connected system would boost those numbers higher, and no doubt replace a lot more potential car trips, reducing congestion.

[alps]

Originally Posted by LikesBikes

The anti-bike brigade is by far the most easily triggered subgroup on this forum. Any mention of the word 'bike' results in like a dozen dumb takes on the subject.

One of the reasons I all but stopped reading this forum. I'd rather go for a bike ride.

I've been back in Halifax for the past year. Grateful for all the improvements to the cycling network – I've been regularly making trips I probably wouldn't have considered years ago, e.g. to Spryfield (via the new Bayers Road MUP and Dunbrack Greenway) and north end Dartmouth (using the Wyse Road bike lanes). And these improvements have been achieved for an absolute pittance compared to the billions dumped into highway and road expansion in this province. Looking forward to when the bikeways actually form a network.

[JET]

We were in Vancouver the end of March for a couple of days and rented e-bikes. Bike infrastructure there is impressive, there are hills like Halifax and it was no deterrent to most people. With an e-bike and bridge flyover I could probably get over to Halifax from Dartmouth.

[JET]

If they build it, they will bike.
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/couri...t-cycling-route-in-north-america-3066026

[Summerville]

Originally Posted by alps

One of the reasons I all but stopped reading this forum. I'd rather go for a bike ride.

I had the same thoughts, but then realized that you only need to smile and wave as you “roll” by the angry comments.

I believe that the basic infrastructure will be completed with or without the negative comments.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by JET

If they build it, they will bike.

We have, and they haven't.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

We have, and they haven't.

We'll just ignore most of the comments over the past few pages of people either admitting they bike more or anecdotally saying that they've seen more people biking.

Halifax is set to be a good cycling city. A lot of that comes down to a pretty mild winter comparatively to the rest of Canada, and the hill issue isn't really all that big of a deal so long as the cycling network is designed in a way to help cyclists get to where they need to go as easily as possible. Halifax probably should also be building out its transit network at the same time, but baby steps first.

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

We have, and they haven't.

No, we haven't lol

[OldDartmouthMark]

Sadly, this thread has become more about complaining about cyclists/cycling infrastructure and then complaining about those who complain about cyclists/cycling infrastructure, than actual discussion about cycling infrastructure.

If people could stop being triggered by anybody who doesn't agree with you this thread would be a better read. There could be some good conversation to be had if we could just discuss the planning, built form and functionality, and the pros and cons of each, and leave the insults, personal stuff, and hurt feelings in the gutter.

Otherwise, it's just a thread in which to air your grievances. Garbage, in other words.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

... Otherwise, it's just a thread in which to air your grievances...

Save the airing of grievances for Festivus, thanks.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Are e-scooters "active transportation"? Not sure where else to post this, so...

Advocates call on Halifax to enact e-scooter rules that protect pedestrians

Advocates in Halifax are calling on the city to make sure any future e-scooter regulations will keep vulnerable pedestrians safe.

The CNIB and other advocates spoke to the city's transportation standing committee on Thursday about the dangers posed by rental scooters in Halifax for seniors and people with vision or hearing loss.

Milena Khazanavicius, who is blind, said she's had many bad experiences because the scooters are so quiet there's rarely any warning they are approaching.

"An e-scooter user zipped right by me on the sidewalk. At that point, my guide dog then dropped to the ground because it's scary and terrifying," Khazanavicius told the committee.

Another time, she said she was walking with a sighted friend when two people on scooters blew by them. The friend was so startled she bumped into Khazanavicius, who "toppled over." When they managed to stop and talk to the scooter riders, Khazanavicius said the pair had no idea they weren't allowed to ride on the sidewalk.

Scooters are currently treated like bicycles under the Motor Vehicle Act and must travel in bike lanes or the roadway. Riders also must be over 14 and can't go faster than 32 kilometres per hour.

But in Halifax, advocates told the committee people are often seen illegally riding on sidewalks without helmets, or abandoning rental scooters outside of the proper parking zones.

Khazanavicius pointed out some cities like Paris have banned rental scooters. Even after the French capital lowered the speed limit to 10 kilometres an hour, Khazanavicius said there were three deaths and more than 400 injuries related to scooters in one year.

Lui Greco of CNIB Halifax said his group would love to see Halifax follow Paris' lead, but if not, city regulations should lower the speed limit, and require pavement markings around designated scooter parking areas to warn people with canes. He said any parking areas should still allow a minimum of 1.8 metres of clear sidewalk.

Greco said regulations should also required e-scooter providers to respond quickly when issues come up.

But as Paris shows, Greco said "even though guidelines were in place, bad things happened to innocent people."

Committee chair Coun. Waye Mason promised to talk with Halifax police about better enforcement of the current laws, and with city staff about removing abandoned scooters from city property.

"Because it's not fair that we're still having that discussion with you when it's already been determined they can't be on sidewalks," Mason said to Greco and Khazanavicius.

[IanWatson]

Construction on the Devonshire protected bike lane started this week.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8189/151190_shannonpark.jpg

I copied the above link from the Shannon Park thread for reference. Prompted by the recent media coverage of the redevelopment of the Ocean Breezes site on the northeast side of the McKay bridge, I've been thinking AT development opportunity.

Shannon Park/ferry terminal - BIO/federal offices of Fisheries/etc. - Wright's Cove bus terminal - Harbour Isle - Burnside... all this within a single km or so seems a logical place to install AT infrastructure as part of the redevelopment rather than to retrofit later. It should be considered along with the redevelopment of the McKay and the existing Burnside Dr. AT bridge too.