Halifax's Street Network

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Traffic is a nightmare the last few days. HRM allowing road construction downtown during all of this does not help matters. Unlike other years, Metro Transit is not running any special "Tall Ships" shuttles downtown either, which adds to the traffic woes. Even downtown Dartmouth is short of parking as people try parking there and taking the ferry - no dice.

WDC seems to be beating this tall ships horse to death. Having them here every couple of years really takes away the cachet. This year's crop of arrivals is not very impressive either. Seems pretty second-string although the stuff going on in support on the Waterfront is still drawing crowds. I'm steering clear.

I parked north of the Common on Thursday and walked down to the waterfront - easy-peasy. The ships are noticeably fewer and smaller than in the past, but there are movies and fireworks every night and Sugah is open late scooping ice cream. I'm not going to climb aboard any of the ships, but plan on checking out some of the food-type-stuff that is planned for the weekend, and I am looking forward to seeing the symphony play Tchaicovsky's 1812 Overture with live cannons and churchbells and fireworks tonight.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I parked north of the Common on Thursday and walked down to the waterfront - easy-peasy.

That's a long haul for someone with any kind of even minor disability, especially getting back up the hill. The shuttle they are running should make a much bigger circle and encompass this area rather than just concentrating on Barrington and Lower Water.

[scooby074]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

That's a long haul for someone with any kind of even minor disability, especially getting back up the hill. The shuttle they are running should make a much bigger circle and encompass this area rather than just concentrating on Barrington and Lower Water.

Yes!! They should have ran shuttles to the further areas of the city. Up spring garden for one. Perhaps to the outskirts for parking.

I was fortunate and got a great spot in Dartmouth, and took the ferry over. Painless.

Thank god the ferries were running load and go! Even then they were stuffed.

[Dmajackson]

In Calgary there are some interesting road features that caught my attention. Ones in particular are bus gates and vehicle traps. We don't seem to have these on the East Coast so I was wondering what you guys think of them and if they should be installed in select locations around Halifax. I could only think of one spot;

Ashdale Avenue - Under the 102 it could stop cars avoiding Joe Howe. A gate could work now for the fire station on the street and if desired a trap could be installed if buses are rerouted to avoid the congestion.

The general rule of thumb is a vehicle trap results in minor car damage and tow truck fees, a gate if being watched results in a $170 fine and demerit points. Calgary Police don't have to do speeding tickets very often so these traps are their favourite stakeout spots.

I should point out while not necessarily legal bicycles can get through the vehicle traps. Some gates also have bike paths so only motorized private vehicles tend to get stuck. Emergency vehicles along with buses have remotes for the gates.

[someone123]

Maybe I'm missing something, but that doesn't make sense to me. Is the purpose of the trap that buses can get through it but cars can't? Why not just install a camera (like a red light camera) and give out fines and demerit points? It seems worse to have the trap, even for the buses, because occasionally you might have a car stuck in there, blocking the road. Even worse, if a cyclist or motorcycle speeds through there somebody could get injured.

[Dmajackson]

^Cameras could work as well. That's how speeding tickets are given out in Calgary. There's usually a camera sign to deter people and if that doesn't work the fine is in the mail the next day.

[Keith P.]

I don't get it. Vehicle traps? For what purpose? They cause damage? What's next, mining the road? Crazy.

I think the vehicles should organize themselves and get "traffic planner traps" in place somewhere.

[fenwick16]

Traffic traps (pits) seem to be extreme in nature. Also, there is a simpler system; a row of "traffic spikes" - http://www.entryparkingposts.com/. Cars travelling in the correct direction just depress the spikes. Cars travelling in the opposite direction will have their tires deflated.

I see traffic spikes very often at United States' car rental facilities. Luckily they aren't common in Canada. I always get an uneasy feeling when I see them. It makes such facilities seem like a dangerous place to be.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Stakes are in the ground and work should start anytime on this improvement.

Maybe they'll finally tack out the damn rail tracks in the intersections!

Regarding Dmajackson's post (about the Joseph Howe turning lanes) from a couple of months ago, how is this proceeding - http://halifax.ca/traffic/documents/...ROJECTPLAN.pdf ?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Regarding Dmajackson's post (about the Joseph Howe turning lanes) from a couple of months ago, how is this proceeding - http://halifax.ca/traffic/documents/...ROJECTPLAN.pdf ?

As per usual, it got off to a fast start. Now it seems to have ground to a halt. Traffic has been atrocious there during the project and HRM seems totally unconcerned with getting it finished. Plus I hear that are going to install nat gas lines on Joe Howe starting this week so god knows how bad things will be when that happens as well.

[scooby074]

I like the idea of "bus only" lanes and street exits, however the "Bus traps" mentioned would hardly work now, what with all the large vehicles like SUV's and pickups running around.

Most of them have enough ground clearance and/or wide enough track to go right through the trap.

I like automatic bollards though. Watch this to see them in action. Try not to laugh i know I did..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Cw0QJU8ro

[Dmajackson]

Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 (Halifax, NS) – On Saturday, Nov. 10 and Monday, Nov. 12, Black and McDonald and associated sub-contractors will install sections of underground electrical conduits across Windmill Road between Wright Avenue and Dawn Drive. This work is required to support the future installation of a traffic control intersection.

-----------------

I'm not surprised with this project since Windmill Road is the busiest artery in Halifax. There will also be stoplights at Ralston Avenue in the near future (for Harbour Isle).

The only thing that worries me is bus priority. Hopefully HRM Traffic has planned accordingly and will be installing priority lights and bus queue jumps particularly in the inbound lanes (outbound just needs signage). The also need to install "red light" cameras at all intersections along this stretch. Its very common for cars to just fly through the bus lane at Wright Avenue outbound.

I also hope they have solid plans for a centre boulevard near the stoplights. Driving down the centre-turn lane is a common way to skip the lineups. Having boulevards near the stoplights should reduce this event and make the road a lot safer (no head-on accidents near congestion points).

[Dmajackson]

No quick fix for rotary-area traffic
January 10, 2013 - 6:24pm BY LAURA FRASER CITY HALL REPORTER

The fuming drivers sitting in fuming cars along the Herring Cove Road will likely grow in number as condominiums continue to sprout up around the Armdale Rotary.

Halifax Regional Municipality has two ideas to combat the congestion — widening Herring Cove Road and the possibility of a fast ferry in Purcells Cove.

The change to the rotary is at least three years from realization. And the ferry service from Purcells Cove warrants a mention in the regional plan with Bedford but has not moved past that in more than five years.

...

(lfraser@herald.ca)

Read More: thechronicleherald.ca

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

[I]No quick fix for rotary-area traffic
January 10, 2013 - 6:24pm BY LAURA FRASER CITY HALL REPORTER



(lfraser@herald.ca)

Read More: thechronicleherald.ca

It seems as though a Northwest Arm bridge cannot even be mentioned.

[JET]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

It seems as though a Northwest Arm bridge cannot even be mentioned.

is there a place that would go? Probably would be a NIMBY revolt.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by JET

is there a place that would go? Probably would be a NIMBY revolt.

Here?



Source: http://www.halifax.ca/archives/Harbo...posal1963.html

[someone123]

I think there's a huge disconnect between the way traffic problems are viewed and tackled in Halifax and how bad they actually are. The traffic problems are really bad. Bad enough that expropriating a few houses is not actually a big deal if it makes a significant difference.

The Purcell's Cove ferry sounds like a non-starter to me, since council has spent a decade or more debating a similar solution for Bedford. A bridge is a simpler solution that most other cities would have already had by now; it could be attractive and it could be for buses, bikes, and pedestrians, not just cars. It could also tie in with a southern harbour crossing. It would be environmentally friendly because it would reduce travel distances and congestion. The tired argument about generating sprawl doesn't apply here because this is an already congested inner-city area, and Halifax's bad traffic has already led to the creation of lots of sprawl north of the city. If no more transportation capacity is added to the core, more and more development will simply move out to areas along the highways.

HRM should also be looking at some sort of rapid transit for the peninsula and inner suburban areas. It would be great to see some sort of small LRT system or streetcar-like services with a mix of dedicated ROWs and at-grade track. Service quality and capacity would be much higher than buses, and development spinoffs would be much higher.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by someone123

The Purcell's Cove ferry sounds like a non-starter to me, since council has spent a decade or more debating a similar solution for Bedford.

It would only make sense if there was also a plan for ambitious development in the immediate vicinity of Purcell's Cove, or for the creation of a new corridor linking Purcell's Cove directly to Spryfield, with ambitious development along this corridor. According to the regional plan, there are no such plans envisioned for the next 15+ years. Building a ferry terminal in Purcell's Cove without any of these things would make no sense, period. It would actually be one of the least useful points on the entire harbour for a ferry terminal. A transit-focused bridge would make a lot more sense at this point. I honestly can't understand why there is no bridge over the Arm. If traffic is a concern then don't allow cars to use it during peak hours. Simple. Another one for the WTF? thread I guess.

[bluenoser]

It's funny/sad that North West Arm Drive never even made it close to its namesake, although there is still a lot of land available to complete it without a ridiculous amount of expropriation. On the peninsula side, there is still a sizeable wooded area at the (abrupt) South end of Robie which could become the landing for the bridge and an interchange.

I'm grateful the downtown portion of 'Harbour Drive' was never completed although I've always wondered why, after all the work that went into the Cogswell Interchange, Barrington St. in the North was not turned into a decent highway, or at least straightened out a bit with four lanes - maybe even some trees and a median? It makes for a pretty unceremonious entrance to the peninsula after coming across the McKay Bridge.

[halifaxboyns]

One thing that I often wondered about the street setup (after Harbour Drive) was why the City didn't really think about the future and plan for it? They did with Bayers Road (for the most part) which is why most of the buildings are set so far back up to HSC. But there seems to have been a total lack of forethought elsewhere. I suspect that it was from what I call 'small town syndrome'. Many of the smaller towns/cities in Alberta have suffered it (specially Fort Mac). They figure it will take so long to grow into a bigger city, they don't need to think about it...and don't. So then when growth hits, it makes things so problematic.

Calgary (because it has cycles of peaks and valleys) has been used to this and has had some forethought and created a 'road bylaw table'. Along major roads, where transportation has identified the need to widen the road, there is an additional bylaw setback. That way, when a redevelopment happens, the additional space required for widening is taken. So the building would have to be setback the minimum setback between the 'road widening portion' (since that would be the new property line). But that only works when you have a lot of redevelopment - it might work in Halifax over the next few years but yet again only as redevelopment happens.

That other solution is expropriation. That has been used, but it politically a nightmare. Of course, it would've helped that with the regional plan (when it was approved) a transportation plan would've been approved with it, which surprised me. I blame that more on transportation than anyone else...plus it was the first time HRM did a regional plan, so it wasn't going to be perfect.