Yes, the reds love their bikes, don't they! hey
Well, I agree that Herring Cove Rd. shouldn't be the top priority for bike lanes, but the argument that the lanes aren't used is void. They are used and they would be used a lot more if there was proper connectivity. I used to live in the West End and would bike to work at SMU and on Sp Garden Road every day weather permitting. During commuter traffic I saw many, many other cyclists, and of course many, many more cars - inevitably just a single driver who would ofter look at me with distress or envy as I passed them. Many cyclists in Halifax learn to avoid the routes most heavily traveled by cars - in some cases even when it means not using bike lanes.
Of course, the reason for bike lanes is to make it safer and more attractive for people to choose bicycling as a transportation option. To argue that we shouldn't create more lanes because the few we have aren't used as much as car lanes is silly.
Despite the recent additions, the city has extremely poor cycling infrastructure (lanes, etc.) for the number of people who use bikes (1% according to the 2006 census -
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/programs/env...nning-1177.htm - and note the top deterrent is "too dangerous", something that can be remedied in part through road adjustments; edit: I just noticed that the data on deterrents is from Montreal).
And for the sake of comparison - in Vancouver, where 1.7% cycle to work in year round mild weather, the Burrard bridge was recently narrowed to car traffic and widened for bikes on a trial basis, with a noticeable increase in bicycle use.