Quote:
Originally Posted by RyeJay
Modifications to the existing bridges should be done prior to considerations of a third crossing.
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The HDBC mentions modifications and twinning of the MacKay in the third crossing report. The Macdonald has already been modified pretty substantially (third lane and reversing lanes), and the MacKay twin is less desirable than a southern crossing. My impression is that improvements might help, but that none of them will produce gains proportional to the amount of growth that the city has experienced. There will be a need for either another crossing or additional far-flung suburbs on the outskirts of Bedford (which may in any case result in pushing forward plans like 102 widening that won't be far off from the cost of the bridge and will NOT be paid for by tolls). Opposition to the third crossing based on the idea that we need less suburban development is probably misguided.
I think bike lanes and so on are like alternative energy sources such as solar or wind turbines. They're great and are useful in a certain niche (I've biked to work a lot in Vancouver). Maybe Halifax can have 5% or 7% bike traffic, or even more in the summer months. Bikes will not be replacing cars and buses, however.
To put things into perspective, population growth is around 1.3% per year and may increase in the future. This means that a great bike network might push off the need for road infrastructure by a few years at most. In reality most solutions are an order of magnitude or more off from what is required. Transit is more substantial but I think it had (pre-strike) something like an 11% share of commuters. To keep congestion stable the transit system would have to grow in ridership by 10-20% every year. Needless to say, that's not what's been happening in Halifax. It might be feasible with a well-planned LRT system but unfortunately that's not even on the table right now. Putting off a bridge for an imaginary transit system is not reasonable.
Realistically I don't think a third crossing is a bad idea if it is handled properly. If they do a six-lane crossing that gets trucks off downtown streets, has a HOV/transit lane, and is supported by tolls, it could be great for the city.