Halifax Transit

[Haliguy]

I think this would be perfect for Halifax in the future, with tramways being difficult with narrow streets and subways being an expensive option.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/08/tech/...ntl/index.html

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by Haliguy

I think this would be perfect for Halifax in the future, with tramways being difficult with narrow streets and subways being an expensive option.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/08/tech/...ntl/index.html

Looks really stupid, to be honest. The same infrastructure could arguably just run an elevated train, which would transport 100x+ the people, which we actually need, not pods that do the same thing with 100x less capacity.

It reminds me of this (without the vacuum, still just as stupid), which I suggest you watch for more information regarding these "modern" solutions to travel. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just build a train/streetcar system.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Haliguy

I think this would be perfect for Halifax in the future, with tramways being difficult with narrow streets and subways being an expensive option.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/08/tech/...ntl/index.html

One word

Hurricanes

[someone123]

Gondolas are used for mass transit in a number of cities. They have a bunch of trade-offs that can make them better in some situations and worse in others. Lower capacity than an elevated train but the cable span can be much longer and they are cheaper to build per kilometer.

To be honest I think the idea that Halifax is too crowded or has narrow streets that make trams difficult is a kind of meme that became popular but doesn't make a lot of sense. I doubt Halifax is that much more logistically challenging than say Rome or all the other dense European cities with crowded and complicated road networks that operate trams.

My impression is the biggest challenge of trams is actually getting them to be significant better/faster than buses and I think this is going to become a bigger question in the future as buses move to electric and automation becomes more widely available. Self-driving battery electric buses will be pretty good.

I don't think Halifax will build a subway line anytime soon but it could have an underground portion for some kind of transit right of way. When Edmonton began building its first LRT line it was the same size as Halifax today, and when it began the planning it was significantly smaller. I believe some of those underground stations were in the first phase of construction. These days you could run electric buses through a small transit tunnel (cheaper than if you need to have ventilation for diesel) and have a bus route that runs in mixed traffic out in the suburbs but takes advantage of a tunnel in the urban core. Not sure what the best solution for Halifax is but the city's attitude should "grow out" of the idea that these more expensive solutions should not be on the table.

[someone123]

I'm curious to see what happens if/when the current generation of transit improvements is completed, the BRT routes and ferry. The city's growth is such that these improvements aren't a multi-generational solution; it's likely that more will need to be planned for as soon as this phase nears completion. The future phases will get more interesting. They will need to provide transit for a metro of 600,000 where the low hanging fruit of bus lanes and ferries has already been picked.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by someone123

I'm curious to see what happens if/when the current generation of transit improvements is completed, the BRT routes and ferry. The city's growth is such that these improvements aren't a multi-generational solution; it's likely that more will need to be planned for as soon as this phase nears completion. The future phases will get more interesting. They will need to provide transit for a metro of 600,000 where the low hanging fruit of bus lanes and ferries has already been picked.

Probably it'll look like Ottawa's transformation with their LRT.

[MolteN]

I feel like the BRT network will be easier to optimize for shorter travel distances throughout the suburbs and inner city. I hope that the city builds large station platforms that are well lit and built to shelter you from the wind and worst of the cold, with some resting benches.But at the rate we're growing even if we expand on the planned BRT network and the two new planned ferry terminals and the rebuild of the one main hub downtown after the cogswell rebuild. By the time we reach the next decade to 2030 we'll be pushing a metro population of 600,000 and a provincial population of 1.2 million.

Since it's already been concluded via studies that we cannot efficiently share the freight rail lines for commuter rail, our topography of largely slate, granite, tunneling would be very expensive. Due to the increasing density of the urban core I feel that after we've built out a BRT network that can service the metro area reliably, we should focus on a higher capacity and speed system that has a significantly larger distance between stops, compared to the standard 800-1200 meters gap between BRT stops, it would be spaced out to distances of 1-3 kilometers minimum.

Due to our hilly topography with high density at grade rail transit isn't feasible, and after researching for examples from around the world I came across lines 1 and 2 on the metro in Chongqing China. It has over forty stations on a combined 100 kilometers of track, but it's not the traditional dual rail platform. Because of hilly topography and tight navigable routes the went with a straddle beam monorail utilizing reliable Japanese Hitachi technology. The rail is typically made of reinforced pressurized concrete at a width of 20 centimeters and 40cm deep. It only needs a 3x6 meter concrete pillar to support a dual trackway. These hypothesized train lines could intersect at various BRT stations. Throughout the region, could even have an extension connecting Halifax Stanfield international airport.

[Hali87]

Rendering of renos to the Woodside ferry terminal (not sure if this was posted before, it's a few months old):


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Source

[atbw]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Rendering of renos to the Woodside ferry terminal (not sure if this was posted before, it's a few months old):


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Source

Adding to this, I believe Alderney Landing is seeing its street side entrance renovated similar to the terminal and public space above the tracks.

[Dmajackson]

West Bedford Park 'N Ride is now functional on Innovation Drive. There is still a lot of construction to be completed before it's complete. Routes 90 , 81, 194 , 433 service this terminal. The Moing Forward Together Plan also had it's biggest step done this week. The plan is approximately 85% implemented now. I believe the remaining parts have to do with Wright's Cove Terminal and changes to Route 10 for the most part.


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

[someone123]

"Joint Regional Transportation Agency Act", from October 28:
https://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/..._read/b061.htm

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

Thank you for posting this. It give me hope. It would seem our premier has more faith in future growth of our city than does our city council.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

Thank you for posting this. It give me hope. It would seem our premier has more faith in future growth of our city than does our city council.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. I don't necessarily blame in the individual actors but I think the municipal level and level of say Halifax Transit or the bridge commission are too small or too embroiled in petty local political concerns for them to function well when managing the long-term big picture stuff. Councillors are ultimately elected by a very small number of constituents.

NS historically has done a decent job in some areas like with highways that get planned out many decades in advance, and tend to be more resistant to NIMBYism. Other forms of transportation need a similar treatment, there should be overall coordination, and there should be a pipeline of housing supply that suits the needs of the region.

The city has really big growth potential if it manages to develop efficiently.

[Querce]

The proposed Halifax Transit budget is available, here's the list of proposed changes

[Dmajackson]

2022-23 Halifax Transit Proposed Annual Service Plan

Some quick takeaways not shown in the photo above;

- Route 10 will have three truncate points; Bridge, Mic Mac, and Caledonia.

- Route 51 will use the new Hudson Way connection to create a loop through Shannon Park and BIO. Google Maps says this new street is functional.

- Route 72 will be extended north to serve Wilkinson/Cutler area.

- Route 192 is a blend of two proposed express routes in the MFTP. Oceanview had strong opposition to having buses running down it so they removed the proposed service in that area. Hopefully the planned Nine Mile extension will provide an alternative route in the near future.

- The new Bayers Road transit lanes may have some express routes rerouted to make use of the higher reliability they provide.

- Plans are in progress for Portland Street corridor and improvements to Robie at Young for transit priority.

- This is the last year for Moving Forward Together Plan. All of the proposed changes in the plan are implemented with or without some changes made except for Route 310 (Margeson MetroX). The next few years will be focused on electric buses, Mill Cove ferry, and BRT system.

[Keith P.]

The changes to route 10 need to be explained further. It is a core route yet one having many choke points affecting dependability of scheduling since it is so lengthy. Looking at the service plan document it is difficult to determine exactly what the changes involve other than more complexity for passengers.

It is interesting to note that the average cost per passenger using Transit is nearly $5 while revenue is less than $2. One fails to see how that can possibly be sustainable.

[Querce]

Originally Posted by someone123

"Joint Regional Transportation Agency Act", from October 28:
https://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/..._read/b061.htm

They're hiring a CEO right now, if anyone wants to apply

https://www.careerbeacon.com/en/job/...ax-nova-scotia

[Keith P.]

The latest taxpayer money bonfire suggestion from the Dartmouth councillor. News flash: the cost of a trip on transit is the least important reason why people avoid using it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...mmer-1.6353857

Keep in mind that this is a Pam Berman story so any or all facts it contains may be incorrect.

[Antigonish]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The latest taxpayer money bonfire suggestion from the Dartmouth councillor. News flash: the cost of a trip on transit is the least important reason why people avoid using it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...mmer-1.6353857

Keep in mind that this is a Pam Berman story so any or all facts it contains may be incorrect.

Unfortunately this is true. Creating these user incentives only work if transit itself wasn't so bad, and frequency was so.. infrequent. I cannot for the life of me understand how hard it is to focus on upgrading the infrastructure to have dedicated ROWs.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The latest taxpayer money bonfire suggestion from the Dartmouth councillor. News flash: the cost of a trip on transit is the least important reason why people avoid using it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...mmer-1.6353857

Keep in mind that this is a Pam Berman story so any or all facts it contains may be incorrect.

If only the head of the transit was required to use it. You would see changes quickly.