Halifax Active Transportation

[Dmajackson]

Hospital bike program provides healthy option

By HEATHER AMOS
Sat. Jun 20 - 4:46 AM
You may see more people in white lab coats biking along South Park Street this summer.

Doctors, volunteers and anyone else working at the Halifax Infirmary or Victoria General now have the opportunity to bike between the two sites.

"As an employer we know it’s important to provide options and support a healthy workplace," said Peter Graham, spokesman for the Capital district health authority.

Capital Health teamed up with Sportwheels, a sport equipment company in Lower Sackville, to start this new bike program that encourages active living.

"Nova Scotia has a very high incidence of a number of different chronic diseases which negatively impact people’s ability to enjoy a happy, healthy lifestyle. Our health care workers wouldn’t be any different than the general population," Mr. Graham said.

Jeff Mayhew, president of Sportwheels, got the idea from Montreal’s bicycle-sharing program called BIXI.

"Capital Health is the first to get the ball rolling, in this city, for a bicycle loaner program to cut back on emissions and to promote healthy living," said Mr. Mayhew.

To sign out a bike and helmet, Capital Health employees use their identification cards at a gift shop.

The employees will be biking between the two sites using the bike lanes on South Park Street and Bell Road.

When they arrive at the other hospital, the bike is locked up and the key is given to the gift shop there, ready to be signed out by the next person.

Mr. Graham said there is a demand for this program with people moving non-stop between the two sites all day. Employees already have access to a shuttle bus that runs between the two sites every 10 minutes.

Sportwheels provided Capital Health with two adult tricycles and four bicycles. The cycles come complete with helmets, locks, bells, a tall, orange safety flag and a big basket.

Sportwheels will also be doing weekly bike maintenance.

"When I dropped the bikes off, there were many physicians and health care professionals coming up to the vehicle and admiring the bikes and starting to get a good vibe going about the program," said Mr. Mayhew.

The program was launched Tuesday at the Halifax Infirmary. About 30 cyclists came out to support Capital Health and Sportwheels, including representatives from the Halifax Regional Police and the Nova Scotia HeartLand Tour, a group that cycles through Nova Scotia raising awareness about cardiovascular disease.

( hamos@herald.ca)

[Dmajackson]

I noticed that HRM has installed bicycle lanes on Dunbrack Street from Lacewood Drive to Willett Street.

[Spitfire75]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

I noticed that HRM has installed bicycle lanes on Dunbrack Street from Lacewood Drive to Willett Street.

They sure did. Hopefully they'll continue adding them throughout Dunbrack. There really are a lot of bikers around there.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Spitfire75

They sure did. Hopefully they'll continue adding them throughout Dunbrack. There really are a lot of bikers around there.

I hope so too. If they ever get the entire length done they can just paint a quick link along Kerney Lake Rd and have bicycle lanes from Meadowbrook in Bedford to Kearney Lake (the actual lake) and Lacewood.

Of course that relies on if the construction guys ever come off vacation for the Bedford part ...

[Dmajackson]

I just quickly took this shot yesterday to show what the new Dunbrack bicycle lanes look like;

[Jonovision]

Waterfront trail set to be finished within next 2 years
Section that will link Dartmouth shoreline will cost $600,000
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE City Hall Reporter
Thu. Sep 3 - 4:46 AM
Construction is slated for the fall on an undeveloped portion of a multi-use trail along the Dartmouth waterfront, a Halifax city hall staffer said Tuesday.

Peter Bigelow, the municipality’s manager of real property planning, said the $600,000 project will link paved paths behind two low-rise apartment buildings near the Canadian Coast Guard facility.

Trail users have to cut through the apartment buildings’ parking lots to continue their journey along the Dartmouth waterfront.

"We’re in the final stage of negotiations on allowing us to come through there with a public trail," he said.

The missing strip is to be part of a three-kilometre trail that’s been built in stages with public cash taken from a $1-million community fund gleaned from metro’s $333-million Harbour Solutions project. Trail users include walkers, joggers, cyclists and wheelchair users.

It is open all year, Mr. Bigelow said, and should be completed within the next two years.

"When all is said and done, you will have a trail from ferry to ferry," he said, referring to Metro Transit’s Woodside and Alderney Gate terminals at each end of the waterfront path. The $600,000 is coming from the three levels of government.

The Dartmouth trail provides a scenic view of Halifax’s skyline and has proven to be popular, said Mr. Bigelow. He said the inaugural phase was built around 2003.

"Our hope is to eventually connect up to the Macdonald bridge," Mr. Bigelow said, adding that it may not necessarily be a "dedicated trail" covering the entire length.

He said Halifax Regional Municipality has plans for a multi-use trail connecting Seaview Park in north-end Halifax with the downtown core. Work on a section of the trail along Barrington Street, near the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge, began some time ago.

Also, there’s a proposal in the works to improve access to the bridge’s entrance and exit for cyclists, on the Halifax side of the harbour, Mr. Bigelow said. The bridge access has long been a sore point with local bike riders.

But the plan, which Mr. Bigelow said involves building a bicycle overpass, is costly and has not been discussed by Halifax regional council.

( mlightstone@herald.ca)

[Dmajackson]

Shubie Bridge on Dartmouth Waterfront Officially Opens
Waterfront Development Corporation
September 11, 2009 3:22 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nova Scotia's historic Shubenacadie Canal will be celebrated Saturday, Sept. 12, with the official opening of the Shubie Bridge on the Dartmouth waterfront.

Starting at 10 a.m., the opening will include a paddle under, to show how the canal was used historically, and an inaugural walk over the bridge.

As part of the Discover Your Dartmouth Waterfront event which runs until noon, the community is also invited to enjoy short tours of the harbourwalk and mural project, a one hour Dartmouth time-travel tour, Alderney Landing's Apple Crisp Harvest Festival, face painters, clowns, theatre performers, free cake and free admission to the 1867 Evergreen House.

"There are a multitude of ways to experience the Dartmouth waterfront," says Colin MacLean, president and CEO, Waterfront Development Corporation Limited (WDCL). "This trail opens up the history, views and attractions of the waterfront for everyone to enjoy."

Started last fall, the 30-metre galvanized steel bridge and wooden deck is a partnership project between WDCL and Halifax Regional Municipality. The 115-kilometre canal is a popular recreation and heritage corridor.

"The Shubenacadie Canal Commission is very pleased with the partners' decision to base the design of the bridge on one of Thomas Telford's," said Jake O'Connor, chair of the commission. "Mr. Telford was a well-known 19th-century Scottish civil engineer who advised on the original Shubenacadie Canal structures."

Another harbourwalk highlight is the new Dartmouth Cove mural project. A partnership of WDCL, Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission and HRM, the murals are designed to reduce graffiti and give local youth a positive community art experience. NSCAD student Lucas Ridgeway, the project lead, will be on hand to add the final touches.

Officially opened in 2004, the three-kilometre trail extends from the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal to the Woodside Ferry Terminal. WDCL oversees two sections; HRM and the Dartmouth Harbourfront Trails Association oversee the middle section and are working on a trail alignment through the Maplehurst apartment site, from Old Ferry Road to Tupper Street.

The trail will connect to the Trans Canada Trail, HRM's park system, biking and walking trails, and complement continued development of downtown Dartmouth

[Dmajackson]

So I just reading that when the Fairview Overpass is replaced this Fall/Winter/Spring they are going to include bicycle lanes and active transportation lanes.

All I can say is thank-god. I've never biked it personally but I commonly see people biking that six lanes of hell.

[Keith P.]

Dear God. That is a disaster for cars as it is and they are not doing anything to improve that, but they are adding these? How the hell will they integrate into the gridlock?

Meanwhile the hairpin turn will continue to bring things to a stop constantly...

[Dmajackson]

^Well heading inbound (south) it would be easy but heading northbound would require some thinking ...

Southbound from Bayview you would just have it on the outside lane and where the Joe Howe on-ramp is would require a transfer over a lane somehow to run along the cemetary. Then near the intersection split the lane (one going up to Windsor Street and one directing to Lady Hammond).

Northbound I wouldn't have a sweet clue what to suggest.

What I am really tossed up about is how to connect the Bfd Hwy into the grid on the peninsula. While there are existing bl's on Windsor St it would impossible to conect those safely. Kempt leads to Robie in a weird intersection set-up. Right now I'd have to say Lady Hammond is the best for future bl's on the Gottigen/Novalea corridor.

[Dmajackson]

It might not be bicycle lanes after all. I grabbed this off of the HRM website;

"The new section of the Fairview overpass will include a 3 metre-wide sidewalk to accommodate active transportation."

[Dmajackson]

In other BLBA news:
• The conversion of the former Chester Spur rail line through Bayers Lake to a multi-use trail is proceeding and HRM is now forming an Active Transportation Corridor Committee. The committee will act as an advisory body in helping ensure the new trail is designed to meet the needs of potential users, while also addressing concerns of adjacent property owners. The BLBA has been asked to contribute members to the new committee in order to represent the businesses directly affected by the creation of the trail.

[Dmajackson]

Trail to be finished
Wed. Nov 25 - 4:46 AM

The missing link in Dartmouth’s Harbourfront Trail is about to be filled in.

The four-kilometre trail that connects the Dartmouth and Woodside ferry terminals has been interrupted for years by a waterfront apartment complex.

The former property owner wouldn’t allow the trail to cut across his property, Peter Bigelow, Halifax Regional Municipality’s manager of real property planning, told council Tuesday evening.

Now, with the agreement of Killam Properties, a retaining wall and trail project worth about $670,000 can get underway.

A new 200-metre section of trail will link Tupper and Parker streets. Work is expected to begin in three weeks and be completed by the end of March.

Council approved a tender for about $670,000 awarded to Allterrain Contracting Inc., of Dartmouth.

[Dmajackson]

New multi-use trail will run from Fairview to Lakeside
Halifax News Net
By Kim Moar – The Weekly News

The tracks are coming up and HRM is getting ready to construct a new 8.8 kilometre-long multi-use trail running from Joseph Howe Drive to the Lakeside Industrial Park.
CN sold its decommissioned railway corridor — known as the Chester Spur Line — to HRM in August for $2.7 million.
“This is really exciting for our area,” said Armdale Coun. Linda Mosher.
Mosher said once all the tracks have been removed, the trail will be paved to encourage multi-use.
“It will be an active transportation corridor to encourage cycling, inline skating, skateboarding, walking, strol-lers, motorized scooters and wheelchairs, and anything like that, but no ATVs,” Mosher said.
A citizen committee has been formed to oversee the project, and they held their first meeting last week.
Mosher encourages the public to get involved in the planning process by attending the Chester Spur Active Transportation Corridor Committee meetings, and tell them what you want to see there.
“You can provide input for such things as dog waste bags, better lighting, better signage or whatever,” she said.
The trail will run from Joseph Howe Superstore past Ashburn Golf Course to the Fairmount subdivision, along Crown Drive to run adjacent to the St. Margaret’s Bay Road to the Bayers Lake Industrial Park near Chain Lake, and out to the Lakeside Industrial Park to connect with the existing Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea multi-use trail there.
And because the trail will be paved, it will be plowed in the winter to allow year-round use.
“We feel that this trail will be the most accessible trail out of any of them,” Mosher said.
Crown Drive resident Barbie Leggett couldn’t be happier about plans for the trail.
“I am absolutely thrilled, this is just fantastic. This? just made by day,”?Leggett said.
Like many residents in the area, Leggett uses the railtracks now to walk her dog, but having a paved surface will be ideal.
“Maggie will love it,”?she said.
Because the trail is simply following the existing rail line, construction is a simple process, Mosher said.
The paving will be cost-shared by HRM, the province and Ottawa, and Mosher said the city hopes to see the work start on June 1 for a fall completion.
Under the infrastructure cost-sharing agreement, the work must be done by March 31, 2011.
Paving will begin at Joseph Howe Drive and work it’s way down the line, she said.

kmoar@hfxnews.ca

[Dmajackson]

Active transport trail open along McIntosh Run in Spryfield
Halifax News Net
By Lindsay Jones – The Weekly News

The opening of a new kilometer-long active transport trail along the McIntosh Run in Spryfield is a major step toward a larger plan to protect and promote the river, says the head of a community group.

“What people see of the McIntosh Run is where it goes under the road in behind the mall and they don’t realize that when you get down there on the trail, it’s a beautiful river,” said Kaarin Tae, president of the McIntosh Run Watershed Association.
“We need people to be able to access the river and appreciate it. People aren’t nearly as concerned about something that is foreign to them, so if we make these trails and allow people to become very familiar with the river and the landscape, they will be much more ready to stand up for it against unwise or too much development in the area.”
Once the site of abandoned shopping carts, tires, potholes and puddles, the old Halifax Water service is now a spruced up smooth surface trail ideal for bikes, strollers, wheelchairs, hikers, runners, dog walkers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers.
No ATVs are permitted on the 1.2 kilometre trail that runs along city parkland to near Bridget Avenue.
Tae said she hopes the trail will encourage people to get out of their houses and cars and to appreciate the area that’s home to otters, trout, birds and beavers.
“Spryfield is the most undervalued place. People don’t understand Spryfield until you live there and realize that it’s really actually a very nice community,” said Tae, citing its farming history, closeness to downtown and the river that runs parallel to the Herring Cove Road.
“It has an old community feel. It’s not just one of these old suburbs that just sprouted up by the will of some developer. It’s there by the will of the people who built it over the last 200 or 300 years. Plus, what other community has a river like that that runs right through people’s backyards, but on public land?”
The publicly-funded trail opened last month with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by about 50 politicians and citizens.
The city contributed $50,000 through the volunteer-based Halifax Regional Trails Association, and the province chipped in $20,000.
“It’s really just the first step in our plans for trails in the area,” Tae said.
Now, the group has its sights set on plans to extend the trail another two kilometres to Roach’s Pond Park by the end of next summer.
After that, they want to build a nature trail with bridges along the river all the way to Herring Cove over the next few years.
“It’s going to be a fantastic system when it’s all finished,” said Dave Young, an avid canoeist and nature lover who lives right next to the river. Also a member of the McIntosh Run Watershed Association, Young said the improvements have made the area much more accessible.
For more information or to volunteer, visit www.mcintoshrun.ca.

ljones@hfxnews.ca

[Dmajackson]

Burnside pedway nears completion
BURNSIDE
KEN PARTRIDGE
The Burnside News

Work on the new pedestrian overpass between Burnside and Highfield Park is almost complete.

The new pedway is a concrete structure erected alongside the existing bridge over Highway 111. It provides the first safe alternative for people walking from North Dartmouth to Burnside.

Prior to the creation of the pedway, walkers had to brave goat paths along the sides of Victoria Road, or take their chances running across the busy Circumferential Highway and hopping the concrete barriers between opposing lanes.

“This is a very important project that will help prevent serious safety situations for many of our pedestrian workers,” says Nancy Sweeney, chair of the GBBA.

Pedestrian traffic surveys show that for every one person who runs across the highway, 10 others were trying to cross at the overpass, even without the benefit of sidewalks. The new pedway will now make that crossing much safer and easier.

However, it’s unlikely to totally eliminate pedestrians running across the highway. The new pedway is on the opposite side of the overpass from where runners usually make their crossings, placing it out of sight, and some say out of mind.

Others say that since most of the illegal crossings are by people headed to the Highfield Park Tim Hortons, the pedway is simply too far away for them to change their habits.

The Highfield Park Pedestrian Overpass project was approved by Regional Council in the 2005/2006 Capital Budget in response to safety concerns and the need to provide a better pedestrian connection between Highfield Park and Burnside Business Park. Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) allocated $400,000 for the project to build a pedway from the end of Burnside’s Oland Court to Highfield Park Drive. This was the location suggested for the pedway after a young boy was struck by a car and seriously hurt while crossing Highway 111 between Victoria Road and Burnside Drive in 2001.

When a joint provincial-municipal committee met to discuss solutions then, the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR) would not permit a fence to be installed on top of the concrete jersey barrier in the centre of the highway and it was agreed that a chain link fence installed along both sides of the highway would be ineffective due to vandalism.

While a pedway built into Oland Court would address the safety issue, it would not benefit most residents of Highfield Park.

“When that proposal went out for comments to the Burnside Business Association and HRM, I had a meeting with the association and we even sent out a survey to Highfield Park residents,” Smith says. “Unfortunately, only about 10 people replied, but those 10 all thought (Oland Court) probably wasn’t the best location. The business association thought something safer at the road overpass would be better. If you go across to Oland Court, you land up in no man’s land. If you’re going to put an overpass there, only half a dozen people are going to use it. The majority of people want to get up to the Burnside Drive area to get to Dartmouth Crossing and the retail area.”-30

[Dmajackson]

2009 Projects (+/- 20 km)

During the 2009 construction season, HRM was able to expand our on-street cycling network by approximately 20 km! This includes primarily striped bike lanes as well as a small section of wide curb lane. Most of these new facilities were extensions to already existing sections of on-road bike infrastructure, helping us come closer to our goal of an interconnected cycling network for HRM residents.

Bikelanes

•Bedford Highway from Southgate Drive to Meadowbrook Drive (both sides, 2 km from with the exception of a small portion between Moirs Mill Road and Hammonds Plains Road)
•Dunbrack Street from Lacewood Drive to Willet Street (both sides, 0.75 km)
•Hines Road from Civic #201 eastbound (both sides, 1.2 km)
•Purcell’s Cove Road from Wenlock Grove (east end) to Civic #376 (both sides, 1 km)
•Hammond’s Plains Road from Innovation Drive to Bluewater Road (both sides, 0.8 km)
•Horseshoe Lake Drive from Susie Lake Crescent to Chain Lake Drive (both sides, 0.9 km)
•Herring Cove Road from Sarah Drive to Hebridean Drive (both sides, 2.3 km)
•Caldwell Road from Cow Bay Road to Seabreeze Drive (one side only, 0.7 km)

Wide Curb Lane

•St. Margaret’s Bay Road from Sleepy Hollow to Devonshire Drive (0.5 km, inbound side only)

[alps]

A page from Ellen
Actress supports green living, picks bike-rack design
By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter
Thu. Apr 22 - 4:54 AM

IN HER hit comedy Juno, Ellen Page’s character Juno MacGuff loves to ride her red 10-speed.

But if the film had been set in the Halifax actress’s birthplace, she would have had a hard time finding a proper place to park her bike downtown.

The dearth of bicycle racks in the city’s core also had restaurateur Lil MacPherson of the Wooden Monkey grinding her gears, so she asked the Academy Award-nominated performer to take part in judging a contest to design some sharp-looking new bike stands for the eatery, known for its focus on local and organic foods.

Gathering at the Wooden Monkey on Wednesday afternoon, the eve of today’s Earth Day celebration, the five-person panel studied a series of in-house designs from WHW Architects.

The winning creation will be unveiled at city hall during HRM Bike Week, which runs from May 28 to June 6, and contest organizers hope its popularity will spread beyond the corner of Prince and Grafton streets.

"It’s exciting, and we’re in a time when we really need to start thinking outside of the box," said the 23-year-old actress after looking over a variety of drawings and models ranging from a blue metal nose-shaped tube — yes, a "bluenose" — that holds a bike vertically, to bike racks in the shape of a ship’s sail and even a metal and wooden primate appropriate for the business.

"Here’s a perfect example of how human ingenuity can exist to make really cool, functional objects that perform a very noble task," Page said. "Something like this gets people talking, and we learn by example."

For her part, Page has been talking a lot lately about environmental issues and promoting sustainability in her own backyard.

"That’s something I’m excited to talk about and share my thoughts on."

After spending time in cities like Amsterdam and Berlin, where biking is an accepted part of daily travel and not "some radical new subculture," Page is keen to see urban design become increasingly bike-friendly in Halifax and surrounding areas.

"To be completely and utterly honest, I don’t get to bike as much as I used to," she sighs. "I own a bike, and I enjoy biking, but basically I never used to own a vehicle. I’ve lived in Toronto, I’ve lived in Brooklyn and I’ve lived here, and I never needed a car.

"Then I got dogs, and when I lived in L.A., having a car became more a part of my life, but it also started making me cranky and angry and road rage became part of my day. It made me think more about the way we consume oil blindly, and the decline of the oil supply by seven per cent a year. By 2030, we’ll need 10 new Saudi Arabias. It’s just illogical to keep going this way."

HRM by Design’s Andy Fillmore agreed, and praised the way the bike rack challenge came from within the community and addresses a broader issue with humour and ingenuity.

"The world is changing; we’re in the middle of this global, financial, environmental shift," said Fillmore, eyeing one simple dome-shaped design inspired by Star Trek’s furry pests, the Tribbles.

"The realities of that are starting to become visible all around us, and one of those is that people are starting to find alternate modes of transport."

Taking part in an event that symbolically encourages the use of greener transportation in Halifax is just the start of Page’s interest in promoting a more sustainable lifestyle.

Having downtime between movie projects, including director Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio, has allowed her to pursue her interest in the subject even further.

Last year, she spent a month in Oregon studying permaculture, which uses personal living spaces and even entire communities to their fullest advantage, producing food locally in an ecologically sound system.

"I work in an industry that can be miserably wasteful and can definitely be its own virtual reality, but it can also generate stories that promote a sense of empathy and compassion," said Page. "I guess because I’ve been in some movies, people will listen to me, and that’s very bizarre to me."

( scooke@herald.ca)

Would be nice to see more bike racks downtown.

I've been in Montreal for the past few days and they have a bike lending system called Bixi that is very cool, and combined with lots of well separated bike lanes it seems really popular.



(source)

Originally Posted by Keith P. on the popularization of bikes

Why some people want to make us into a 3rd world country amazes me.

Keith your Herald online hyperbole always makes for good comedy

[Keith P.]

Why some people want to make us into a 3rd world country amazes me.

True, that.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

New multi-use trail will run from Fairview to Lakeside
Halifax News Net
By Kim Moar – The Weekly News

The tracks are coming up and HRM is getting ready to construct a new 8.8 kilometre-long multi-use trail running from Joseph Howe Drive to the Lakeside Industrial Park.
CN sold its decommissioned railway corridor — known as the Chester Spur Line — to HRM in August for $2.7 million.
“This is really exciting for our area,” said Armdale Coun. Linda Mosher.
Mosher said once all the tracks have been removed, the trail will be paved to encourage multi-use.
“It will be an active transportation corridor to encourage cycling, inline skating, skateboarding, walking, strol-lers, motorized scooters and wheelchairs, and anything like that, but no ATVs,” Mosher said.
A citizen committee has been formed to oversee the project, and they held their first meeting last week.
Mosher encourages the public to get involved in the planning process by attending the Chester Spur Active Transportation Corridor Committee meetings, and tell them what you want to see there.
“You can provide input for such things as dog waste bags, better lighting, better signage or whatever,” she said.
The trail will run from Joseph Howe Superstore past Ashburn Golf Course to the Fairmount subdivision, along Crown Drive to run adjacent to the St. Margaret’s Bay Road to the Bayers Lake Industrial Park near Chain Lake, and out to the Lakeside Industrial Park to connect with the existing Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea multi-use trail there.
And because the trail will be paved, it will be plowed in the winter to allow year-round use.
“We feel that this trail will be the most accessible trail out of any of them,” Mosher said.
Crown Drive resident Barbie Leggett couldn’t be happier about plans for the trail.
“I am absolutely thrilled, this is just fantastic. This? just made by day,”?Leggett said.
Like many residents in the area, Leggett uses the railtracks now to walk her dog, but having a paved surface will be ideal.
“Maggie will love it,”?she said.
Because the trail is simply following the existing rail line, construction is a simple process, Mosher said.
The paving will be cost-shared by HRM, the province and Ottawa, and Mosher said the city hopes to see the work start on June 1 for a fall completion.
Under the infrastructure cost-sharing agreement, the work must be done by March 31, 2011.
Paving will begin at Joseph Howe Drive and work it’s way down the line, she said.

kmoar@hfxnews.ca

If the city grows, an option would have been to use this for BRT or LRT. I can understand people wanting a trail, but I wonder if this was considered? It would be a rapid route into the city.