Halifax Active Transportation

[The Crow Whisperer]

I am disappointed any time anytime I hear more funds are being given to bicycles because it emboldens them. They are not respectful of anyone outside their ideology or anyone who challenges their demands. The cowardliness in this town to saying no to the bike lobby is un-believable. Apparently every square inch of city property needs to be dedicated to bicycles. The fetishizing and martyrdom of bicyclists seems to be a pathology that several Councilors exploit for their own interests. The plight of the bikers is a perennial cause for progressives and who seems to act like the cyclists are a sorry permanent social cause for them.
Cyclists make up less than 1 pc of travel yet for some reason everything needs to go through them for approval.
Being condescending and patronizing is the norm for the activist community who think they know better than everybody.
It's beyond delusional to think all our problems will be solved when cyclist activists are allowed to call the shots, it's insane.
Is there a reason that accusations of malicious behavior from drivers towards bikers that have no evidence actually happened cause an uproar whereas incidences of bicyclists flipping off drivers, blowing through red lights and stop signs and cutting drivers off caught on tape, including in this city, and everybody shrugs it off?

[Keith P.]

A big thumbs up to the Crow Whisperer. I'd be interested in his thoughts on "Vision Zero" which is another of the ridiculous initiatives our Council and Mayor have embraced.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I am always struck by a combination of amusement and disappointment in the human race when I read posts complaining about an 'extreme group' and countering with views that are even more narrow-minded and extreme.

I think that's all I want to say about that.

[Keith P.]

As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.

[The Crow Whisperer]

Vision Zero. Year Zero. Do I think they will empty out the cities at gunpoint into death camps Khmer Rouge style? No. Do I think they will continue to slowly chip away at our freedoms, yes.

Remember when we could drive across Halifax in the right hand lane, and not have to make unnecessary lane changes and swerve around bumpouts at every major intersection?

They despise private vehicle ownership. Cars = freedom. They want us riding dinky little bicycles, walking, and never leaving our little 5 sq km area. They look down their noses at us like we are peasants.

Vision Zero started from the Swedish parliament. It is part of the world plan to take away freedom of mobility and independence. Abolition of private vehicles is key to their ultimate goal of enslaving the world, population control.

The EAC/HCC who push this stuff at the local level act morally superior, like corrupt televangelists.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Indeed.

Rigidity and dogmatism on the part of one group will only result in a similar tactical style in their polar opposite adversaries.

Just look at modern American political dynamic!

[atbw]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

I AM VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT PHASE 1 OF THE MACDONALD BRIDGE BIKEWAY CONNECTOR PROJECT HAS GONE TO TENDER!!!

This long anticipated project will drastically improve access to the Macdonald Bridge Bikeway on the Dartmouth side. The details are quite impressive but I'll provide a brief version of the changes;

- The project extends along Wyse Road from Boland Road to Thistle Street.

- Bi-directional protected bike lanes will be introduced on Wyse from Boland to Thistle. For the most part they will be protected by precast curb and require the removal of the third lane of traffic. Select spots will have the lanes raised to sidewalk level.

- At Thistle the new bike lanes will tie into the Dartmouth Commons path network.

- At both Thistle and Nantucket the very first Bicycle Traffic Signals in Nova Scotia will be introduced. These are activated by a push button and give cyclists a protected movement to make it across busy intersections.

- New multi-use path on Nantucket along the Esso frontage.

- The project will see the full resurfacing of Wyse Road in the project area.

- From a driver's perspective the main changes will be the removal of the third traffic lane, new protected left-turn coming off of MacDonald Bridge, removal of the right-turn channel from Nantucket onto Wyse, and most right turns will become 'No Right on Red'.

I can't wait for construction to begin. I commute across the bikeway and this project solves the major issue I face in Dartmouth which is how to safely leave the bikeway and head north along Wyse.

BLESSSS.

This is a huuuuge missing link and I’m glad they’re starting with the Dartmouth side. It’s a relatively short stretch to the Common but it’s brutal to cycle through on anything other than a Sunday morning.

[The Crow Whisperer]

The HCC gets paid by the govt to promote predetermined outcomes that are pushed on us topdown from Davos and Europe, they are not a grassroots org, they are astroturf to give local cover to global agendas. Look how well organized and well funded and connected HCC are. Less than 1pc of people use bikes to get around. There are organizations that serve a much larger section of society whom the powers that be would not give the steam off their pee. HCC is practically a Crown Corporation, like Air Canada in the 80s. They get so much patronage. They get paid by the govt to let the city know how they want taxpayer funds directed towards their anti-car crap. Nobody else is getting this. And cyclists are not being underserved in this region quite the opposite, they're getting way more than their fair share. They take and take and act like they are doing everyone a favour.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Just look at modern American political dynamic!

Yes, and hasn't that worked out just wonderfully?

[The Crow Whisperer]

I reject the half billion dollars to "active transportation" announced by the federal govt. Taxpayers dollars should not be funding peoples'
lifestyles and riding a bike is certainly a lifestyle. The phrase "Stakeholders" is often used yet it's clear that not all citizens are being treated equally -we keep hearing this will give a voice to those who have been unfairly shut out. This actually shuts out more of the city then is normally shut out since it focuses exclusively on the demographic that makes up less than 1pc of the population. It might be true that normal policy disproportionately favours cars but there certainly is an effort made to be inclusive. This doesn't make an effort to be inclusive to drivers. This has been a progressive knee-jerk reactio that should have been called out long time ago. Most drivers are poor but I never hear progressives saying the solution is to inundate them with more taxpayer funds for more subsidized this and that, like showers at work.

[Nouvellecosse]

The thing about freedom is that as long as you share a society with other people, total unlimited freedom for everyone is impossible because unlimited freedom for one person or group means the ability to infringe on the freedoms of others. It's always a balancing act to create policy that's as neutral as possible to give as much freedom as possible to everyone. Any time there are changes in laws or policy there will be people who dislike it and who feel aggrieved. Especially when that balance shifts to take away the ability of one group to infringe on another such as a society where roads are designed and built mainly for car users that enacts changes to treat all road users more equally. For instance, for non-car users it may not seem reasonable that many important roads (such as the MacKay bridge) can't even be accessed without a car, while many others aren't safe. To them the idea that motorists' freedom has been taken away simply by them having to change lanes is rofl hilarious. Perception doesn't always equal reality.

The fact is, in a city - which is a community of people living in close proximity - it isn't practical for everyone to lug 20 times their body weight in heavy machinery every time they go anywhere. The pollution, noise, energy consumption, space, safety concerns, cost, and infrastructure strain have become abundantly clear and there's nothing wrong with government directing policy to address this. It isn't a conspiracy and it isn't an infringement on anyone's rights or freedoms. It's simply an attempt to organize a more functional and efficient society - something we've been doing in various ways as long as there have been cities.

[The Crow Whisperer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad View Post
Just look at modern American political dynamic!
Yes, and hasn't that worked out just wonderfully?

Sneering sarcastically about "American style politics" is par for the course for smug, sanctimonious Canadians. Keep hating on the United States and thinking Crown Canada is better than Republican USA. Keep looking down your nose at them like they're peasants and we are so superior.

73 Thousand people at Cowboys Stadium last night for the game. What do we got here in Canada? Are you enjoying your Lockdowns? Are we at Zero Covid yet? Elizabeth May and Singh say we should stay in lockdown until zero covid cases, when will that be do you think? And Singh wants to use C10 to censor "hate speech" according to his hysterical woke intersectional mob's definition. Canada and USA might as well be East and West Germany at this point. But stoopid gun toting redneck Amurkans are dumb hur hur dur.

[The Crow Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

The thing about freedom is that as long as you share a society with other people, total unlimited freedom for everyone is impossible because unlimited freedom for one person or group means the ability to infringe on the freedoms of others. It's always a balancing act to create policy that's as neutral as possible to give as much freedom as possible to everyone. Any time there are changes in laws or policy there will be people who dislike it and who feel aggrieved. Especially when that balance shifts to take away the ability of one group to infringe on another such as a society where roads are designed and built mainly for car users that enacts changes to treat all road users more equally. For instance, for non-car users it may not seem reasonable that many important roads (such as the MacKay bridge) can't even be accessed without a car, while many others aren't safe. To them the idea that motorists' freedom has been taken away simply by them having to change lanes is rofl hilarious. Perception doesn't always equal reality.

The fact is, in a city - which is a community of people living in close proximity - it isn't practical for everyone to lug 20 times their body weight in heavy machinery every time they go anywhere. The pollution, noise, energy consumption, space, safety concerns, cost, and infrastructure strain have become abundantly clear and there's nothing wrong with government directing policy to address this. It isn't a conspiracy and it isn't an infringement on anyone's rights or freedoms. It's simply an attempt to organize a more functional and efficient society - something we've been doing in various ways as long as there have been cities.

AKSHULLY you are wrong, people prefer private vehicle ownership to mass transit, bus or walking every time, except over maybe very short distances. The govt is trying to FORCE us out of our cars because if given the choice we prefer cars every time. The convenience, speed and comfort of a car is vastly superior to public transit, biking or walking. When Mayor Savage says "Millenials are not buying cars" he is lying, millenials are buying cars like crazy, there is a car shortage now because everybody wants to buy a car. Nobody wants to ride a stupid bus or bike, the stats clearly show this, and all the empty bike lanes and bike shelters and empty buses show this. We plebs only ride the dumb bus until we save up enough moolah to afford to buy a car, the second we have enough lettuce for a car it's bye-bye bus. This drives the government and technocrats and lefty control freaks nuts. Even with traffic jams, owning a car is vastly superior to bus, that is certainly true in HRM, I can get so much done with a car, run so many errands, it's not even close to riding the bus, walking or cycling. And bus lanes are not going to save us from the boneheads at Transit by the way. Also when EV cars are the standard vehicle and you no longer have the pollution excuse, what will your excuse be then? People clearly prefer single occupancy private vehicles to riding the dumb pony express metro bus, cycling or walking.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

AKSHULLY you are wrong, people prefer private vehicle ownership to mass transit, bus or walking every time, except over maybe very short distances.

Source?

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

The govt is trying to FORCE us out of our cars because if given the choice we prefer cars every time.

Mostly anecdotal.

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

The convenience, speed and comfort of a car is vastly superior to public transit, biking or walking.

This message brought to you by Big Car™.

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

When Mayor Savage says "Millenials are not buying cars" he is lying, millenials are buying cars like crazy, there is a car shortage now because everybody wants to buy a car.

A car....shortage? I thought govt was forcing us out of cars, but those damn woke Millennials are buying so many that there simply is not any more to buy? What?

The rest of your post, like what i've already quoted, is a rubbish opinion and denigrates others that don't think and act like you. Woeful troll.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

AKSHULLY you are wrong, people prefer private vehicle ownership to mass transit, bus or walking every time, except over maybe very short distances. The govt is trying to FORCE us out of our cars because if given the choice we prefer cars every time. The convenience, speed and comfort of a car is vastly superior to public transit, biking or walking. When Mayor Savage says "Millenials are not buying cars" he is lying, millenials are buying cars like crazy, there is a car shortage now because everybody wants to buy a car. Nobody wants to ride a stupid bus or bike, the stats clearly show this, and all the empty bike lanes and bike shelters and empty buses show this. We plebs only ride the dumb bus until we save up enough moolah to afford to buy a car, the second we have enough lettuce for a car it's bye-bye bus. This drives the government and technocrats and lefty control freaks nuts. Even with traffic jams, owning a car is vastly superior to bus, that is certainly true in HRM, I can get so much done with a car, run so many errands, it's not even close to riding the bus, walking or cycling. And bus lanes are not going to save us from the boneheads at Transit by the way. Also when EV cars are the standard vehicle and you no longer have the pollution excuse, what will your excuse be then? People clearly prefer single occupancy private vehicles to riding the dumb pony express metro bus, cycling or walking.

"AKSHULLY" I never made any claim about what people "prefer." I haven't conducted any surveys on the issue, but that's not a major aspect of the topic regardless. In cities that were designed for cars, cars work better than other options so obviously people will "like" what works the best. That is something you astutely alluded to with your comment "that is certainly true in the HRM" where you recognize that there are difference between cities in that regard. And many people grew up with cars and have become extremely accustomed to that and people are creatures of habit. But the problems posed by a over-reliance of cars don't go away simply by people liking them, so there's relatively little that such claims can add to the discussion.

In terms of EVs, as you may have noticed I cited a long (but still not exhaustive) list of different problems caused by an over-reliance on cars in cities. The electrification of cars is something I strongly support since it does improve some aspect of automobile usage, but it doesn't solve them all.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

THCC is practically a Crown Corporation, like Air Canada in the 80s.They get so much patronage.

While I take your point, the comparison is actually quite inapt. Air Canada as a state-owned entity never received much "patronage" because it didn't need it.

Most Canadians seem to be unaware of it, but the fact is that AC was not merely self-sufficient but in fact profitable for most of its pre-privatization existence, and certainly in the 80s.

[The Crow Whisperer]

Ed the Sock,
Tony Mancini said on 957 Howe that bus / bike lanes are deliberately making traffic congestion worse to force us out of our cars and onto buses/bikes by reducing the number of lanes, and it's in the planning docs here and all over the world where they implement their complete streets, and its not a conspiracy, the planning docs reference Agenda 21 and SDG's. Yes people prefer single occup vehicles every time, just look at the street, car after car, empty buses, empty bike lanes. The mayor says "if you build it they will come" but I doubt it.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

Originally Posted by MonctonRad View Post
Just look at modern American political dynamic!
Yes, and hasn't that worked out just wonderfully?

Sneering sarcastically about "American style politics" is par for the course for smug, sanctimonious Canadians. Keep hating on the United States and thinking Crown Canada is better than Republican USA. Keep looking down your nose at them like they're peasants and we are so superior.

73 Thousand people at Cowboys Stadium last night for the game. What do we got here in Canada? Are you enjoying your Lockdowns? Are we at Zero Covid yet? Elizabeth May and Singh say we should stay in lockdown until zero covid cases, when will that be do you think? And Singh wants to use C10 to censor "hate speech" according to his hysterical woke intersectional mob's definition. Canada and USA might as well be East and West Germany at this point. But stoopid gun toting redneck Amurkans are dumb hur hur dur.

LOL... I have nothing that I can say about this that would ever approach the entertainment value that you are giving us right now.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by The Crow Whisperer

...and its not a conspiracy, the planning docs reference Agenda 21 and SDG's.

I can only assume you meant to say it's not a conspiracy theory, since you seem to be asserting that it is in fact a conspiracy.

[The Crow Whisperer]

Yes Ed the Sock there is a car shortage because everyone wants a car, dealerships have less than a months supply of unsold cars. Nobody wants to use active transpo everyone wants cars trucks and things that go. The activate transpo money is a makework project and a boondoggle waste of money, people want to drive cars not ride rinky dinky bikes. My opinion isn't garbage it's truth, anybody who doesn't toe the NDP party line isn't a troll.