Halifax plans to try bus-only project on Spring Garden Road again next year
The City of Halifax is looking at new ways to reduce traffic on a busy downtown street after a failed attempt earlier this year.
The city tried to make Spring Garden Road a bus-only route in July. However, that plan was "paused" after just four days because motorists continued to drive on the street due a lack of enforcement.
During the city's transportation standing committee meeting Wednesday, the idea was brought up to try and attempt the plan again next spring.
During the meeting, Halifax's transportation manager did admit the plan didn’t go the way they wanted it to this year. Despite plenty of signage and police on site, vehicles continued to use the busy street. The city said ongoing construction was also an issue.
The city plans to add new barricades and other transportation control measures when it tries the project again in the spring. As a result, the project will be more costly than initially anticipated.
“One of the things we're looking at, is potentially an automated gate system that would allow buses to trigger and open a gate and allow them through," said Mike Connors, a transportation planning manager with the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Sue Uteck, with the Spring Garden Area Business Association, says the process has been frustrating and is hoping for more concrete information from the city.
“The report that went to the standing committee contained zero information. It says we’re going to bring a report back in February, we’ll tell you how much it’s going to cost, but we don’t know what we’re doing, and we think we'll start around June," Uteck said.
"So, very frustrating for the membership, you know. They need to plan deliveries around this. Having a 24/7 bus pilot is great for principle, but it just means garbage won’t get picked up on the street. And emergency vehicles…how are we going to do that? If they want to put a barricade on the street, that’s fine, let's try it, but 24/7, this is a working service delivery area.”
Running Room manager Jonathan Kirk says the city should abandon the transit-only plan.
"Trying to implement this as a transit-only street won't work unless you put up gates and every intersection and sidestreet," said Kirk, "and that's going to come at a huge cost that I just don't think is worth it."
Ryan Church lives in the area and welcomes the return of the transit-only pilot.
"I thought the pilot project was great. It brings a certain vitality to the downtown," said Church. "It felt like a European city which I think we need more of and fewer cars down there."
The transportation committee will get a report back in February with more details regarding the second plan for the bus-only pilot project, along with a proposed budget.
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