Last week, we asked our readers about potential cuts to Halifax’s plans to develop a AAA bikeway network.
The proposed networks consisted of 57 kilometres of connected bikeways—protected bike lanes, multi-use pathways, and local street bikeways—meant for use by folks of all ages and abilities (hence the term AAA).
Parts of this network are already complete and AAA-compliant. Others are still under construction, in the design stages, or have yet to be fully planned. HRM keeps a map of these lanes and what’s been finished, all available on their website. The project was supposed to be complete by 2030.
Unfortunately, the municipality is looking to make cuts to prevent what Mayor Andy Fillmore calls a potential 10 percent tax hike on property owners within HRM. Fillmore, who came after bike lanes back in the summer, once again proposed a motion for staff to look at potential cuts to the AAA bikeway, some of which could leave the network with lanes that are not for all ages and abilities.
For cycling enthusiasts, this defeats part of the purpose of having such a system. Bikes are an alternative for folks who cannot, or would rather not, pay thousands upon thousands for a car and all its associated costs just to be stuck in traffic. If anything, bike lanes reduce congestion by getting fewer vehicles off the roads. Reevaluating these costs could compromise the safety of the network, as potential cuts could see fewer barriers separating cyclists and vehicles. As any cyclist will tell you, paint doesn’t protect anyone.
Halifax is already redesigning two cycling projects in hopes of saving $2 million.
Results of our poll
Our poll last week asked readers whether or not they would approve of cuts to the AAA bikeway network. Having only two options couldn’t help us tell the full story. Rather, we asked our readers two questions, resulting in four separate options: do you ride a bike (or an equivalent) within HRM, and do you approve of cuts to the AAA network.
The majority of our readers, 42.4 percent of them, approved of finding alternatives to the AAA network, but do not ride a bike. In second place were readers who do not ride a bike and disapprove of finding alternatives to the AAA network at 26.3 percent.
For those who do ride a bike, most said they disapprove of finding alternatives to the AAA network at 18.2 percent. Those who approve and ride a bike make up 13.1 percent of those polled.
In total, 55.5 percent of our readers who voted in the poll were for alternatives. The remainder, 44.5 percent, were not.
It is not surprising that those who ride within the city are disapproving of alternatives. Their safety is at risk if the municipality scraps a fully-AAA network. It is also unsurprising that amongst those who do not ride, most of them would be up for cost-cutting measures. They wouldn’t have the experience of riding in HRM to understand what that cost-cutting might entail for cyclists.
One oversight with this poll is that we did not include options for what alternatives looked like. Maybe this would include barriers, but not multi-use pathways. It could mean cheaper alternatives that are still suitable for all ages and abilities. On the other hand, an alternative could also be interpreted by some as scrapping the project altogether.
Some readers left us a message about their answer. Here’s what some of them had to say.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll and left their feedback.
Ride a bike/Disapproves of alternatives
“Safety comes first.”
“As a long-time bike rider, I can navigate my way around town in relative safety. However, most people cannot. The goal should be: Encourage alternatives to the car. Let’s get people out of their cars, improve their health and help in the battle for a better planet. The AAA bike lanes are one way to help.”
Doesn’t ride a bike/Disapproves of alternatives
“Bikes are a great way of taking autos off our streets, which helps alleviate congestion, not to mention your own physical health improvements. I used to drive a bike and am 100% behind these safe lanes for people of all abilities.”
“Seems unsafe to rely on painted lines.”
Ride a bike/Approves of alternatives
“I ride to work every day, rain, snow or shine. There are other ways to provide a protected bike path, for example, having cars park in the middle with bike paths to the left on one-way streets. Cars and buses would drive in the right lane, so no raised platforms are required for the buses. Hollis would be a perfect place to give that a try.”
“Off-street trails in neighbourhoods such as Westmount subdivision (the trails behind the houses that run along the end of the backyards), where it can be multi-use, safer, while not reducing the size of our already crowded and narrow peninsula roads.”
Doesn’t ride a bike/Approves of alternatives
“The ratio of bikes to city commute compared to other modes of transportation is low. I’m all for a biking city in theory, but I am not convinced this is the best method to focus on for the commute based on our footprint, geographic layout and population spread.”
“There are so many affordability issues at this time that a bike lane barrier definitely falls under want rather than need.”
Does it make sense to ask those who don’t ride these questions? How many people who would ride if it was safer and more plentiful? Those that can’t see themselves as bikers might become one if we had a safe system.
Hey Jean!
Interestingly enough, several of the written responses in the don’t ride/disapprove category said exactly that. Some people said they want to ride but feel it’s unsafe, or used to ride but don’t anymore due to safety concerns.
Best,
B
I think its important to frame this cycling lane debate in context of public access to transportation. Roads, bike lanes, sidewalks are public domain and should have equitable access for the public.
Maybe have a survey to understand how people get from A to B: Walk, Drive (if you own a car), Bike (if you own a bike), Rent, or for a one time fee: Take a cab, Take public transit.
– How would the population current rate these current options (A, AA, AAA)
The reality is that everyone can: Take Public Transit. It feels like this biking specific transportation infrastructure is taking money away from that primary option. if one option isn’t an A, then lets make sure all the options are A before moving to others to AA, or AAA
I’m an avid and experienced cyclist, 63 years old; I’ve navigated the everchanging evolution of the flow of traffic for decades – long before there was a path for cyclists on the MacDonald bridge.
I managed for many years with little to no infrastructure dedicated to cyclists, but always marveled at how efficient cities like Ottawa and Montreal were with their own infrastructure.
While I welcome the effort to improve the experience for new cyclists, many of us veterans have already found our preferred method of getting around and stick almost exclusively to quieter roadways, avoiding the heavy traffic lanes where most of the bike lanes have popped up.
City planners seem to assume that cyclists need to travel the same route as cars and busses, missing the point that most of us, long ago, opted for the kind of shortcuts that steer us through multiuse parks, etc.
I have to laugh at the number of people who drive cars and blame us for the current traffic woes, claiming that such a small segment of the public shouldn’t take up so much real estate on their commute. These are primarily drivers who choke all the lanes at rush hour, when they sit in their vehicles for their commute, however long that takes, then take up a massive amount of physical real estate to park their non-moving vehicle for the 8, or so hours they’re at work, only to drive home and park it again until morning.
I never asked for bike lanes because drivers have never respected them in the first place, and their resentment on the roads is palpable – although, I own my own home and pay the same taxes for infrastructure that they do.
Approximately 10% of my daily commute involves accessing a bike line, compared to 100% of cars using much more physical space to commute and then park their empty car.
Cycling is free, healthy and, in a city our size, surprisingly efficient – I can get from my home in Cole Harbour to work downtown quicker than by car or public transit – drivers have no idea what they’re missing out on.
Bike lanes in Halifax are a failed experiment. Get over it. The time of pandering to the vocal minority is over. Most motorists in Halifax aren’t even from Halifax. Canadian cities are fed by a culture or commuting.
People are sick of these massive seldom used bike lanes restricting the efficient flow cars. The motor vehicle act exists to protect bicycles as a motor vehicle. Drive your bike like it’s a car, or get a car.
I believe that people on bicycles should be in the safest places. Yes. Don’t put them on main roads. Put them on side streets. Yes. But you want bike Lanes, bus Lanes, HOV lanes. With no consideration that Halifax has very narrow streets. I’ve driven in Halifax for 50 years and I have never run over a bicyclist. But I watch big trucks everyday run over the bike lane uprights because they can’t navigate the corners with all the parking. So either improve public transit or put bike Lanes on non-main and roads. On non-main roads you could just paint a line on one side of the street, 2 feed out from the curb. And Presto safe bike Lanes.