Making Halifax a safer city for cycling, one light at a time

For many cyclists in the city, the bicycle is placed into storage when the clocks move forward and the evening comes sooner. The chilly winter weather doesn’t help matters much, either.

Yet, for David Trueman, the chair of the Halifax Cycling Coalition, cycling doesn’t have to end just because it’s dark outside. To prove his point, him and fellow members of the coalition have been stationed around well-used bike routes throughout the city, handing out bike lights to those who need them.

This culminates in their annual cycling event, I Light HFX, where hundreds of cyclists take over the city’s roadways with their lights aglow, riding through the darkness together. Having started in 2015, this year marks the event’s 11-year anniversary.

“It’s all about making colder-weather riding and nighttime riding a little more approachable for people,” said Trueman in an interview with The Coast.

Deliberately set during the transition from fall to winter, I Light HFX encourages people of all-ages, skill levels and experiences to ride along with the group, one focused on fun and safety above all else.

“It’s a really fun, joyous event,” says Trueman. “Even last year, we did it in the pouring rain and, you know, literally, spirits weren’t dampened.”

While there is a rain date this year, just in case (Sunday, Nov 8), the event is expected to go ahead on Saturday, Nov 7. People will begin to gather around 6pm at the Dale/King’s Bike Centre, taking off on their route around 6:30pm. While the ride is set to finish up around 9pm, Trueman says it often ends earlier as its a 10km route.

Trueman says several local business support the ride by offering prizes for the Halifax Cycling Coalition to give away during the event. He admits the categories are often made up on the day-of, but reward people for decorating their bikes for ride and contributes to the spontaneous fun of a cycling event regularly attended by over 200 people annually.

There’s more to it

The ride also acts as a way to encourage municipal policy around cycling infrastructure, mainly by getting more people comfortable with riding on the roadways.

“As an organization, we advocate relentlessly for better cycling infrastructure in the city, so that people who are not comfortable riding with traffic have an option available to them in a protected cycling lane,” says Trueman. “By the numbers, it’s about 10 to 15 percent of the population who will ride in traffic, but there’s 60 percent that would ride if there was more safe facilities available.

“It’s a huge potential that we want to unleash by having a fully connected, safe network, and that’s particularly important for kids, you know, to get to school safely.”

Many studies, including this 2024 study published in the Journal of Urban Mobility, show cycling can help ease traffic congestion, as well—an issue regularly brought up during Halifax regional council meetings. Cycling infrastructure encourages what’s called “mode shifting”, essentially switching people from cars for their work commutes and short trips to bicycle. This lessens the amount of vehicles on the road and therefore the amount of time spent stuck in traffic.

For those interested in getting more into cycling throughout the city, Trueman says the Halifax Cycling Coalition hosts events year-round to educate, engage and connect with cyclists both new and experienced. This includes tutorials, safety tips in their monthly newsletter, safe cycling courses and other riding events, like their annual Coldest Night of the Year ride in February. For those that love to bike around the city, members also track their rides every month in teams for a dose of friendly competition.

“We had twenty eight teams involved and we logged 49,000 kilometres in total, on bikes during one month,” says Trueman.

For more information on I Light HFX and the Halifax Cycling Coalition, visit their website.