Why are the renovators/builders at Halifax International Airport being allowed to have so little regard for airport users, and for SO LONG? The work on the road has been going on for months. You cannot pick up passengers anywhere near the exits, and dropping off passengers is now down to single lane. How are these project managers allowed to get away with this? Tourists – forget coming to this abusive backwater. Returning residents – prepare to hop over concrete barriers. And, as for the attitudes of the traffic police (most of whom must be fed up), they seem to just hate us Nova Scotians who dare drive through. Whoever is in charge – GET ON WITH THE JOB. And, have respect for Nova Scotians. Taxi users and bus users have all the perks – but not those who LIVE here.
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2008.
hedgyhog, when they say limo at the airport they mean the upgraded taxi’s that are classified as limosine by Canadian Airport Standards. I know in Montreal the cost difference between the two types of cars was 10-15 bucks depending on the company.As for the designated bus parking at the far end of the terminal, thats reserved because coach operators pay dearly to use those spots, as does Acadian Lines when picking up passengers. The airport should have made a short-term lot to mate with the park n fly shuttle seeing how the HIA owns the PnF franchise at Stanfield. You could have parked at a lot away from the terminal and had 10-15 minute shuttle frequency, get out at the airport and then everyone gets on a shuttle for the return trip.Its poor planning all around by HIA!
ExHali, you are a treasure trove of transportation-related information. You should start charging a consultation fee and help HRM revamp its public trasit system.
yeah, that does annoy me. it feels like they didn’t really even plan how and where they were going to do all this construction- what if they’d focused on one section, then moved on to the other, thus trying to inconvience as few as possible? I was there the other day, just to pick someone up. I couldn’t park near the exits, as I usually would do to do a quick pickup. orange cones kept areas of curb totally offlimits, and taxi’s took up the rest. I had to drive around a loop, looking for a place to park. there was space over by where the buses are…but no. just for buses. even with construction they couldn’t change that, could they? and so I progressed, past a lot of rental cars that was half empty until I came to the entrance to the short term metered parking lot…only to find it was full, and the helpful sign told me to go park in the park-and-fly: meanign I’d have to pay far more than neccessary, to wait for a shuttle, to get to the airport, to pick up my friend, to take the shuttle back…all for an event htat should have taken 15 minutes!and their webpage is just insulting; I checked it before I went, and their big suggestion for dealing with the fact their parking situation is horrendous? ‘use alternative modes of transport to get to the airport- taxi, bus, limo.’ um, ok…yeah….taxi’s to the airport now cost around 60 bucks, there is only the airport shuttle, costing money and with limited seating, to get there, and I don’t even want to think about limos!
Its a nice idea Miles but you know HRM and other cities wouldn’t implement any transit planning that involves common sense. I don’t know why Metro Transit keeps passing up obvious opportunities to expand and improve the service but one problem could be the Union which claims to hate management yet gladly hops in bed with them whenever they get a chance.