This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
St. Margaret’s Bay Road Morning Traffic
Ten years ago, I moved to the Prospect Road. It used to take me a half hour to go to work. Now it takes me well over an hour. What the hell gives? Why does the HRM allow all these damn houses in Timberlea and Tantallon to be built but don’t consider
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Have you actually attended a city planning meeting or is that too far away or too much trouble for you to attend? If it bothers you oh so much to drive your SUV alone into town each day – move, carpool, change jobs off the peninsula, promote and take mass transit (the one or two buses out there) or go to the meetings and make a difference. The city is growing and so are the problems with traffic…people love it here so they’re moving in, and it’s gonna keep growing.
If your late for work, leave early.
HRM city planners are smoking some bad shit. The problems you describe are everywhere. It’s a case of small town groupthink in a growing city.
I leave at 7:15 from Hatchet Lake and arrive at 8:35 a.m. Fucking ridiculous.
Why are there people who want to blame everything on SUV’s? What does driving an SUV have to do with driving over an hour to get to work? Is the SUV causing traffic to be worse than it would be if the bitcher were to drive a smaller car? I’m sure the bitcher has a variety of reasons for wanting to move to St. Margarets Bay, I’m sure they like St. Margarets Bay and I’m also sure that the type of vehicle they drive has absolutely nothing to do with the traffic problems they are encountering…stop being a hippie asshole GTACM.
My bitch is this column. Why do people assume someone drives an SUV because they don’t like traffic, bad drivers or kiddie killers? How do you know they don’t drive a frigging ’88 Yugo?
You don’t like it, then move into the city where you can take more transit. People like you who live way outside of the city and then drive into town promote SPRAWL. Don’t blame the city for you wanting to work in the city and then retreating to hickville. You’re bitching about the housing in Timberlea and Tantallon, but why were you allowed to build your place? So it’s fine if you do, but not for anyone else? STFU and learn to use transit. Don’t even think of widening the roads either. More roads don’t reduce traffic. It just gets more cars out on the roads. Live in the city and learn to use transit or even get off your lazy ass and walk/bike to work.
10 years ago you moved to Hatchett Lake? Well, 10 years ago the development of Tantallon and Timberlea were well underway, did you not stop to think what it would be like before purchasing your home? You obviously never weighed the pro’s & con’s of living out in a rural area. Really, though who wouldn’t want to live out in the St Margaret’s Bay area, it is well worth the commute out there, all new highways, beautiful scenery it is the trade off of having to get out of Halifax, knowing that you are going home to peace and tranquility. Get up earlier in the morning and don’t be in such a rush that stresses you out. The commute is just as stressful if you live in those areas as well, most of us have to take the same route. Instead of complaining, yes we have every right to why not push for change. A solution to the problem could be simple, a direct link from Exhibition Park to Halifax’s downtown core by Metro Transit, something that runs more frequently than every 20 minutes and I bet it would be at capacity the ver first day. Just a thought
Guess what, people, I hate the city and wouldn’t live in Halifax if you gave me a fucking free house. I prefer nature and privacy to sidewalks and intrusive neighbours. There is no transit where I live so that’s not an option. When I bought my house, Tantallon and Timberlea were not an issue – the boom didn’t happen until a year or two later.The idea of Metro Transit at Exhibition Park is certainly a credible one but I don’t expect to see that happen for another 20 years.
Leave earlier, fuckwad. Then you won’t be late.
Hahahahaha! Yeah, blame city planners as always. You just can’t deal with the fact that change happens! You moved somewhere 10 years ago and now traffic is heavier than it once was, big f*cking deal. That’s what happens when cities grow and if you don’t like it, move. At one time, Mississauga was basically a small rural district outside of Toronto but now it’s got over half a million people. That’s life.Oh and to educate all of the dolts who think city planners are somehow these pot smoking urban gods that could make all of the “right” decisions but don’t, they are far from the only players in the game and have far from limitless power. Why not blame developers? How about provincial policies? Federal budgets? City Council? Most importantly, how about blaming consumers? After all, if people would stop buying houses in these areas, shopping at Wal-Mart and insisting on owning 3 cars for every 4 people then guess what…traffic would be far less, cities more compact, etc, etc.In don’t envy city planners here. Every decision they make pisses someone off no matter what it is or how good a job they do, the local Council is full of old school nuts and residents of HRM seem to believe that they have this god given right to have their lifestyles maintained by public employees! Here’s the ticket clueless. If you want to live with acres of land around you, views, etc BUY THE LAND. If you want to have more public transit or increased $$ for roads then lobby the people that dole it out – federal/provincial governments.All in all, if you want something changed how about trying to work on it yourself instead of b*tching about those crazy planners who have ruined your life. Grow up.
My life has flashed before my eyes while swimming there.