I support most of the wish list for fixing what’s broken in Halifax, but two were missing. One is the lack of safe bicycle paths in the city. I bicycle year-round and because of the many unsafe areas in the city I am forced to ride (illegally) on the sidewalks. The other is a vehicle-free downtown street for pedestrians. (Think Spring Garden between South Park and Barrington.) Oslo has such a street and I can attest to how pleasant it is to shop, walk or just sit outside a cafe on such a street.
By Peter Nelson
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2008.