A simple piece of equipment could prevent cyclist and pedestrian deaths, but it’s not mandatory in Halifax, and is unlikely to be anytime soon. Side guards are barriers attached to the side of a truck near the ground. They reduce the severity of collisions by blocking the open space under large vehicles, preventing cyclists and […]
Transit
Posted inNews + Opinion
It’s More Than Buses
[Image-1] A blueprint for redesigned transit in Halifax was released tonight, but in case you missed the event by It’s More Than Buses at the aptly-named Bus Stop Theatre, you can read the group’s full proposal here. As we’ve covered, the citizen-created advocacy group has been working since 2011 to try and improve what Halifax […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Stranded by Halifax Transit
A wheelchair user and frequent transit critic is again calling out Halifax Transit after he says the bus system stranded him in Dartmouth overnight. Last month Daniel J. Towsey took the bus out to Maynard Lake to photograph the sunset. The bus he took had four-point tie-downs to secure his wheelchair, but when he tried […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax Transit’s problems are more than buses.
A good transit map is identifiable, elegant. It’s why you can probably picture Montreal’s or London’s in your head, but still not know which of Halifax’s buses go over the bridge. The map’s not the real problem, though. Halifax’s cobbled-together transit system is hostile and unusable. The city, and the public, want to dismantle the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax taxis turn to tech
After a series of scary cab reports in Halifax this month, taxi companies are turning to tech to increase safety for passengers and drivers. Several local cab services are using GPS and apps to locate cabs and record customer feedback, and one company is pushing for video cameras in its cars. Last week two passengers […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax needs protected bike lanes
Lots of Haligonians are scared to ride their bikes more, because our streets are built for cars. And as any local bureaucrat can tell you, it’s totally impossible to change the streets now. Except that lots of cities have added protected biking lanes to their roadways—retrofitting the street to be built for more than cars—with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
It’s More Than Buses gets idea’s moving
Twice this summer the Planning & Design Centre and Fusion Halifax brought together transit experts and community members to talk about the future of public transportation in our fair city. These weren’t just little chit chats, they got the attention of about 100 participants who put their heads together to come up with some guiding […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
City Hall round-up
Halifax council met for 12 hours Tuesday, dealing with a handful of weighty issues, mostly by kicking them down a road a piece. First, council reviewed a consultant’s report on transit options for connecting the Bedford-Hammond’s Plains area to downtown; the report compared commuter rail, fast ferries and express buses. Bottom line: either option might […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dartmouthians duped via Bridge Terminal bait-and-switch
In a multi-million dollar exercise in bait-and-switch, renewed plans for an expanded Bridge Terminal lack all the design aspects that won over community support last year. In early 2010, Metro Transit announced it wanted to expand the terminal by paving over six acres of land on the Dartmouth Common designated as the Wilderness Park. That […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
CCPA to NDP: Don’t panic over deficit
CCPA Alternative Budget aims to cut deficit while strengthening social programs
Posted inNews + Opinion
Missing the bus
It was a big deal when 14 Nova Bus articulated buses—the “double” buses, with a hinge in the middle—showed up on the streets of Halifax in 1993. “We weren’t sure they’d be able to handle the hills,” says Metro Transit’s Lori Patterson. “But they’ve really proven themselves. And the kids especially liked them; they called […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Metro transit plan for waterfront bus
Bus service is a possibility this summer for Terminal Road, NSCAD’s Port Campus, the new Farmers’ Market and the new Nova Scotia Power site on the Halifax waterfront. Eddie Robar, Metro Transit’s manager of planning and development, says the transit service will propose a waterfront route to city council in April. If approved, Route 8 […]
