Bike lane construction causing frustration in downtown Halifax

Bike lane construction is underway in downtown Halifax.

The Brunswick Street, Sackville Street intersection in the heart of downtown Halifax has been shutdown by the construction of bike lanes.

“We would have loved to have seen this been done in May and June but it’s being done now so that’s unfortunate,” said Paul MacKinnon the CEO of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission. “But at the end of the day this is a project that will be part of a much larger connected bike network.”

Officials say the nearly $4 million dollar undertaking supports improvements as part of the Brunswick Street AAA Bikeway Complete Project which will link bike lanes in the city’s core.

According to the city, the design will include:

• A protected two-way bike lane that will be installed on the west side of Brunswick Street in this area.
• A new landscaped public space at the foot of Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, creating a more welcoming gateway to downtown.
• Sidewalk accessibility will be improved near the intersection of Brunswick and Sackville streets with upgrades to pedestrian ramps and the removal of existing pinch points.
• The existing right-turn slip lane at the intersection of Brunswick and Sackville streets will be replaced with a longer, dedicated right-turn lane. Based on traffic modelling, this change is expected to improve southbound traffic flow on Brunswick Street during the AM peak.

While supporting the overall idea of bike lanes in the city, MacKinnon is critical of the plan.

“Unfortunately, the process in HRM has been very slow and very disconnected and so as a result what we’ve seen is underutilized bike lines. That frustrates people that are in their cars.”

There are also concerns coming from business owners.

“Businesses don’t like to see construction, of course right in front of their businesses. They definitely don’t like to see empty bike lanes in front of their business especially if it takes up on street parking,” MacKinnon says.

The Brunswick Street, Sackville Street intersection closure is now one of many that has disrupted traffic over the course of the summer.

Tour companies that shuttle people throughout the city are constantly changing routes to get around the work.

“There’s no doubt about it, that intersection is a key intersection that we go by several times a day, all day long, every day,” says Dennis Campbell, the CEO of Ambassatours.

Campbell is himself, an avid biker, but says bike lanes that further narrow already narrow streets can cause issues with oversized vehicles.

“I think it’s one of those things where there’s a balance to everything. I think the bike lanes are good, but there has to be a balance. I don’t think bike lanes can be on every street.”

When complete, this project will connect bike lanes from Cogswell Street to Spring Garden Road.

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