{"id":10504,"date":"2011-10-04T08:32:04","date_gmt":"2011-10-04T11:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingatlantic.ca\/?p=10504"},"modified":"2013-01-21T04:51:27","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T08:51:27","slug":"the-great-disconnect-another-bike-lane-to-nowhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/atlantic\/2011\/10\/04\/the-great-disconnect-another-bike-lane-to-nowhere\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Disconnect: Another Bike Lane to Nowhere?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Currently designated a "primary bike route" in the city's Active Transportation network, proposed changes to Lower Water Street suggest that HRM has no intention of supporting their own plan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HALIFAX –<\/strong> On\u00a0September\u00a019, 2011, traffic patterns in Downtown Halifax were altered in an attempt to ease congestion in the city’s core. In this first of three planned phases, a number of streets that currently allow two-way traffic now only permit one-way traffic (including sections of Blowers, Market, Sackville, George, and Granville streets), while a section of Grafton Street will now allow two-way traffic. Subsequent phases in October and March will see Lower Water Street becoming one-way north bound, signals added to the Duke and Lower Water Street intersection, and bike lanes added to both Lower Water and Hollis streets.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Phase 1 came into affect September 19, 2011. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a report to Council, HRM Staff claim that \u201cthe highlight of this plan is the creation of new bike lanes on Hollis Street and Lower Water Street\u201d. Why then does this plan sacrifice the safety of cyclists and efficiency of both its active transportation and public transit network?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In November 2010 HRM Staff released a plan illustrating proposed changes to traffic patterns in Downtown Halifax. This plan illustrated a complete “loop” – a south-bound bike lane on Hollis Street to Terminal Road, providing a connection to both the Halifax Farmer’s Market and NSCAD, and a north-bound bike lane on Lower Water Street to Duke Street, linking the George Street Metro Transit Ferry Terminal entrance and looping back to the south-bound bike lane via Duke Street. However, in the August 2011 update to the plan, two blocks of the bike lane on Lower Water Street disappeared.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
HRM's original plan shows the addition of a safe and effective bike lane along Lower Water Street.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The latest plan, updated in August 2011 and labeled "Final Plan", removes the bike lane for two blocks along Lower Water Street (immediately above the "Lower Water" label in the bottom right corner; click image to see a larger version).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Street cross-sections show the addition of two lanes of north-bound traffic on Lower Water Street at the expense of its active transportation network.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

In response to an enquiry, HRM Staff state that while they would prefer to complete the bike lane, “after more detailed survey information was collected as the project proceeded from conceptual through to detailed design, it was found that we actually did not have the sufficient width…and in an\u00a0ideal world, bicycle infrastructure\u00a0would terminate at logical destinations,\u00a0rather than appearing\u00a0and disappearing randomly, however the challenges of retrofitting an existing city, while balancing all the competing demands on a limited roadway do not always make that possible”.\u00a0While spatial constraints may be of concern, far more constrained cities have managed to add proper bike lanes to their circulation networks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This decision by HRM Staff further reduces the efficiency and safety of HRM's (limited) active transportation network. Ignoring the fundmental principle of connectivity, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians will suffer from increase conflict, as the current plan consciously eliminates integration of its struggling active transportation and public transit networks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The updated plan sacrifices an active transportation-public transit connection in order to accomodate traffic vacating the city core.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HRM Staff don’t see this discontinuity of the new bike lane as a significant issue as “cyclists can and do leave Lower Water at Prince and use the parking lot corridor to get to the ferry terminal”. \u00a0But encouraging cyclists to cut along sidewalks, over foot bridges, through parking lots, surely isn’t sound policy, does little to encourage responsible cycling, and arguably discourages cyclists from abiding by regulations as laid out in the Motor Vehicles Act (concerns recently expressed by HRM Regional Police in the media<\/a>).<\/p>\n

As the success of bike lanes is primarily based on connectivity (even the 2002 HRM Bike Plan lists “connectivity” first in a list of 14 criteria for decision making regarding the implementation of bike lanes), justification for removing this short section seems to be lacking. And sacrificing the safety of those who are actively removing themselves from traffic – and doing, a small part, in helping congestion issues – shouldn’t be an option.\u00a0By ending the Lower Water Street bike lane at Sackville, cyclists will be effectively dumped into two lanes of one-way traffic, as drivers make their way out of the city after work.<\/p>\n

While there are spatial limitations “on the ground”, these limitations seem to only ever affect those actually “on the ground”. Ending the bike lane at Sackville Street is sure to result in frequent conflict between drivers and cyclists. In such a situation, if the only option is to end the bike lane abruptly, the addition of the bike lane should be reconsidered.<\/p>\n

These proposed changes come at the expense of the safety of both cyclists and pedestrians in what should be one of most the most pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly areas of the city. This extremely short-sighted plan sacrifices the safety of cyclists for the sake of an extra lane (for only two blocks) for motorists and traffic flowing mostly eastbound on Sackville Street. And despite claims by HRM Staff, there is the choice – a very slight increase in road capacity for those vacating the city at 5pm or improved safety for those who actually live in it.<\/p>\n

The Lower Water Street changes, including the\u00a0incomplete\u00a0bike lane, are expected to be implemented on October 16, 2011.<\/p>\n

Images from HRM. While HRM Staff promptly responded to requests for clarification and information, the Councillor for the area did not respond to expressed concerns.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HALIFAX – On\u00a0September\u00a019, 2011, traffic patterns in Downtown Halifax were altered in an attempt to ease congestion in the city’s core. In this first of three planned phases, a number of streets that currently allow two-way traffic now only permit one-way traffic (including sections of Blowers, Market, Sackville, George, and Granville streets), while a sectionContinue reading “The Great Disconnect: Another Bike Lane to Nowhere?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8057,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5857,393,344,3820,341,5874],"tags":[339,1124,351,384,386,371],"class_list":["post-10504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bikes","category-infrastructure","category-politics","category-transit","category-urban-design","category-walking","tag-cycling","tag-granville","tag-halifax","tag-pedestrians","tag-public-transit","tag-sackville"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Great Disconnect: Another Bike Lane to Nowhere? - Spacing Atlantic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/atlantic\/2011\/10\/04\/the-great-disconnect-another-bike-lane-to-nowhere\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Great Disconnect: Another Bike Lane to Nowhere? - Spacing Atlantic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"HALIFAX – On\u00a0September\u00a019, 2011, traffic patterns in Downtown Halifax were altered in an attempt to ease congestion in the city’s core. 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