The following letter was sent to HRM councillors this morning:
Dear HRM Councillors,
We have been eagerly following the developments concerning the roundabouts on North Park St. We believe that the proposed designs (referred to as “50% designs”) are an effective starting point for urban roundabouts. This project needs to go forward as it represents a significant improvement over the current infrastructure for all modes of transportation. With that said, we urge you to consider the implications of leaving the designs for biking and walking incomplete.
The proposed roundabout designs eliminate vehicle left turns, reduce the total time for all users to proceed through the intersections, and return green space to the North Common. These are all great public benefits which will only come from your approval of roundabouts instead of reconstruction of the existing facilities. We realize that this is not the cheapest option available to you, however, the cheapest option of maintaining the current design will do nothing but ensure that the safety issues and everyday frustration of using the intersections remain for years to come.
To ensure that these roundabouts are safe for all users they must be kept small. The design speed should be 20-30 kph rather than 25-40kph as expressed by the city’s engineering department. The lower speed differential between cars and cyclists will help to keep cyclists safe while still yielding an improvement over the existing situation.
The connections to the greenways for users eastbound on Cunard turning southbound and eventually heading toward the hospitals or downtown are excellent. They effectively leverage the existing shared use trails on the North Common, which will be significantly improved as a result of this proposal. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for cyclists travelling in the opposite direction, as no cycling facilities exist at the northeast side of either roundabout. We urge council to direct staff to find a solution that will ensure cyclists can safely use separated facilities regardless of their direction of travel. We propose that the roundabouts be shifted approximately 3m south and west. This may require a land swap with the North Common. This may delay the project’s implementation. We believe that this delay is worth it in order to build the infrastructure we need for an intersection that will function well now and into the future.
In order to fully leverage the connections to the North Common greenways we are requesting that council write a letter to the province requesting an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act to permit cyclists on shared-use trails to cross roads without dismounting. In order to achieve the desired project timelines we believe the Innovative Transportation Act can be leveraged to consider this a pilot project. This will have benefits to cyclists province-wide, including other trails within the HRM.
If the city builds the roundabouts without proper cycling facilities, it may undermine other efforts to reach the regional plan goal of doubling cycling mode share by 2025. If the designs are approved as-is it will be very costly to retrofit the roundabouts in the future to allow proper facilities for cyclists. These roundabouts are located on the peninsula’s most popular cycling route.
As Vancouver’s former chief of city planning Brent Toderian once said “it’s hard to justify a bridge by the number of people swimming across the river.” Through the SmartTrip survey we know that 30% of West End residents would bike to work if safe facilities existed. Let’s give them those safe facilities and watch the number of cyclists grow.
We are on the right path with the roundabout proposals. With a bit more work we can take these good designs and make them great. The right design will yield an improvement for all road users, resulting in safer roads that move everyone more quickly. Let’s build on the successes from 2013 and continue building a high-quality road network.
Thank you,
(Original signed)
Ben Wedge and Emily Macdonald
Board Co-Chairs
Halifax Cycling Coalition