North Park St Roundabouts

The HRM is on the right track by planning roundabouts to replace two of its most complex intersections. The initial redesign will be costly. The construction will disrupt traffic for a long time. The results will be worth it. The Halifax Cycling Coalition believes that roundabouts are the right choice for both ends of North Park St. That being said, we believe the city has erred in some of the design details.

Roundabouts are a safe way to handle mixed traffic, if designed properly. We believe that the proposed roundabouts are a great starting point for safe roundabout design. The elimination of left turns will benefit all road users, and the provision of separated bike facilities in some directions are great improvements over the existing intersections.

The HCC had an opportunity to view the detailed engineering designs in advance of the public meeting. The draft designs include improvements for cyclists on North Park St, increased green space, more tree coverage, and a plaza-style park. These additions will make the entire neighbourhood more welcoming and vibrant and show the HRM’s commitment to good neighbourhood design. We think this is a key opportunity to go the extra mile and fully integrate the greenways with all sides of the roundabout. This will go a long way toward providing a fully integrated road network that is safe and includes facilities for all road users.

The HCC has specific concerns around the design speed of the roundabouts and the design of the overall cycling and pedestrian facilities in the area.

To ensure the chosen design is as effective as possible, the HCC would like to see both roundabouts shifted 3m south, which would allow for cycling facilities at all approaches. City engineers have indicated that this would not be the optimum configuration for car traffic.

To achieve good roundabouts for cyclists, the approach lanes should be straight, aimed at the centre of the roundabout, and have straight, un-flared ends. (Source) These roundabouts do not achieve that in their current configuration.

Some people have expressed concerns that there are not yet enough cyclists to warrant segregated infrastructure. The experience we have seen around the world is simple: if you build it, they will come. The great cycling cities of the world didn’t have an overnight revolution. They slowly made tough decisions to prioritize cyclists and provide safe, well-maintained infrastructure for them to enjoy. Eventually, cyclists took advantage of this infrastructure. If we take the time to build the roundabouts properly today, we will immediately encourage car users to begin the shift to cycling. If we take the time to build the roundabouts properly today we will avoid costly re-designs down the road. We have a once-in-a-century opportunity to re-envision the intersections with a completely blank slate. To not take advantage of this opportunity is to miss the chance to build a safe cycling network on the peninsula.

The HRM has made great strides in promoting active transportation, with the completion of the Windsor St bike lane and the commitment to redesign the approaches to the MacDonald Bridge as key achievements in the past twelve months. The Windsor St bike lane required courage on the part of council to say “no” to free parking and say “yes” to bike lanes on a key road. Councillors should show the same courage in saying “yes” to safe bike facilities at our new roundabouts.

If you cannot attend the meeting in person, there is an online survey for you to complete. In addition, please take a moment to write your councillor to ensure the chosen designs consider the needs of vulnerable road users.

How do these roundabouts work in practice? Check out the video below:

Header image source: Bicycle Dutch