The Halifax Cycling Coalition released a pledge this fall, asking all council candidates to support the moves required to improve the safety and experience of people who ride a bicycle in Halifax. The pledge highlights concrete action items that can be implemented within the next four-year term. Please note however that the Halifax Cycling Coalition’s mandate is not limited to the items on the pledge, and we will continue to work steadily all of our projects related to improving the current state of bicycling infrastructure and policy in Halifax.
The pledge was sent to all candidates who are running for council for the October 15 election. We know many residents are concerned about improving cycling in Halifax – but does your councillor support the same vision? The pledge is a way to distinguish which councillors are committed to building a bicycle-friendly Halifax.
In total we have 45 councillor candidates who have signed the pledge to take action in order to make Halifax a bicycle friendly city by 2020. This is a huge step forward in making progress towards becoming protected and connected facilities to ride your bicycle safely.
Not sure who you can vote for? Find your district and councillor candidates at http://www.localdecisions.ca/ for more information.
| REGION | SIGNED | DECLINED | NO RESPONSE |
| DISTRICT 1 | Colin Castle | ||
| DISTRICT 1 | Cathy Deagle-Gammon | ||
| DISTRICT 1 | Trevor Lawson | ||
| DISTRICT 1 | Alison McNair | ||
| DISTRICT 1 | Steve Sinnott | ||
| DISTRICT 1 | Steve Streatch | ||
| DISTRICT 2 | Shelley Fashan | ||
| DISTRICT 2 | David Hendsbee | ||
| DISTRICT 2 | Sydnee L. McKay | ||
| DISTRICT 2 | Gail McQuarrie | ||
| DISTRICT 3 | Bill Karsten | ||
| DISTRICT 4 | Lorelei Nicoll | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Sam Austin | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Adam Bowes | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Gabriel Enxuga | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Ned Milburn | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Tim Rissesco | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Derek Vallis | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Kate Watson | ||
| DISTRICT 5 | Warren Wesson | ||
| DISTRICT 6 | Carlos Beals | ||
| DISTRICT 6 | Tony Mancini | ||
| DISTRICT 7 | Dominick Desjardins | ||
| DISTRICT 7 | Waye Mason | ||
| DISTRICT 7 | Sue Uteck | ||
| DISTRICT 8 | Irvine Carvery | ||
| DISTRICT 8 | Anthony Kawalski | ||
| DISTRICT 8 | Patrick Murphy | ||
| DISTRICT 8 | Chris Poole | ||
| DISTRICT 8 | Lindell Smith | ||
| DISTRICT 8 | Brenden Sommerhalder | ||
| DISTRICT 9 | Shawn Cleary | ||
| DISTRICT 9 | Linda Mosher | ||
| DISTRICT 9 | Kyle Woodbury | ||
| DISTRICT 10 | Andrew Curran | ||
| DISTRICT 10 | Mohammad Ehsan | ||
| DISTRICT 10 | Russell Walker | ||
| DISTRICT 11 | Steve Adams | ||
| DISTRICT 11 | Dawn E. Penny | ||
| DISTRICT 12 | John Bignell | ||
| DISTRICT 12 | Scott Guthrie | ||
| DISTRICT 12 | Bruce Holland | ||
| DISTRICT 12 | Bruce Smith | ||
| DISTRICT 12 | Iona Stoddard | ||
| DISTRICT 12 | Richard Zurawski | ||
| DISTRICT 13 | Pamela Lovelace | ||
| DISTRICT 13 | Harry Ward | ||
| DISTRICT 13 | Matt Whitman | ||
| DISTRICT 14 | Lisa Blackburn | ||
| DISTRICT 14 | Kevin Copley | ||
| DISTRICT 15 | Steve Craig | ||
| DISTRICT 16 | Tim Outhit |
WHAT DID BICYCLE FRIENDLY CANDIDATES PLEDGE TO?
1. Support funding a minimum grid of bicycle lanes outlined in the On Track 2020 proposal to pilot a network of protected bicycle routes to connect Halifax’s Regional Centre. This move is simple and achievable in four years with a supportive council. In order to improve the state of bicycling in Halifax, evidence points to having routes be protected and connected. Candidates who signed the pledge were reminded that protected bicycle lanes must already be prioritized where there are candidate bicycle routes, as stated in Article #17 of the Active Transpiration Priorities Plan 2014-2019 adopted by Council. Creating connections within the Regional Centre is the what is needed to make cycling easier, safer and more comfortable for people any experience level.
2. Commit to completing the MacDonald Bridge approaches on the Halifax peninsula & Dartmouth in a way that is attractive to potential cyclists of all ages and abilities. The spending requirements for the MacDonald Bridge flyover ramp are separate from the yearly spending commitments for bicycles.
3. Halifax has beautiful trails at the doorstep of our city, but without safe routes to connect us to the trailheads they are difficult to access. Regional trail connections are essential for residents in the community to access trails for transportation and recreational use without needing a vehicle . The Halifax Cycling Coalition identified seven trails for which council can prioritize for completion in the next four years:
- Downtown Dartmouth to Shearwater Flyer Trail
- Downtown Dartmouth to Burnside
- Shubie Canal Greenway to Alderney Landing
- Chain of Lakes Trail to the Halifax Peninsula
- Chain of Lakes Trail to Spryfield
- Spryfield to the Peninsula via the Armdale Rotary
- Sackville Greenway to Burnside
We invited all Council Candidates to support these moves to become a bicycle friendly candidate. We will continue to accept support from candidates. If you would like to be added to the list as a candidate, please let us know by emailing contact@cyclehalifax.ca.
