Mayor and Councillors,
For illustration, I want to share with you one project that would be jeopardized by Mayor Fillmore’s egregious motion to halt progress on cycling infrastructure. (Let’s not kid ourselves, a “pause” is a classic political move to stop in the tracks until further moves can erode support and scuttle entirely.)
If Mayor Fillmore’s motives were pure, he would simply do what Councillors do all the time: request a staff report to detail traffic impacts of all the projects in the queue (always done as part of the design anyway!). There is no need to suspend an administrative order, and take immediate action, with unknown consequences.
Improvements to Brunswick St. are out for tender right now. Tenders close a week Wednesday, so even a pause will kill this project for at least this construction season. I wonder about liability issues for issuing a tender and then withdrawing it at the last minute?
Traffic and parking impacts of Brunswick were presented to Council on January 10, 2023 and approved (item 15.2.1) as is always the case for any significant project.
Proposed changes include:
- On Brunswick southbound before Sackville:
- Remove the channelized right turn lane (slip lane) and replace it with a dedicated right turn lane (all the way to Prince)
- Replace the dedicated left lane with a combined through/left lane
- These changes underwent traffic modelling which predicted the following:
- The southbound 95th percentile queue is expected to decrease significantly (165m → 70m) during the AM peak
- These improvements result from lane configuration changes that better accommodate heavy right turning movement (57% right, 24% through and 20% left)
- Minimal impacts during PM peak
- Summary – the entry to the existing slip lane can be blocked by a queue of 4-5 cars, a problem which the longer dedicated right turn lane will not experience resulting in an overall improvement
Next, improvements for people walking and placemaking enhancements:
Slip lanes are bad news for people walking, rolling and cycling; eliminating it is a big win. Here is what it looks like now:
Look at what replaces it!
And, on the southwest corner of Brunswick/Sackville, a 90 cm sidewalk pinch point between the retaining wall and a signal pole is eliminated:
These are all wonderful improvements that will benefit everyone in the city. The cycle lanes constructed with pre-cast concrete are likely a small portion of the budget.
Please vote against Mayor Fillmore’s motion and maintain momentum on many worthwhile projects. There is no emergency which would justify suspension of normal procedure.
David Trueman
Chair, Halifax Cycling Coalition
