HCC’s push to reform the NS Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) along with our partners BNS, EAC and Walk N’ Roll. In January 2016, we hosted a community engagement session asking for your input on what changes need to be made to the MVA to make it safer for people bicycling, walking, and rolling.
Motor Vehicle Act engagement session
We gathered the feedback and the community’s top priorities from the session included: prohibit the right hook, prohibit dooring, allow bikes to ride through a crosswalk, passing on the right clarification, and allow a municipality to post speed limits below 50km/hour.
The coalition of groups followed up by presenting all 37 of the community recommendations to the province’s Road Safety Advisory Committee and the Deputy Minister of Transportation.
Thanks to the support of our members, we are able to work on formal process of realizing these important policy changes.
Since May 2016, our groups have worked with the province an Active Transportation Subcommittee of the Road Safety Advisory Committee (we know, it’s a mouthful!) to reform the MVA. We are currently working through the formal process of drafting changes to the MVA with the province, municipality, and police.
Our committee has drafted policy for the following MVA amendments so far:
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Prohibit dooring
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Prohibit the “right-hook”
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Prohibit “left-cross”
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Clarify passing a cyclists safely
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Cross-rides
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Change the name of the Motor Vehicle Act
We are continuing to work behind the scenes on the next phase of recommendations.
Addressing the systemic problems in the MVA can be a tedious process, but long-term will have the biggest impact on making the roads safer for people who ride bikes. Stay tuned as we continue to work to see these changes through.
Public support helps these amendments become enacted more quickly. The HCC continues to collect signatures on our petition to change the MVA. You can also help by emailing your MLA, and ask them to support the AT Subcommittee’s recommendations. To learn more about the process drop by during our public office hours on Friday from 9:00am-1:00pm at 5553 Bloomfield Street, Halifax.
Related Media:
Cycling group calls for improvements to Motor Vehicle Act
Maritimes cycling advocates call for stiffer laws for drivers who hit cyclists
