Getting people to favour bicycles for their daily commute remains an uphill struggle for city hall. A report released last year followed up on 2011 census data and found Halifax’s percentage of bicyclist commuters to be three percent. A two-percent growth in that period.   

“We’re a highly auto-dependent community compared to other Canadian cities,” says Professor Ahsan Habib of DalTRAC, the research group behind the study. He acknowledges the city’s bicycle numbers are modest. “There are some positive indicators. But it’s a very small portion of the modal split composition. We need to really look at it.”

To compare, on a provincial level, 76 percent commuted by car.  

Protect to better serve

The Active Transportation Priorities Plan was launched in 2014 and sketches the municipality’s goals for increasing bicycle riders in the city until 2019.

“To really make an impact, we need to attract those people who are not comfortable biking on roads,” says David MacIsaac, Active Transportation Supervisor with the municipality. “Everything we hear from the public suggests that we need comfortable, safe-feeling and sometimes protected bicycling facilities that need to be connected.”

However, the plan only calls for one protected bike lane before 2019. A goal it has already met with the bike lane on Rainnie Drive.

“We definitely feel there needs to be more done with that,” says Kelsey Lane of Halifax Cycling Coalition. “Sixty percent of people who are interested in riding a bicycle are hesitant, because they’re a little bit fearful. They will get on a bike if they have those protected bike lanes, but not otherwise.”

She feels the municipality should get into gear.

“I hear a lot from the city that we need to have slow progress and we need to do it step by step, but the reality is that there are tons of ways to actually put in those protected bike lane projects right now, today,” she says.

MacIsaac says the city is moving forward and looking at other possible sites for protected lanes. They’re looking at Hollis Street, University Avenue, as well as South Park Street and Brunswick Street.

For the Halifax Cycling Coalition, it’s essential a network be formed.

“These routes that they’re protecting need to be connected as well. They need be on the corridors people will want to use,” says Lane.

The Coalition is satisfied with the plan overall – now there just needs to be done something about it.  

“There’s been some good initiative, but we need to go further. There’s definitely much, much more that we can do,” says Lane. “It is really a pretty good plan, it’s pretty comprehensive, and there’s a lot of work put into it. So now let’s not wait so long that we have to make a new one.”

Provincial cutbacks

At a provincial level, reduced funding has meant cutbacks for Active Transportation work groups.

“One of the positions that was cut was our Active Transportation policy-specific position,” says Julian West of the Ecology Action Centre. Previously five staffers strong, the transportation department now consists only of West.

West says it has meant a lot of programs have ceased, like helping schools develop Active Transportation plans to ensure children may safely ride to school, as well as consulting municipalities on Active Transportation strategies.

One initiative that remains underway, says West, is the Halifax Regional School Board adopting an Active Transportation Charter, to be sent out in September.

“It’s not exactly a policy, but a charter would at least be a set of guidelines that’ll provide schools something to aim for. It’s not an HRM-driven initiative, but it’s definitely something positive happening in the HRM,” says West.