Let’s pretend for a moment that the Morris Street bike lane controversy is actually about traffic.
Everyone hates traffic.
It would be great if we were having mature and nuanced conversations about solutions to traffic congestion based on evidence and best practices.
Moving people and goods in a finite space is complex. Our population is increasing. We need evidence-based decision making and real leadership to help us create a more efficient and affordable city.
Luckily, we have plans for the movement of people and goods that are based on data and evidence.
The HRM currently has the Integrated Mobility Plan and the Regional and Centre Plans. These plans have been developed over years of work with public consultation, data and experts. They’ve laid the path forward for real solutions to congestion and affordability. Building off the years of work already done and improving is fiscally responsible.
Additionally, in the fall of 2021, the Province has commissioned the Joint Regional Transportation Agency (now Link NS) to create a Regional Transportation Strategy to “establish a coordinated long-term vision for a regional transportation system that makes sustainable growth and development possible and improves the safe and efficient movement of people and goods into, out of, and throughout Halifax and surrounding communities.”
Despite what Premier Houston would like us to believe the province is dragging its heels on solutions to congestion. The Regional Transportation Strategy was due in 2024 and, like the Provincial Active Transportation Strategy (which was due in 2023) has not been released. The province has also not proclaimed the Traffic Safety Act which was passed by the provincial legislature in 2018, which modernizes the outdated Motor Vehicle Act and includes important updates like allowing Automated Speed Enforcement.
If the Premier and Mayor want to have mature conversations about the complex problem of traffic, the public needs to see these provincial strategies – which were created by experts with public consultation and modelling and which contain data-driven recommendations. And both the province and the HRM need to follow through on concrete steps to tackle the problem. A range of solutions exist and are necessary.
The province and the HRM could:
- Release the Regional Transportation Strategy and the Provincial Active Transportation Strategy
- Proclaim the Traffic Safety Act
- Support hybrid work and staged start times for all provincial and municipal employees
- Lower speed limits coupled with automated speed enforcement, to make roads safer and reduce accidents
- Work with Halifax Transit to improve working conditions and recruit and retain drivers
- Explore additional transit solutions like new ferry routes
- Explore special event transit services (like games or concerts)
- Explore technology to manage traffic lights to improve flow
These are real ideas to explore in tandem with our plans, not the distractions and scapegoats currently being offered by decision makers.
Simply put, traffic is caused by too many vehicles on the roads. The only way to reduce traffic is to reduce the number of cars by making walking, biking, transit and remote work safe, accessible and convenient.
Instead, the Premier and mayor would like us to be distracted by a singular bike lane, while they fail to implement real solutions and ignore the expert advice that they commissioned.
Real leadership is working with others to solve problems, not steam rolling democratic processes and consolidating your own power. Our communities deserve better.