Crossing Halifax Harbour

[Wishblade]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Today:

I was on the MacKay just last week and it was backed up well around the bend on Massachusetts ave, probably about a 1/2 km back from where this photo was taken just because of 1 accident on the MacDonald...

[Jstaleness]

This is what the bridge usually looks like during peak times anyway. Accidents just make the wait increase from 5-10mins to 30+ mins.

[rkannegi]

Here's a long read that I Googled up from my home province, Ontario, a discussion about severe congestion in the GTHA (Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area), severe congestion that I believe will be proportionally experienced by HRM quite soon if transportation modal share problems, land use planning problems (regardless if it's urban, rural, wilderness, etc.), and transportation infrastructure deficits are not resolved soon.

Legislative Assembly of Ontario - Traffic Congestion (It's a rather scary read from a traffic perspective)

Many of the issues discussed in the link below actually have a fair bit of parallels with the severe congestion on key road routes within HRM, especially the Halifax Harbour Bridges, Bayers Road, Armdale Roundabout, Bedford Highway, Magazine Hill, Main Street (Dartmouth) and Portland Street (Dartmouth).

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-pro...ness=Traffic+congestion&DocumentID=26793

HRM is already acting like a "House of Cards" where if one major traffic lane on a route entering or exiting the Peninsula is lost due to an incident, or even on other key routes, such a Magazine Hill in Bedford or Portland Street in Dartmouth, you could suddenly find a 15 minute commute turning into a 90 minute commute, even if you try to bypass the incident zone that's in progress. Given the "House of Cards" effect we have here in Halifax Metro, I'd say the a good chunk of the issues discussed in the link above are already happening here in spite of Halifax Metro having a much, much smaller population base than the GTHA. In a couple of cases, such as the Halifax Harbour Bridges, in terms of delay minutes per person, congestion delay often gets worse than what the typical commuter would experience in the GTHA due to poor road network redundancy relative to the current traffic demand with Halifax Metro along with lack of a network of dedicated rights of way for other transport modes and critical services, such as transit rights of way or lanes for heavy-truck goods shipping.

MacDonald Bridge (Short Term Action)

First off, maybe we should look at having an HOV lane implemented on the existing MacDonald Bridge. Even though this will gridlock SOV traffic in peak hours during initial phase-in, the MacDonald Bridge is the biggest and busiest "linch pin" of the entire Metro Transit system, a linch pin that needs to be freed up NOW if we are to expect more people to divert to Metro Transit. Due to the MacDonald Bridge's approach design in Dartmouth, a mix of boothed and "boothless" tolling is not feasible. Therefore, full electronic tolling with Ontario-Highway-407-style licence plate cameras for non-Macpass users will need to be looked at if toll booth removal is carried out on the MacDonald Bridge.

Mackay Bridge (Short Term Action)

For the Mackay Bridge, removing the toll booths and implementing all-electronic tolling may help, but only for a couple of years before its resumes being overloaded in peak hours. For the Mackay Bridge, due to its likely higher exposure to non-Macpass traffic as a result of being on a 100-series highway, I believe the Bridge Commission should look at a hybrid between "boothless tolling" and boothed tolling instead of only looking at "boothless" tolling, where all of the narrower car-only booths nearer to the centreline of Mackay Bridge/Highway 111 (four booths in each direction) should be demolished and replaced with two MacPass/licence-plate-camera actuated Express Toll Lanes while the outer truck-friendly booths are retained for those who want to pay tolls manually.

In order to do this, the Mackay toll plaza funnel would need to be restructured like the way the Saint John Harbour Bridge merge area was after its booths were demolished (to keep mainline traffic from overspeeding the resultingly short available merge length from Prince Margaret Boulevard and the remaining booths when free flow "express toll" lanes are stood up).

Saint John Harbour Bridge Traffic Calming

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/harbour-bridge-gets-speed-deterrents-1.1068170

Collector-Distributor Lane Option for Highway 111 Between the Mackay Bridge and Victoria Road

A collector-distributor (a.k.a express-collector) system may need to be looked at for Highway 111 between the booths and the Victoria Road interchange, which will necessitate the "de-clovering" of Victoria Road's interchange (unless if that interchange were to get a wider, longer bridge structure). Highway 111's bridge over Windmill Road will need to be "widened" to allow for the collector lanes to be built. An collector-distributor system may allow an "Express Toll" lane system to operate at the speed limit of the Mackay Bridge structure itself, 70km/h without the need for Saint-John-style freeway traffic calming, even with toll booths remaining on the collector lanes.

Closing Comments

Overall, the short term "breathing room" for the Halifax Harbour Bridges that would be created by the interim actions listed above should be used wisely. This temporary "breathing room" should be used to complete planning and funding build-up for sustainable infrastructure expansion and improvement (modal-share-balance-inducing construction), overhaul land-use planning throughout all of HRM and overhaul Metro Transit.

Regards,

Richard Kannegiesser

[Nouvellecosse]

A fair assessment.

I especially like the idea of the HOV lane on the old bridge as this would not only make the bridge more efficient at transporting people, but it would also really increase the appeal of using transit. Increasing transit mode share will significantly improve traffic by reducing the number of vehicles on the road, but it's a very tough sell now because not only is transit slower due to the normal stuff like making stops for passengers, but the buses are mired in the same traffic as every other vehicle. So there's not much incentive.

[xanaxanax]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

A fair assessment.

I especially like the idea of the HOV lane on the old bridge as this would not only make the bridge more efficient at transporting people, but it would also really increase the appeal of using transit. Increasing transit mode share will significantly improve traffic by reducing the number of vehicles on the road, but it's a very tough sell now because not only is transit slower due to the normal stuff like making stops for passengers, but the buses are mired in the same traffic as every other vehicle. So there's not much incentive.

Its a versatile system they have now with being able to change witch direction the middle lane moves in, you could incorporate a HOV lane in that design to only be in effect part time. Have it as a right of way at peek bus hours for a short time and than change it back to include all traffic

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

A fair assessment.

Not really.

The issues with the bridges have little to do with the bridges themselves. They are all about the poorly designed and obsolete approaches/departures.

Fix the Windsor Street Exchange with a proper interchange and all the evening problems on the MacKay disappear. Fix the tollgates and the morning problems disappear (I do agree with you on the configuration of the MacKay tolls being all wrong). Fix the messes at either end of the MacDonald and those problems go away. No need for devoting lanes to our dysfunctional bus system.

[rkannegi]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Not really.

The issues with the bridges have little to do with the bridges themselves. They are all about the poorly designed and obsolete approaches/departures.

Fix the Windsor Street Exchange with a proper interchange and all the evening problems on the MacKay disappear. Fix the tollgates and the morning problems disappear (I do agree with you on the configuration of the MacKay tolls being all wrong). Fix the messes at either end of the MacDonald and those problems go away. No need for devoting lanes to our dysfunctional bus system.

Not only does the Windsor Street Stock Exchange need an interchange, the whole 1970's-standard Mackay Bridge Connector from the Bedford Highway needs to be replaced with a 70km/h freeway designed to 2014 standards, with consistent alignment and have all exits and merges on the right edge of the road in each direction of the freeway.

The Joseph Howe Drive Interchange needs replacement too - that sharp, hairpin turn of a ramp that comes off of outbound Bedford Highway backs up very badly every afternoon rush now due to its extremely low design speed. HRM also needs to get the "Lacewood Connector" project through Alma Cresent in Fairview built. In the mean time, HRM should also look at getting the two all-way Stops on Bayview Drive between Lacewood and Bedford Highway replaced with traffic lights and have the left turn phase on outbound Bedford Highway at Bayview extended when its very busy (i.e. in the afternoon).

And of course, as always, overhaul Metro Transit (more express buses and service that allows people to shift as many trips to transit as possible). Dedicated lanes and rights of way will be needed to get Metro Transit more riders, otherwise, forget about getting anywhere faster on the bus when it's always held up in general traffic.

Eventually, I would like to see a viaduct freeway link the 111 with the 102 (and have right of way set aside for future HOV lanes on it, especially for when the Mackay Bridge gets twinned or replaced with a bigger bridge).

Highway 102 could get HOV lanes rather quick north of Highway 103 (until the horrifying Exit 4 cloverleaf at Bedford), but from Highway 103 to Joseph Howe, major re-construction will be needed, unless we re-purpose Northwest Arm Drive's interchange on Highway 102 to a Larry-Uteck-style roundabout diamond interchange and completely replace the Highway 103 interchange over Highway 102. The Highway 103 bridge structure over Highway 102 is starting to fall apart as we speak, so it needs to go anyways. NSTIR may as well start tendering a contract for the replacement of that interchange. The last obstacle to an HOV lane system on Highway 102/Bayers Road would be that "lovely" Highway 102 viaduct over Joseph Howe. (While the Highway 102 viaduct's new guardrails/guard walls are much better than the old guard rail system it used to have, its bridge deck still has some issues in spite of being resurfaced and re-jointed).

Given the increase in Harbour Bridge closures in recent years both due to traffic incidents and severe weather events, NSTIR is in very serious need of building a full-freeway-freeway system interchange between Highway 101, Highway 102 and the Bedford Bypass. Otherwise, Bedford will s**t the bed fairly bad in the very near future (Bedford is already at severe risk of getting fully seized in gridlock every time the Mackay Bridge gets closed to high-sided vehicles, let alone dealing with overflow from Harbour Bridge congestion or closures already).

Oh, we can't forget about the Burnside Expressway to relieve Magazone Hill. Whatever happened to its 2012 constrcution start. Is this expressway ever going to be built? At the rate things are going, I think the deadly Thunder Bay Expressway in Thunder Bay, Ontario will get its badly needed median divider and have all of its high-speed traffic signals replaced with interchanges well before Nova Scotia even breaks ground on the Burnside Expressway! Given Nova Scotia's lacklustre financial state (highest debt per capita of all Canadian Provinces), my confidence in the Burnside Expressway project is dropping fast. I guess they may as well six-lane or eight-lane Magazine Hill (and build a paralleling Magazine Hill AT trail too).

Cheers,

Richard Kannegiesser

[swimmer_spe]

The MacDonald Bridge solution is actually something that would make people think about transit.

Turn the centre lane into a reversing transit only lane.

A light system that can detect when all buses are clear and then change the light to allow buses to go the opposite direction.

If you make the buses faster than traffic, more people will make the switch.

[Waye Mason]

I agree on KPs assessment of the approaches - this is the biggest issue. Change to electronic payment like highway 407 in Toronto (pic of plate, bill mailed). Fix the spaghetti on the Mackay Halifax side (that Mackay to Robie merge is brutal).

Traffic modelling at Dal has shown that an HOV lane on the old bridge doesn't work, that the down side is SO bad it kills the bridge traffic in teh remaining 2 lanes.

I think there is a good argument that roundabouts at Windsor Street exchange and Macdonald bridge at Wyse road would help keep traffic from backing up on the bridges.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by rkannegi

Given Nova Scotia's lacklustre financial state (highest debt per capita of all Canadian Provinces), my confidence in the Burnside Expressway project is dropping fast.

Nova Scotia in fourth place for per capita debt, actually: Newfoundland, Ontario and Quebec (in escalating order of indebtedness) are more burdened than us. PEI and NB have marginally less debt, and Manitoba's not far behind.

I'm not sure why we're so comfortable in Nova Scotia making dire assumptions and running with them, but I hear this all the time: 'Nova Scotia is bankrupt' or 'Nova Scotia has the most debt' or 'Nova Scotia has the highest unemployment.'

Untrue statements like the above at accepted wisdom around here, and it seem like a lot of times they're used to argue against public spending on anything but the pothole repair. The no-frills-cause-we're-broke mentality is not just frustrating, but based in a pretty substantial misread of out actual situation.

Anyway, a bit off-topic.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

I agree on KPs assessment of the approaches - this is the biggest issue. Change to electronic payment like highway 407 in Toronto (pic of plate, bill mailed). Fix the spaghetti on the Mackay Halifax side (that Mackay to Robie merge is brutal).

Traffic modelling at Dal has shown that an HOV lane on the old bridge doesn't work, that the down side is SO bad it kills the bridge traffic in teh remaining 2 lanes.

I think there is a good argument that roundabouts at Windsor Street exchange and Macdonald bridge at Wyse road would help keep traffic from backing up on the bridges.

The problem is that unless we redesign the whole road system and turn Halifax into a US 60s/70s style freeway city, there is always going to be a choke point somewhere whether it be on the bridges themselves, on the approaches, or a couple more blocks down the road. The whole, "well if we just tweak this or just fix that" approach to make every desperate effort to avoid making any fundamental changes to the way we do things, we're never going to address the major issue that it just isn't practical for the vast majority of people to commute in 1-car/person format in a city as old and geographically fragmented as Halifax. Of course it's predictable that the far right is never going to recognise this and will keep proposing seemingly benign little incremental changes toward this end, but it's important to not buy into it because that version of Halifax will not be an attractive place and will still be highly congested but with unnecessarily expensive infrastructure.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

The problem is that unless we redesign the whole road system and turn Halifax into a US 60s/70s style freeway city, there is always going to be a choke point somewhere whether it be on the bridges themselves, on the approaches, or a couple more blocks down the road. The whole, "well if we just tweak this or just fix that" approach to make every desperate effort to avoid making any fundamental changes to the way we do things, we're never going to address the major issue that it just isn't practical for the vast majority of people to commute in 1-car/person format in a city as old and geographically fragmented as Halifax. Of course it's predictable that the far right is never going to recognise this and will keep proposing seemingly benign little incremental changes toward this end, but it's important to not buy into it because that version of Halifax will not be an attractive place and will still be highly congested but with unnecessarily expensive infrastructure.

Hmmm. I didn't know this was a political issue of left vs right, but since you bring it up, certainly the left prefers to take away individual freedoms in favor of collective control of the masses, and removing cars or the utility thereof is certainly a good way to achieve their goals. Making the masses only use public transit so the govt can control where and when people move is a very good way of reducing individual freedoms. All buses lead to Howard Epstein Square!!

When you have a set of traffic lights that are red (ooooh, another left-wing control!) 70% of the time 100 feet from the Dartmouth end of the MacDonald Bridge you are inevitably going to have backups. This is not a right-wing suggestion; this is common sense. It has been this way since the thing opened in the 1950s yet nobody in this town seems to be able to see beyond the end of their nose to realize that grade separation at that point would completely solve the problem.

[hfx_chris]

You know, reality exists somewhere between the two of you... just saying.

[Waye Mason]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

The problem is that unless we redesign the whole road system and turn Halifax into a US 60s/70s style freeway city, there is always going to be a choke point somewhere whether it be on the bridges themselves, on the approaches, or a couple more blocks down the road. The whole, "well if we just tweak this or just fix that" approach to make every desperate effort to avoid making any fundamental changes to the way we do things, we're never going to address the major issue that it just isn't practical for the vast majority of people to commute in 1-car/person format in a city as old and geographically fragmented as Halifax. Of course it's predictable that the far right is never going to recognise this and will keep proposing seemingly benign little incremental changes toward this end, but it's important to not buy into it because that version of Halifax will not be an attractive place and will still be highly congested but with unnecessarily expensive infrastructure.

I've ridden my bike around town and to work 29 of the last 30 days - but I also delivered pizza in college and after for 4 years. I know this town as a driver. So I know that some smart investments like the approach ramp to the old bridge and adding the third lane did make a huge difference. Chebucto Road did make some difference. Robie Street widening and the Young/Bayer's realignment made a difference.

Should we level the city and make it a 1970s model highway city? No. Should we ignore the fact that lots of successful forward thinking cities, including Vancouver, continue to take steps to make the road grid more efficient? No.

These are not black and white issues. You build more bike lanes. You buy more ferries. But at the end of the day the buses run on the congested roads as all the cars. Strategic investments like the bridge approach issue can make cars and buses run faster, and there is nothing wrong with that.

That being said - Downtown Halifax to Beaverbank is about 30 kms. Same to Upper Tantallon. Same to Porters Lake.

In Toronto 30 kms is Bay Street to Young and Major Mackenzie, or Malvern in Scarborough, or Mississauga Centre.

All of these drives suck in rush hour, take more than the google maps suggested time of 35 minutes. Why would that be different here than anywhere else? Smaller population, smaller road system, same issues.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

I've ridden my bike around town and to work 29 of the last 30 days - but I also delivered pizza in college and after for 4 years. I know this town as a driver. So I know that some smart investments like the approach ramp to the old bridge and adding the third lane did make a huge difference. Chebucto Road did make some difference. Robie Street widening and the Young/Bayer's realignment made a difference.

Of course these things make a temporary difference. Giving the can a good kick definitely moves it down the road. Long term solutions are a bit trickier.

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

Should we level the city and make it a 1970s model highway city? No. Should we ignore the fact that lots of successful forward thinking cities, including Vancouver, continue to take steps to make the road grid more efficient? No.

These are not black and white issues. You build more bike lanes. You buy more ferries. But at the end of the day the buses run on the congested roads as all the cars. Strategic investments like the bridge approach issue can make cars and buses run faster, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Nothing wrong with that? Other than that it requires a huge amount of infrastructure money to reinforces an unsustainable model and induces more traffic that will leave us in the same situation in another 5-10 years?

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

That being said - Downtown Halifax to Beaverbank is about 30 kms. Same to Upper Tantallon. Same to Porters Lake.

In Toronto 30 kms is Bay Street to Young and Major Mackenzie, or Malvern in Scarborough, or Mississauga Centre.

All of these drives suck in rush hour, take more than the google maps suggested time of 35 minutes. Why would that be different here than anywhere else? Smaller population, smaller road system, same issues.

Different because not nearly as large a percentage of their population is trying to commute that way. Over 43% of Toronto's mode share is transit or walking. Yet despite their much larger road system and relative lack of geographic bottle necks, the traffic is still as bad or worse. If you can imagine the state they'd be in with our much higher automobile mode share and a huge harbour plopped in the centre of developed areas, then I'm sure you can understand why simply trying to upgrade the roads in the futile hope that we can continue the status-quo is impractical.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Hmmm. I didn't know this was a political issue of left vs right, but since you bring it up, certainly the left prefers to take away individual freedoms in favor of collective control of the masses, and removing cars or the utility thereof is certainly a good way to achieve their goals. Making the masses only use public transit so the govt can control where and when people move is a very good way of reducing individual freedoms. All buses lead to Howard Epstein Square!!

Being stuck in traffic isn't exactly my idea of personal freedom.

It's ironic that the right always likes to play the "controlling the masses" card when in reality, pumping money into the road system and encouraging that as a mode of travel is just as central a decision as public spending on other modes. Just a less efficient or fiscally responsible one.

Besides, I've never felt more restricted then when trying to access developments that are auto centric as a person who doesn't have a car. Either go through the huge time and inconvenience to get there without a car, or break down and surrender a huge proportion of my income to enrich a wasteful private industry just for the privilege of said freedom. Planning in a way that I can get around conveniently and without huge cost is clearly downright tyrannical.

Originally Posted by Keith P.

When you have a set of traffic lights that are red (ooooh, another left-wing control!) 70% of the time 100 feet from the Dartmouth end of the MacDonald Bridge you are inevitably going to have backups. This is not a right-wing suggestion; this is common sense. It has been this way since the thing opened in the 1950s yet nobody in this town seems to be able to see beyond the end of their nose to realize that grade separation at that point would completely solve the problem.

Yes, having the city full of grade separated roads (aka freeways) would eliminate the need to stop for red lights. That's why the traffic in LA never gets backed up since they've eliminated such nuisances. If only we could make Halifax more like that we'd never have to worry about traffic again. Common sense to the rescue!!

[Waye Mason]

You are ignoring the fact that the population is growing at a good clip, so even if you drive modal split and it doubles and doubles again you still end up with more car drivers. The population of Halifax will hit 600K between 2023 and 2033. There will be more cars, even if half of all new residents start using transit that is still tens of thousands of new cars.

No one is more supportive of transit and cycle infrastructure than me. I'm not talking about new highways, but there to say "don't change anything" is silly. I for one as a cyclist look forward to the Cunard/Chebucto road realignment through the Needs parking lot at Windsor, this is just one example of a needed small fix that is good for everyone.

[rkannegi]

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

I agree on KPs assessment of the approaches - this is the biggest issue. Change to electronic payment like highway 407 in Toronto (pic of plate, bill mailed). Fix the spaghetti on the Mackay Halifax side (that Mackay to Robie merge is brutal).

Traffic modelling at Dal has shown that an HOV lane on the old bridge doesn't work, that the down side is SO bad it kills the bridge traffic in teh remaining 2 lanes.

I think there is a good argument that roundabouts at Windsor Street exchange and Macdonald bridge at Wyse road would help keep traffic from backing up on the bridges.

Eventually, crossing capacity will need to be increased to facilitate HOV lanes even with the bridge approaches replaced with better ramp and junction systems.

If traffic modelling in fact shows that a roundabout is viable at the Dartmouth end of the MacDonald Bridge, we should look at carrying that forward. Meanwhile, the 1970's-standard Mackay Bridge Connector on the Halifax Peninsula will need to be completely replaced to modern standards (multi-year project).

Gatineau-style Roundabout Half-diamond Interchange

For the ends of the MacDonald Bridge, we could look at an interchange design that somewhat similar to this for Dartmouth? (interchange between Highway 148 and Lac des Fees Parkway in Gatineau):

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Gatinea...!1s0x4cce1a7e0babee53:0x7cedf5701a140956

I have even pondered a "Gatineau-style" approach for the Halifax side of the MacDonald Bridge too (roundabout on Gottingen Street with a pair of ramps "Teeing" into Barrington Street at the existing Barrington Street/North Street lights). It may fix the west end of the MacDonald Bridge's bikeway and may make MacDonald to Mackay Bridge detours easier. However, the nearly free-flow westbound dump into southbound Barrington would be lost. The northbound Barrington to MacDonald Bridge ramp would need to be removed too.

Mix Between Gatineau-style Interchange and Existing Ramp Layout Between MacDonald Bridge and Barrington Street

Alternatively, could we slap a roundabout at the junction of MacDonald Bridge, Bunswick Street, North Street, and Lorne Terrace while keeping a partial right-turn loop bypass for westbound MacDonald-soutbound Barrington traffic along with having another roundabout at North Street and Gottingen Street. The ramp from northbound Barrington Street to the MacDonald Bridge would stay as is. Overall, this would be a mix between a Gatineau-style interchange and the existing MacDonald/Barrington/North interchange. This may allow Metro transit to more effectively serve the four core sections of CFB Halifax (Windsor Park, Willow Park, Stadacona and Dockyard) via a two-way "loop shuttle" service between those sections of the Base that would "effectively" service a loop bounded by Windsor Street, Young Street, Gottingen Street, North Street, Provo Wallis Street, Upper Water Street, Cornwallis Street, North Park Street and Cunard Street. (CFB Halifax could liaise with Metro Transit on this one if this was ever done.)

Clockwise Roundabout For Windsor Street Exchange (Left-side drive roundabout with a full set of normal right turn bypass ramps)

Meanwhile, for the Windsor Street Exchange, if HRM, NSTIR and the Bridge Commission decide on a roundabout in the interim, could they look at building a clockwise roundabout, given its extreme left turn volumes? (Basically, the roundabout itself is a left-side drive British-style spiral roundabout, resulting in raindrop-shape median splitter islands on each of the four approach roads to accommodate the left-hand curves on entry into and on exit from the roundabout, while it would still have normal right-turn bypass ramps around all four sides). A four-way clockwise roundabout with normal right-turn bypass ramps on all four sides would allow two opposing left turn movements to surge through without impeding each other and, given the Windsor Street Exchange's traffic patterns, it may cut down other major traffic conflicts too.

Regards,

Richard Kannegiesser

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

You are ignoring the fact that the population is growing at a good clip, so even if you drive modal split and it doubles and doubles again you still end up with more car drivers. The population of Halifax will hit 600K between 2023 and 2033. There will be more cars, even if half of all new residents start using transit that is still tens of thousands of new cars.

No one is more supportive of transit and cycle infrastructure than me. I'm not talking about new highways, but there to say "don't change anything" is silly. I for one as a cyclist look forward to the Cunard/Chebucto road realignment through the Needs parking lot at Windsor, this is just one example of a needed small fix that is good for everyone.

No, you're ignoring that Halifax's road capacity is already very robust for its population compared even to other cities in Canada. Vancouver's North Shore population of 177,000 is connected by 2 harbour crossing bridges containing 9 lanes in total (19,667 people per lane). Montreal's south shore containing about 752,000 is connected to the city by 20 road lanes (37,500 people per lane). By comparison, Dartmouth, Cole Harbour and environs is around 95,000 connected by 7 lanes, or only 13,571 per lane.

So sure, we're going to need more capacity at some point but we're nowhere near that yet. I agree that making small changes to improve traffic efficiency can be a good thing but only if we don't use it as an excuse to justify putting off making other more important, longer-term changes.

[ILoveHalifax]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

No, you're ignoring that Halifax's road capacity is already very robust for its population compared even to other cities in Canada. Vancouver's North Shore population of 177,000 is connected by 2 harbour crossing bridges containing 9 lanes in total (19,667 people per lane). Montreal's south shore containing about 752,000 is connected to the city by 20 road lanes (37,500 people per lane). By comparison, Dartmouth, Cole Harbour and environs is around 95,000 connected by 7 lanes, or only 13,571 per lane.

So sure, we're going to need more capacity at some point but we're nowhere near that yet. I agree that making small changes to improve traffic efficiency can be a good thing but only if we don't use it as an excuse to justify putting off making other more important, longer-term changes.

Very interesting figures. How many more people should be added to include those in Sackville and Bedford who cross the bridge to Halifax?