I have no intention of making this blog a breaking news forum, but I just heard that the Halifax (HRM) City Council is at this hour considering a presentation about building a third bridge (or a tunnel) between Halifax and Dartmouth. This is necessary because our existing bridges (7 lanes in total) are reaching capacity. Once again, it would appear that rather than figuring out how to manage and reduce traffic and carbon emissions, our planners are ignoring the environment in favour of adapting to higher levels of traffic.Don't ask me where the increased traffic is supposed to park.
The problem with growing your traffic infrastructure to meet increasing demand is that demand will eventually grow to fill the increase in capacity. What next? A fourth bridge? Why not actually address the underlying issue: people need to find a way to get to work. It should be cheap and convenient. It should be comfortable and accessible. It should get you to where you need to go, including being able to do the things you'd normally do, like stop for groceries on the way home, or hop cross-town for a meeting in the middle of the day. A good transit system with lots of capacity can do that. Why don't we grow that infrastructure?
Metro Transit is pretty good. I rode to work and back today, in roughly the same amount of time it would have taken me to drive - about 25 minutes.
At the risk of becoming VERY unpopular, perhaps HRM should consider closing a bridge to single car traffic. Allow carpooling, allow buses and taxis. Instead of a new bridge, let's put some good parking and some express buses at the bridges heading toward downtown. That would fix the traffic problem and save us the tens or hundreds of millions needed for a new bridge.
Time for a reality check.
2 comments:
Frank wrote (via Facebook):
This is the great catch 22 of Halifax, too few people over too great an area to make an effective transit system work but just enough traffic problems to make people consider it.
That said, Halifax traffic is nothing, even at peak times. A 3rd bridge would be a minor improvement at tremendous cost. Totally fiscally irresponsible. If they want to waste millions, I can think of better ways. Like on me!
As for your unpopular idea, why punish when you can use incentives? Why not free crossings for car poolers? Or tax breaks for businesses that put a van service together to get their people to and from work. Just spit-balling ideas.
The other problem with transit is the change in work hours. It is not a set 9 - 5 for many people and the usage is too weak to support many runs to make it convenient enough to get more usage! Catch 22's all around.
How about a park and pass? Have big lots just at the edge of the city and a steady stream of buses or trolleys going around the city in little loops. You park and it is free to ride. Clear traffic congestion and if you use zero emission buses and such a big impact.
I don't have anything to add to this. I would just like to say reading whats on this site is interesting and keeping me thinking. I grow more and more green each day. Thanks.
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