Latest news with #HalifaxCyclingCoalition
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Halifax Cycling Coalition to hold rally against motion to stop bike lane construction
The Halifax Cycling Coalition is holding a rally to voice its opposition to Mayor Andy Fillmore's motion that, if passed, would immediately halt the construction of new bike lanes in the municipality. The rally will be held at City Hall at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The motion calls for a pause on awarding any contracts for new bike lane designs or construction capital projects. The pause would continue until a staff report assessing the 'feasibility of alternative network solutions' that could reach active transportation goals while maintaining or improving the flow of traffic is complete. 'This motion is not about stopping progress,' said Fillmore in an open letter. 'It's about sequencing progress properly. Right now, we're seeing road space reduced before alternatives like reliable transit or safe, connected bike routes are in place.' The Halifax Cycling Coalition called Fillmore's motion 'politically motivated, not good transportation policy' in its post about the upcoming rally. 'Halifax enjoys the second highest rate of people cycling and walking of all Canadian cities,' the post reads. 'Do we want to jeopardize that? 'Cycling and walking make for a healthier population, reducing pressure on the healthcare system. At the same time we reduce greenhouse gases, particulate emissions, noise, and road violence.' Council will vote on the motion at their meeting on Tuesday. More to come… Halifax Bike Lane A green bike lane marker is pictured in Halifax, N.S. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Global News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Halifax mayor's proposed pause on new bike lanes ‘scapegoating': cycling activist
Some cyclists in Halifax are shifting into high gear in anticipation of a motion coming to Halifax Regional Council this week. Mayor Andy Fillmore has indicated in a memo to council that he's looking to put a pause on future bike lane development until a staff report on road congestion can be completed. He is expected to bring forward a motion at Tuesday's meeting to request the pause across the municipality. But cycling activists say Fillmore is going back on election promises he made on the campaign trail last October. 'It's such a turnaround for Andy Fillmore,' said David Trueman, the chair of the Halifax Cycling Coalition. 'During the election campaign, he said, and I quote, 'A fully connected bicycle network should be the priority for HRM.' So, for him to turn around like this is just crazy.' Story continues below advertisement Trueman used the words 'amazed,' 'disgusted' and 'astounded' to describe his reaction to Fillmore's comments 1:48 Andy Fillmore elected mayor of the HRM For his part, the mayor said the motion is just to re-evaluate the design and cost of the all-ages and abilities (AAA) bikeway network project, which he said has ballooned to almost $100 million. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'So this is what I'm asking council to do, to take a pause on rolling out further bike lanes until we can figure out which ones, which of the individual bike lane projects, are going to make congestion worse and then redesign them so that they don't,' Fillmore said. 'That's simple, that's all I want to do.' He added he is not opposed to bike lanes but said it needs to be done effectively. Story continues below advertisement 'We simply can't take away capacity for cars without replacing that ability to move around the city with something else, and that's where we failed. So, that's what I want to fix,' he said. 2:01 Advocates express concerns as Halifax bike network completion date delays further However, Trueman takes issue with the idea that cycling infrastructure is contributing to traffic congestion in the city. 'I believe that he is scapegoating people cycling. He's looking for a target to score political points. Because he knows that bicycle lanes don't cause congestion,' said Trueman. Meanwhile, other councillors are considering Fillmore's motion. 'We have to prioritize where we need the services and where we need to spend the money effectively,' said Coun. John Young, who added that looking for cost savings is important. But Trueman argues that postponing the project won't necessarily make the project cheaper. Story continues below advertisement 'The cause of the escalated cost is the delay in building it. It was all supposed to be built by 2024, and the cost would've been much lower, but because of so many delays in the city the costs have escalated,' he said.
