The bus-only pilot on Spring Garden Road in Halifax has been halted less than a week after it began.
The pilot, which only began on Monday and was anticipated to remain in place until June 2023, saw the popular downtown street become open to buses, cyclists, and pedestrians during the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vehicle access resumed during the overnight hours.
But as CTV News reported on Monday, the beginning of the pilot project ended up being a “bumpy road.” With little enforcement, it was business as usual for most drivers.
“The municipality intends to re-evaluate the current traffic control measures to recommend alternative methods to communicate and enforce the pilot initiative,” a press release from the municipality reads.
For Elora Wilkinson, manager of the Spring Garden Road Streetscaping Project, the results of the pilot project were not what planners had hoped for.
Wilkinson tells CTV News that city staff have been monitoring the project over the course of the week, but found that there were very few changes to driving habits.
“It just wasn’t effective enough to change driver behaviour in the ways that we hoped,” she said.
Wilkinson adds she’s confident the municipality will bring back a new and improved bus-only pilot project, while noting budget implications could delay its return.
“We still believe the transit-only project is something that could be positive for the area,” she said.
Effective immediately, the following changes will be in effect:
- Spring Garden Road, from Queen to South Park streets, will be return to normal traffic operations;
- Vehicle access will be maintained on Spring Garden southbound on Birmingham Street, northbound on Dresden Row and northbound on Brenton Street;
- Clyde Street will remain two-way between South Park Street and Queen Street;
- Stopping is not permitted along Spring Garden, from Queen to South Park streets, outside of the one designated loading area; and,
- Cyclists and pedestrians will continue to have access at all times.
Halifax Regional Council approved the project last year, as part of the Imagine Spring Garden Road streetscaping project. For more information, visit the project web page.
