Interim Bikeway Improvements

The municipality is planning to install 8.5 km of interim bikeway improvements between Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, using quick-build materials like concrete curbs, bollards, paint, and traffic calming features to make it easier and safer to cycle in Halifax and Dartmouth. These treatments will be in place until the streets can be permanently upgraded (likely within five years).

Where will these facilities be located?

Six routes have been selected in peninsular Halifax and Dartmouth within the Circumferential Highway. These represent important links in the AAA bike network that will promote connectivity and improved transitions between existing cycling facilities.
 

A map of a portion of the Halifax peninsula and downtown Dartmouth with six orange lines signifying where the interim bikeway improvements will be located. Number one is a connection between Bayers Road and the Chain of Lakes Trail. Two is the West End Bikeway, including Liverpool Street and George Dauphinee Avenue. Three is Bell Road. Four is the North End Bikeway, including Isleville Street, Maynard Street and Creighton Street. Five is Devonshire Avenue. Number six is Slayter Street.

Adding interim barriers along existing painted bike lanes:

  • Bell Road (Sackville St to Summer-Trollope intersection)
  • Devonshire-Duffus (Isleville St to Barrington St)

Adding interim street improvements for connectivity along quiet residential streets:

  • North End Bikeway corridor (Duffus St to Cogswell St via Isleville, Maynard, Creighton, Fuller + Northwood streets)
  • West End Bikeway corridor (Windsor St to Bayers Rd via Liverpool St + George Dauphinee Ave)
  • Slayter Street (Albro Lake Rd to Thistle St)
  • Bayers-COLT connection (Joseph Howe Drive to Pennington via Ralston, Abbott, Ashburn + Elliot streets)

Why Interim Bikeways?

In 2017, Halifax Regional Council adopted the Integrated Mobility Plan with direction to establish an all-ages-and-abilities (AAA) cycling network within the Regional Centre. Some of these routes have been constructed, and others are in the planning + design stages. These interim bikeway improvements allow for faster implementation of the AAA network and the ability to trial street configurations on a temporary basis without committing expensive resources.

This method will allow time to monitor project impacts and gather feedback from users to influence the permanent designs.
 

What is quick-build?

The interim quick-build toolbox includes measures like:

  • precast concrete curbs
  • flexible delineators (aka bollards)
  • temporary asphalt speed tables
  • painted pavement markings (e.g. sharrows and green conflict zones)
  • signage

to improve walking + cycling conditions in the short term.

For busier streets (e.g. Bell, Devonshire) physical barrier protection will be added along the existing painted bike lanes in the form of precast concrete curbs and/or bollards to increase separation between bicycles and vehicles.

Green dashed conflict markings will be extended through intersections and across major driveways to improve safety + visibility of bicycles. Intersection improvements such as two-stage left-turn boxes will be added in some locations to facilitate transitions along the route.

A photo of the Lower Water Street Bollard-Protected Bikeway. On the left of the photo is a sidewalk with two pedestrians walking away from the camera. On the right is Lower Water Street with the bollard-protected bikeway on the left side of the street and a vehicle lane on the right.

Figure 1: Sample Photo of Bollard-Protected Bike Lane on Lower Water Street

A photo of the South Park Street and Sackville Street intersection, featuring the green paint marking a two-stage left turn box for cyclists. There is a signpost on the right with a white no turn on right sign and a green left turn box sign.

Figure 2: Sample Two-Stage Left Turn Box + Markings

A photo of a street that is being temporarily narrowed using oblong slabs of concrete with green flexible bollards on top of them for visibility.

Figure 3: Sample Curb Extension with Curbs

For the quiet, residential street connections the interim measures will focus on reducing vehicular travel speeds. This will allow for slow, single file lane sharing without a designated bicycle lane. Temporary asphalt speed tables will be added, as well as painted sharrows to guide cyclists and improve visibility. Curb extensions (concrete curbs and/or bollards) will be added at some intersections to reduce the crossing distance for people walking, rolling, and cycling and improve sightlines. Wayfinding signs will help guide cyclists where the route must turn a corner.  

Photo of a residential street lined with single family houses. The street features a speed table, designed similar to a longer speed bump, with white arrows painted on it and a sign cautioning drivers.

Figure 4: Sample Asphalt Speed Table

Photo of the corner of the Agricola and Charles Street intersection where the corner of the curb is extended using painted white lines and flexible green bollards.

Figure 5: Sample Curb Extension with Bollards

A close-up photo of a street with a white bicycle and two sharrows painted on it to advise cyclists of a street where they can ride single file with vehicle traffic without a designated bicycle lane.

Figure 6: Sample Sharrow Pavement Marking

Seasonality

Most of these treatments will remain in place year-round.  

One exception is on Bell Road, where most of the green flexible bollards will need to be removed from mid-November to mid-April each year to allow for winter snow clearing. Based on our current snow clearing equipment and dimensions of the street, this is the best way to ensure a cleared street surface for cyclists and drivers. The protected bike lane will revert back to a painted bike lane (can still function as usual) for these winter months. 
 

Will there be opportunity for public feedback?

These interim bikeway improvements are developed and implemented as temporary measures for improving the existing street condition. Projects will be monitored and assessed to inform future permanent infrastructure changes.

In some cases, the interim treatments will be discussed in upcoming public engagement as part of a functional planning study.  These segments include:

  • Bell Road
  • Devonshire Avenue
  • Slayter Street
  • North End route between Almon and Cogswell

Stay tuned for more information on these engagements as it becomes available.

Do you have feedback or questions about any of the projects? Please call 311 or send us an email. 

 

Project Updates

Project Implementation Update
Project Implementation Update
Bayers-COLT Connection Complete
Bell Road Installation of bollards and pavement markings is complete. Improvements to curb cut at NE corner of Bell-Summer-Trollope forthcoming this fall.
Slayter Street Complete
Liverpool Street Complete
North End Bikeway Corridor Speed tables completed, remaining features to be installed summer-fall 2023
Devonshire-Duffus Installation underway to be completed summer 2023