There are various grant programs available through public and private partnerships to help support road safety projects in our region. HRM has been successful in receiving project funding through various sources and will continue to seek alternative funding sources to prioritize road safety. Funded projects are detailed below.
- Federal Active Transportation Fund (2023)
High Visibility Crosswalk Markings at Signalized Intersections -
The Government of Canada launched the Active Transportation Fund (ATF) in 2021, a $400 million investment over five years to make travel by active transportation easier, safer, more convenient and more enjoyable. The Active Transportation Fund invests in projects that build new and expanded networks of pathways, bike lanes, trails and pedestrian bridges, in addition to supporting active transportation planning and stakeholder engagement activities.
The Halifax Regional Municipality submitted an application through the Federal Active Transportation Fund to enable completion of a research project to evaluate the safety impacts of high visibility crosswalk markings at signalized intersections. HRM was identified as a successful proponent and awarded $50,000 of funding in 2023 to complete the project.
This research project uses video analytics to evaluate the safety impacts of high visibility (ladder/zebra style) crosswalk markings at signalized intersections. Video analytics use traffic video footage to analyze the occurrence of near-misses at an intersection to determine where the potential for collisions might exist.
The project has two main objectives: determining the impact of high visibility crosswalk markings at signalized intersections; and if successful, developing an internal guideline for the installation of high visibility crosswalks at signalized intersections.
Project locations were chosen using factors such as pedestrian volumes, collision history, and socioeconomic inequities. Six signalized intersections were selected to complete before and after analysis of near-miss conflicts:- Brunswick Street at Sackville Street
- Jubilee Road & Oxford Street
- Alderney Drive & Portland Street (S)
- Barrington Street & Spring Garden Road
- Joseph Howe Drive & Mumford Road
- Main Avenue & Titus Street
What's Next?
Project results are anticipated to be completed in the Spring of 2024. - Aviva Canada & MicroTraffic (2020)
Video Analytics Study -
The Halifax Regional Municipality was selected as one of five winning municipalities for a national grant program through Aviva Canada and MicroTraffic.
The program provided 75% of the cost of MicroTraffic video analytics at 10 locations. The municipality was responsible for the remaining 25% of the cost. Aviva Canada also funded a follow-up analysis to measure the impact of improvements made before the end of 2022.
Video analytics use traffic video footage to analyze the occurrence of near-misses at an intersection to determine where the potential for collisions might exist. This proactive approach allows countermeasures to be selected that aim to prevent those collisions from occurring.
The following intersections were selected for this project. These locations were selected because of high traffic volumes, an above-average frequency of injury collisions, and a demonstrated need for a safety review. Follow the links below to view the MicroTraffic Conceptual Safety Plans for each intersection:- Bayers Road at Joseph Howe Drive
- Chebucto Road at Oxford Street
- Cobequid Road at Glendale Avenue
- Dunbrack Street at Lacewood Drive
- Lacewood Drive at Parkland Drive
- Main Street at Major Street
- Portland Street at Eisener Blvd
- Portland Street at Pleasant Street
- Quinpool Road at Oxford Street
- Spring Garden Road at South Park Street
What’s next?
Municipal staff have reviewed the recommendations from the conceptual safety plans to determine the feasibility and timeline for implementation. Recommendations which could be actioned quickly were implemented in 2022, and video was collected for the follow-up analysis. Staff will be reviewing the before and after near-miss analysis reports to assess the effectiveness of the recommended interventions.
Other recommendations from the conceptual safety plans which were not able to be completed in 2022 , due to the wider impacts of the changes or budget restraints, will be analyzed and implemented where possible in the future.