Halifax council rejects motion to pause bike lane construction

Halifax Regional Council defeated a motion to pause the construction of new bike lanes in the municipality.

After a lengthy debate at its meeting Tuesday, council voted 12 to 5 against Mayor Andy Fillmore’s motion.

During the debate, District 9 Councillor Shawn Cleary, who opposed the motion, said he was not convinced bike lanes were solely responsible for traffic congestion.

“I think because we built bike lanes and there is congestion, some people think that one leads to the other. There is no evidence to suggest that is the case,” he said.

District 13’s Nancy Hartling also voted against, suggesting the motion lacked supporting data.

“I see no facts here about why we would pause,” said Hartling. “I don’t see how a blanket pause provides nuance to the dialogue.”

District 4 Councillor Trish Purdy, who supported the motion, argued that changes to traffic lanes have consequences.

“When you repurpose an existing traffic lane to build a bike lane, that does impact traffic congestion,” she said. “Or if you remove an existing right-turn slip lane to put in a bike lane, that does actually contribute negatively to traffic congestion.”

District 5 Councillor Sam Austin rejected the idea that the city’s growing bike lane network was causing backups.

“Water is wet, the sky is blue, the sun rises in the east, bike lanes do not cause congestion,” said Austin. “What does cause congestion is a municipality that has not done the work to provide needed alternatives and is growing rapidly.”

In the end, Fillmore, along with councillors Billy Gillis, David Hendsbee, Purdy and Paul Russell Young, supported the motion. The rest of council opposed it.

Councillors did pass a separate motion from Fillmore directing staff to review plans for Morris Street, including a proposed bike lane and options to maintain two-way traffic.

That report is expected to return to council July 8.