Executive feels ‘ripped off’ about transit-only Spring Garden Road proposal

By Chris Stoodley

The executive director of the Spring Garden Area Business Association is feeling “ripped off” after local planners proposed to make a portion of the downtown Halifax street transit-only.

Sue Uteck told CityNews Halifax that local planners were rejected by regional council back in 2019 when they first presented a similar proposal.

“It's basically coming in through the back door,” Uteck says. “'You didn't get your way in 2019? Let's hope council forgot and we'll ask them one more time.'”

The most recent proposal includes a one-year pilot project that would see Spring Garden Road between South Park and Queen streets closed to cars between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week.

Planners indicate in the proposal that the aim of the project is to “improve the corridor for pedestrians and transit,” and “beautify” the area.

Halifax's transportation standing committee met on Thursday and unanimously voted to recommend council approve the pilot project.

streetscaping project that first tore up that portion of Spring Garden Road in June will also widen sidewalks and narrow the roadway to prioritize pedestrians and transit. Construction is set to end in early 2022, and planners proposed to start the project then.

Uteck says in 2019, council rejected the proposal from the planners because they were concerned about traffic flow in the area if that portion of the street was shut down.

She adds that a consultant recently reviewed the area, confirmed the surrounding streets could handle the traffic flow and that there would be no change to efficiency for Halifax Transit vehicles.

“Again, this was rejected,” Uteck says. “Now, I honestly feel staff have just come through the back door and put it [in] again. Even in the report to the committee … there was no mention that in 2019, that was the direction from council.

“So, somewhat deceptive; I'm feeling kind of ripped off.”

Uteck says making this portion of Spring Garden Road transit-only would be detrimental to local residents in terms of parking and businesses that have been trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

She adds that the Spring Garden Area Business Association wasn't even told about the planners' proposal. The group found out about the report from someone else who works for the municipality.

“When I confronted HRM staff, they were like, 'Yeah, that's correct,'” she says. “We did a survey with our membership, and that survey was very skewed. But in the end, 55 per cent said, 'Leave it as it is, and if cars become a problem, then we'll close down the street.'”

Uteck says one issue in the area is that vehicles shouldn't be able to travel south on Birmingham Street because of the number of pedestrians.

She says the HRM responded by saying it'll fix the issue when it becomes a problem.

“I really feel that they're jumping the gun here,” she says. “Let's see what the traffic pattern is; people will naturally wean themselves off the street knowing that they have to stop behind a bus.

“Spring Garden was always the 'see and be seen' kind of street. Take your mom or your dad down to see what the Christmas decorations are going to be. That's what we're trying to manufacture back here.”

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