Halifax Transit Bus makes a stop on Spring Garden Road. Photo: Steve MacArthur
A buses, bikes and boots-only pilot project for Spring Garden Road has been paused, but the project lead says it will be back soon.
The pilot launched July 4, before being abruptly paused on July 8, when it became clear drivers weren’t following the new rules.
Now, the team involved in the pilot is taking some time to consider what went wrong and how to improve.
Elora Wilkinson is the project lead for the Spring Garden buses-only pilot and Principal Planner with HRM Urban Design.
“What we’ve learned from our first stab is that the signage and any additional measures we put out really need to be as simple, clear and direct as possible and maybe even an additional level from what we usually do,” said Elora Wilkinson, the lead planner on the pilot project.
There’s no definitive plan yet, said Wilkinson. But she says additional signage is one of the things planners are looking at. Initially, signage was limited to small signs affixed to overhead traffic lights. But Wilkinson said it may not have been obvious enough. One option is to lower signage to eye-level, she said.
Also being considered are directional traffic paintings on the road.
If that doesn’t help, Wilkinson said they may consider installing a barrier that scans buses for a sensor before opening, much like the MacPass system seen on the bridges. But Wilkinson notes that wouldn’t be likely to happen while the project is still a pilot due to purchase and installation costs.
She notes, there will be an enhanced effort on communication and education when the pilot does re-launch.
The Spring Garden transit-only scheme has commenced! Still lots of cars using the street. Curious if any enforcement will show up later. #halifax pic.twitter.com/efmT6RA2py
— Ben 馬志斌 (@BenMacLeod) July 4, 2022
Despite the challenges, Wilkinson feels the project is still a positive venture.
“A big part of trying new things is that you don’t always get it right on the [first] try but… we are able to try at something, fall on our faces but readjust and come back with something new.”
Wilkinson hopes the project will be resumed within a few weeks.
