Like most cities, Halifax has automated bike counters to track how many people are using different sets of bike infrastructure around the city. Early in the Spring, the Bike Mayor of Halifax, an advocacy position to make the city more bike-friendly, suggested that people might enjoy exploring the city outside of their regular commute.
The challenge was to explore as many of the city’s dozen or so bike counter sites as possible in a single trip. In this video, I go on a meandering trip around Halifax to connect as many of these sites together as possible.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:02 Dartmouth Cove
2:07 Downtown Dartmouth
3:18 Harbourview
4:33 Halifax Harbour
4:44 North End Halifax
5:35 Downtown Halifax
10:14 Halifax Commons
10:47 Spring Garden Road Area
11:33 South End Halifax
13:09 West End Halifax
14:09 North End/Midtown Halifax
14:51 West End/Fairview
17:56 Summary/Closeout
Catch up on past videos using the HFX By Bike Map: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnQ3dVA2QWNaWFFmaUF0UkhxRkk3ZVdiYUU0QXxBQ3Jtc0tta05ycDRqNk5mNlJKa3hjbU54Wl9tOW9QbFotS2wzMUE1VGp6cE14UGhuNnBnUFZRTGpTcWVwWmNMbmdsYmZEWmlzdDhYVTg1WUVpVlFjTDlpTXliejQtc3JaNGI0a2J2Y1VpS1FwLTNqOW95anRGSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fd%2Fu%2F0%2Fviewer%3Fmid%3D1t4p1vTSAs6yc4j-j3_AHuEo9mL8qBO0%26ll%3D44.61828263629368%252C-63.62486954999999%26z%3D11%26entry%3Dyt&v=m4OHGVCOTe8
Have an idea for a bike trip video? You can suggest it here: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblh6XzZNTk5LQzI1OFppV1ZBUk1xY3J2ZTFYQXxBQ3Jtc0ttNFF2djlybTJSVW45SzBEMjdsc0FncFhTMGlvX0JNNnBUajNBdVNtUGFkT01wWHFVeGMzaUdVWGtsaUJMeTV4bmFJNlZYUmo4VWlEcE5JLVBQUXZEUHpMYlphdUVrV3Y2aWp6VVJlN1d0MXlZNGJCQQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fd%2Fu%2F0%2Fedit%3Fmid%3D14COtgDM6jgtrrVS3k2TDTjMRtB9gXls%26ll%3D44.67026247550571%252C-63.58968265752229%26z%3D13%26entry%3Dyt&v=m4OHGVCOTe8
12 Comments
it may be the camera you are using or the fact that I'm spoiled by the MUP network in Ottawa, but I feel that some of the MUPs seem a bit narrow for two direction cycling. Correct me if I'm wrong
have a route link for this? strava/rwgps?
8:57 +1 flat
Umm no.
Dutch Village Rd is probably the most improved road in the city over the past ten years. It didn't even have sidewalks on one side and now it does along with proper bicycle infrastructure. All that without taking away any car lanes.
13:36 This intersection (Windsor/Chebucto/Cunard) is just awful for all road users. I was hoping that once the convenience store closed the city would buy the land and straighten out the intersection, but that would make too much sense.
Surprised at all the connections. Thanks for posting !
4:28 I get such a headache from the shadows cast by the fence when biking across the bridge. Anyone else or do I secretly have a susceptibility to seizures or something?
Thanks for this video! While it’s clear there are still big gaps in the network, it’s great to see how much connectivity we’ve gained these past few years.
So… this is the route I would take if I wanted to "goose" the bike counter numbers!! 😝 I can't believe how enduring this conspiracy theory is…
Cogswell….flat? 😅
This weekend I had to go from Dartmouth to Sackville, a route that has no direct bike infrastructure. I ended up doing the trip in three stages:
1. Bike to the bridge terminal.
2. Bus from the bridge terminal to the Cobequid terminal (the 87)
3. Bike to my final destination.
Given you've pretty much covered the entirety of the bike network in the city proper at this point it might be interesting to show off some of these longer/multimodal style trips. I'd make a suggestion on the map but I'm not really sure what else is possible.
Awesome video!!
I used to live in Halifax. I'm visiting this summer with my bike from Vancouver and your video was extremely helpful. (Perhaps you should consider doing a version for tourists who want to explore Halifax safely by bike.)
In the 1970's I cycled everywhere in Halifax on may of the roads you covered in this video. The improvements you detailed blew my mind. Back in the 70s you had to be a bit of a daredevil to cycle in Halifax.
It's clear that Halifax has a way to go before it catches up to Montreal or Vancouver, but it was very encouraging to see how far it has come.
Here's another unsolicited idea for an episode. How about a video detailing the next wave of bike paths, if the city has plans that are imminent. Or a video indicating which new paths would have the most impact to the existing network.
Keep up the good work. Thank you!!!