Halifax delays decision on Gottingen Street bus lane, OK's plan for Bayers Road lanes
Plan to convert parking, loading zones on Gottingen Street into bus lane will be dealt with later
A business owner on Gottingen Street in Halifax is relieved the debate over the creation of a bus lane has been delayed until the end of February.
The city's transportation committee was supposed to deal with the issue on Thursday, but the local councillor wasn't present at the meeting, so committee members decided to delay the vote.
The staff proposal involves removing the parking and loading zones along the east side of the street so a dedicated bus lane can be created.
"There were various options presented at community meetings and this one is the most drastic in terms of the effect on the street," said Edward Edelstein, the owner of Eco Green Homes.
Edelstein said the creation of a nearby parking garage and the retention of loading times for local business have to be discussed first.
He also thinks creating a new ramp onto the Macdonald Bridge from Barrington Street would move a lot of the transit traffic off Gottingen Street altogether.
"Seventy per cent of the buses going down the Gottingen Street corridor are not serving the street," said Edelstein.
He's convinced the municipality could get money from a federal program to renovate the ramp.
Bayers Road to get 2 dedicated bus lanes
Meanwhile, the city's transportation committee endorsed the proposal to widen and redesign Bayers Road to create two dedicated bus lanes and a new walking trail.
"Fixing the intersection in front of the [Halifax] Shopping Centre will be key to improving traffic flow for people on buses and in their cars," said Coun. Shawn Cleary.
The proposal involves buying more land so the widening can take place. The project will now go to the design stage. After that, there will be more public consultation.
The full cost of the Bayers Road project could reach as high as $15.9 million.