Could carpool lanes help ease traffic congestion in Halifax?
Councillors voted Tuesday to have staff look into that idea, as the municipality and the province both consider implementing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
Mayor Andy Fillmore, who brought forward the motion, says turning bus lanes into HOV lanes could also be cost-efficient.
“The root behind my motion is not only to solve congestion … but to do it in a very low-cost and quick way. So what is the cheapest thing we can do? We can work with the things we already have,” he said.
Designated HOV lanes are meant for vehicles carrying two or more people, as a method to encourage carpooling and improve traffic flow.
Debate on the motion was heated, with councillors raising concerns about the impact of transforming bus lanes and whether there is a point to discuss the subject if the province is already looking to implement the lanes.
Public Works Minister Fred Tilley announced the intended project during a Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week as part of the regional transportation plan and said changes could be coming soon.
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“We’re studying it right now, but it won’t be a year-long study type thing. So we want to make improvements as quickly as possible. So I would say months,” he said Feb. 3.
Tilley added that in addition to the HOV lanes, co-ordinated traffic lights could be added to help vehicles move more freely through intersections.
“One of the things that I’m most excited about working with HRM and other partners is the potential for adaptive signal technology where the systems will talk to one another,” Tilley said.
“We’ve all been stuck on Barrington Street at a red light, and no one is in the cross lanes. The system will recognize that and keep the lights all green, so that we can move traffic faster.“
Sackville-area councillor Billy Gillis told council Tuesday he believes HOV lanes are a good temporary measure to ease congestion.
“Once we get the network built and complete, like the transit lanes, I think maybe then we should look at going back to transit only,” he said.
“But as a short-term measure, I think we should be utilizing those lanes.”
Clayton Park-area councillor Janet Steele added that having the staff report completed and on hand will be useful when dealing with the province.
“They may be forcing our hand and that’s why I voted for the staff report. So we, in our discussions with provincial officials, are armed with information,” she said.
Meanwhile, the mayor said he believes moving ahead now on the lanes could help the municipality take control of its own roadways and planning.
“Why don’t we just move ahead right now and try to solve things in our own way. We’re in control of our roadways. We understand better than a different order of government what works and what doesn’t,” Fillmore said.
“So let’s prototype this ourselves.”
The motion for the staff report passed 12-3.
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