Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has threatened to overrule Halifax municipal council if it doesn’t reverse its decision to create a new bike lane.
The proposed lane on Morris Street would remove one direction of traffic and turn the road into a one-way.
Houston told council in a letter on Wednesday that the plan would cause traffic congestion, create public safety risks and potentially jeopardize activity at the nearby port.
“I actually think it is a provincial issue because taking Morris Street, making it a one-way street just to make room for bicycle lanes has an impact on public safety,” Houston told Global News Thursday.
“This is an important route to get to hospitals. The ambulance system has said they’ve used that street over 20,000 times in the past year…. So the public safety part, the impact on the economy, we really felt it was necessary to kind of step in and say, ‘Please don’t do this.'”
In June, Mayor Andy Fillmore brought forward a motion to pause bike lane construction in order to consult with stakeholders. That motion, however, was defeated.
Council recently doubled down on the bike network project, defeating a motion 13-4 last week to consider alternative cycling connections for Morris Street.
In his letter to Halifax council, Houston pointed out that the province has legislation — Bill 24, which was passed in the spring — that gives it the power to set transportation policy for municipalities.
The letter went on to say “the provincial government will be forced to act” if council goes ahead to make Morris Street one-way.
Houston asked council to respond by Aug. 6.
“We’ve given a timeline, which is after the next council meeting, so it gives them an opportunity to right this, what we would certainly see as a wrong,” Houston said.
“And if they don’t, the province would have the power to step in and fix it. I would expect that we would do that if they didn’t.”
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In response, Fillmore said he wasn’t surprised the premier asked the municipality to reverse its decision on Morris Street.
“Bike lane concerns have been raised by the Halifax Port Authority, the container terminal operator PSA Halifax, Emera, Ambassatours, and local residents. Most recently, Emergency Health Services said that pre-hospital care delivery and public safety could be compromised if Morris Street proceeded as planned,” Fillmore said.
“These types of interventions should not be ignored. They’re data-driven warnings about operational impacts and public risk. As mayor, I will not ignore threats to our economic competitiveness, risks to public safety, or alarm bells about dramatic cost escalations.”
Safety and traffic concerns raised
In a letter to Fillmore dated Wednesday, the COO of Emergency Medical Care Inc. (ECMI) said they were concerned about the proposed changes.
Matthew Crossman said about 22,000 calls had “occurred in the area” since January, “with most utilizing Morris Street.”
“Our first responders on and around the Peninsula are facing increasing challenges due to increasing traffic congestion and call volume. This directly impacts on our ability to efficiently provide pre-hospital care, particularly in time-sensitive situations where every minute counts,” Crossman wrote.
“Designating Morris Street as one-way may result in longer travel distances, re-routing of response vehicles and potential delays in reaching scenes or hospitals. The full scope of traffic impact, particularly during peak hours, will remain unclear without further study and modeling by the municipality.”
The Halifax Port Authority voiced similar concerns in a letter sent to Halifax council in June.
Greg Baker, vice-president of infrastructure and planning for the port, wrote that turning Morris into a one-way street would “remove an important option” for container trucks and tour buses during peak congestion times.
He said the proposed change would leave only one alternative truck route, which would involve “many more turns, narrow streets, and requires trucks and buses to pass by a higher number of residential homes.”
“This change could potentially create safety and security issues for first responders, making the city less inviting for tourists, and reduce the overall quality of life,” he wrote.
‘Should stay in his lane’
Among those criticizing the premier’s ultimatum is Coun. Kathryn Morse, who represents District 10. She says the premier’s letter and stance is “disappointing” and appears to be part of a “political spat” rather than an actual effort to improve traffic.
“I think it’s not so much about the Morris Street bike lane as (it is) about strong mayor powers. I think it is more an excuse to go after council and to strengthen a position for strong mayor powers,” she said.
So-called strong mayor powers are passed through provincial legislation, giving mayors certain powers to accelerate the implementation of some shared municipal-provincial actions, such as housing and infrastructure.
There have been rumours circulating that the province will be bringing those powers to Halifax.
Morse said there should be more constructive ways of discussing transportation issues.
“If there’s new evidence that this bike lane would interfere with port traffic or EHS in any way, then council needs to reconsider and look at that evidence. Our staff, when they made the recommendation, consulted with EHS, consulted with the port, and there were no red flags,” she said.
“We have congestion issues in HRM; we’re all concerned about it. I think we could do more to work together. There’s a Link Nova Scotia plan, for example, that’s been sitting on the shelf for months. It would be great to see that so we could start to move forward together.”
Meanwhile, official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender said Houston should “stay in his lane” when it comes to interfering with municipal politics.
“For decades our province’s cities and towns have listened to residents and made decisions based on what was best for their communities,” the NDP leader said in a statement.
“If residents are concerned about traffic congestion, the lack of safe bike lanes or any number of other issues, they can make their voices heard through their city councillor. There is no need for Tim Houston to interfere in that.”
Chender went on to say the premier should instead pay attention to housing, health care and supporting local businesses.
— with a file from The Canadian Press
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