Halifax looks to make new bus terminal more pedestrian friendly

HALIFAX – As a new bus terminal is being built in Halifax, the city says it wants to make the area as safe for pedestrians as possible.

The Halifax Transit terminal under construction on Lacewood Drive is scheduled to open in 2015. It’s just up the road from the current terminal at the end of Willett Street, an intersection where three reported vehicle-pedestrian collisions have occurred in the past year.

Theresa Oakley, who lives nearby, said she has almost been hit in the intersection on numerous occasions.

“Last week I was here at this intersection and a truck came along, and I had the right of way, and I had to literally holler in order to prevent him from hitting me,” she said.

The city’s plans for the new terminal include a revamped four-way intersection at Radcliffe Drive and Lacewood Drive with marked crosswalks.

There will also be a series of walking paths in the area, something police say, along with the marked crosswalks, is a good idea.

“It’s going to make this intersection a lot safer, also a lot more visible,” said Const. Pierre Bourdages with the Halifax Regional Police. “Any marked intersection, any marked crosswalk, it’s helpful for pedestrians and also for drivers to be able to see the pedestrian.”

Oakley says while the new terminal is being built, something must be done about the traffic issues near the existing one.

“There still is that danger that every day you go out, you just wonder, are you going to be OK?”