High number of accidents ‘gridlock’ Halifax Regional Municipality

Roadways throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality were at a standstill Wednesday morning, as police responded to an unusually high number of accidents.

Cst. Dianne Penfound, the media relations officer with Halifax Regional Police, says it’s ‘normal’ for traffic volumes to increase at the end of summer.

“Very, very busy for police and for motorists. We had between 6:3.0. am and noon, 14 collisions reported,” Penfound said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Very, very busy for police and for motorists. We had between 6:3.0. am and noon, 14 collisions reported," Penfound said.

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It’s a statement echoed by Bedford councillor, Tim Outhit.

“Well, the last week or so we’ve had a perfect storm. We’ve had people back from vacation, schools and universities open, we’ve had multiple car accidents almost simultaneously. Plus, we have this growing community that needs better public transit,” Outhit said.

Encouraging people to take public transit instead of their vehicles is a goal Councillor Outhit has been pursuing for years.

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“We’ve got to keep working on transit. We’ve added a lot of bus routes in Bedford, we’re building a park and ride and we’ve got to get going on more transit,” he said.

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The congestion left many citizens who have the option of walking, breathing a sigh of relief.

“I walk a lot so I get around probably easier than some of the cars do sometimes, especially going to the bridges,” Peter Fry said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I walk a lot so I get around probably easier than some of the cars do sometimes, especially going to the bridges," Peter Fry said.

Despite the higher number of accidents Wednesday morning, most people say they ‘expect’ an increase of vehicles on the roads during the fall season.

“It gets quite congested, it’s quite busy. The students are back in university so that adds to the traffic flow. Construction, around the city, on the roads and sidewalks, is contributing as well to that so yes it’s quite hectic, especially during rush hours,” Fry said.

“We just hope everybody’s patient because we’re all in the same boat,” Cst. Penfound said.