Some Halifax residents frustrated with proposal to widen Robie Street

Halifax Regional Municipality is proposing a plan to widen Robie Street as part of the Integrated Mobility Plan, but some residents are unhappy with the idea.

A group took to the street on Tuesday to express their concerns with the municipality’s proposal.

Peggy Cameron, a resident of Robie Street, said that none of the residents were consulted about the plan that will impact 18 properties.

“It means affordable housing, housing co-ops, four First Nation buildings, two shelters, one shelter for young girls, one shelter for youth,” she said. “All of those are going to be impacted because of the plan to widen Robie Street.”

Phase 1 of the plan added bus lanes to Robie Street between Quinpool Road and Young Street back in 2020.

Phase 2, which would add bus lanes to the remaining sections, is being looked at by HRM now.

Cameron said she found out the municipality had issued a request on widening Robie Street when a street surveyor told her back in the summer.

“Nobody has seen a design. Not only does no one know about it, they don’t know how it’s going to impact them,” she said.

Howard Epstein, a resident of Robie Street and a former municipal councillor and MLA, said he refused to have the widening happen when he was in office and says that there are other priorities that should be looked at.

“I think that they shouldn’t build or widen any more streets at all. They should take it right out of the city’s budget. They should maintain or repair the streets that we have now,” he said.

1:51 People in HRM react to Council’s motion to have dedicated bus lane on Robie and Young Street

Ryan Nearing, a spokesperson for HRM, said that the proposal will “improve transit reliability.”

“It will ultimately encourage more people to use transit and support more compact and sustainable development,” he said.

Nearing said that the impacted property owners have been informed by municipal staff with the Robie Street Transportation Reserve.

There will be a public hearing on the plan held by the municipality at Alderney Landing on Wednesday at 6 p.m.