Halifax - Facing one of the biggest changed to Halifax's transportation diversity in the Crosstown Connector, the Halifax Cycling Coalition is primed and ready to celebrate it's 3rd Anniversary! Come on out for an epic movie, pizza, door prizes and fun! When: Friday, November 19th from 6PM to 10PM Where: The MacMechan Auditorium, Killam Library, Dalhousie (6225 University Ave, Halifax NS) What: Treats, prizes and the film "Where are you Go?" which follows the longest cycling tour in the world: the Tour D'Afrique. We're also teaming up with ...

HALIFAX - In March of 2010, the Halifax Cycling Coalition (HCC) began a petition supporting a new active transportation corridor to be established in a high impact area on the peninsula. After six weeks of touring with the petition and some help from our membership — as well as everyday HRM residents — I am proud to say that our petition of over 1400 signatures has finally made some headway. Yesterday, Halifax Regional Council was presented with a staff report supporting continued development of a new active transportation corridor — which the HCC has dubbed the Crosstown Connector (CtC). In its simplest form, the CtC would be a single, connected bike lane that would span the north and south ends of the peninsula and eventually connect to the Bedford Highway Bike Lane. Not only would this serve the existing cycling population of Halifax, but it would also reduce one of the major barriers between non-cyclists and the old 10-Speeds stored in their garages: a lack of practical infrastructure. At the end of the discussion, council voted unanimously to send this plan to community consultation. That said, community consultation can either make or break the CtC.

[caption id="attachment_5829" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="A small corner of the North End Community Garden in Halifax."][/caption] HALIFAX - Urban gardening is by no means a new concept in Halifax. In fact the first time I remember hearing about urban gardening was in 2005 during my second year at Dahousie. The Gazette — Dal's free weekly — was covering a new urban garden on campus for students to plot, till, plant, weed and pluck. Unfortunately, the article left little information about where the garden was actually located and even less ...

[caption id="attachment_5415" align="alignnone" width="395" caption="This could be how Herring Cove Road might look after proposed changes are made."][/caption] HALIFAX - Over the past two months, a special road project has been working its way through City Council — a road project that would see our active transportation network expanded by nearly one kilometre. Although this doesn't seem like much, due to its proximity to schools, recreation centres, a bustling commercial district and residential neighbourhoods, this new AT corridor might be the most practical application of a bike lane that HRM has seen. As stated in a previous article, encouraging active transportation by installing more tangible infrastructure has numerous health, social and economic benefits. Despite all these factors, the Spryfield & District Business Commission has stood against the removal of car lanes in favour of bike lanes, citing anecdotal fears about losses to business.

HALIFAX - Something brilliant might be coming to the Spryfield area this summer. City staff have been working diligently on a new street design concept for Herring Cove Road.  This new plan would include a street diet --much akin to what is going on in Toronto-- to make space for bike lanes in the area. Therefore, Spryfield residents will see Herring Cove Road drop from its typical five lane cross-section to three, with two brand new bike lanes. Additionally, boulevards are also being installed as medians along the road to offer pedestrians refuge when crossing the proposed three lane street. This is definitely going to be a big step up for the community. Presently many cyclists and non-cyclists alike are dismayed as the five lane road (more akin to an ocean of asphalt) kicks up dust and sand in the air and encourages motorists to exceed posted speed limits when heading through the area. Furthermore, the inbound shoulder of the road is reminiscent of a potholed WW2 no-mans-land, making cycling in the area difficult for even the best of riders, and unthinkable to novice riders or those considering using the bicycle to commute to work over the summer. The commercial sector and developers are bound to see a boost in business as well. Neighbourhood studies out of Toronto and New York indicate pedestrians and cyclists account for up to 90% of patronization in local stores and shops. GPI Atlantic also indicates that neighbourhoods with increased transportation diversity encourage more commercial and residential interest in communities. Don't think people cycle enough in Herring Cove to warrant such optimism? GPI Atlantic continues to indicate that as active transportation infrastructure is installed, a 10-30% decrease in local motorized transportation is typically observable.

HALIFAX - The Halifax Cycling Coalition and the Halifax Bike Week Planning Committee would like to invite you all to the 2ND ANNUAL HALIFAX OPEN STREET PARTY at the North Commons in Halifax. This year is slated to be a jaw-dropper! Food, Music (by CKDU), dancing, synchronized cycling, bike fashion shows, a bike rodeo for the kiddies, bike valet parking on behalf of city staff, and possibly some dynamite prizes! So please, pick up your helmet, put on some rollerblades or walking shoes, or pull out your ...

HALIFAX - Over the past couple weeks, Halifax has been investing time in analyzing the feasibility of adding roundabouts to our transportation "toolkit". Although this seems like a new idea for HRM, Sydney's Alexandra Street Roundabout has been ushering traffic through since December, and in other parts of the world, roundabouts are quite common. The summer of 2007 was when I started biking again after a decade-long hiatus, and it happened in the most unlikeliest of places: Northern France. After months of talking about a France trek with some friends in London, England, we came to one important question regarding transportation: what is the cheapest way we can travel while seeing as much of France as we can? The answer was clear, and in May of 2007, after 10 years of relying on transportation modes requiring some form of internal combustion, I left the tiny town of Arras on a 300km tour to Paris. It was the best decision I've ever made in my life!

Brought to you in collaboration with the Ecology Action Centre and Halifax Cycling Coalition, SpokesPeople covers all things cycle-related. From the principles to the potholes, we're here to examine the realities facing the two-wheeled traveler. HALIFAX - I must confess: the biggest reason that I became a writer for Spacing Atlantic is a selfish one. I've been attending Dalhousie University for the past six years — three of which I've spent working on a BSc in Nursing. During this time, I've learned many hard facts about the health of Nova Scotians and of Halifax, and I have to admit that I'm more than just a little concerned. Nearly one in four children in Canada are overweight or obese. Less than 1% of young Nova Scotian women in grade 11 engage in the required amount of physical activity on a weekly basis. Nova Scotia is among the top three provinces with the highest proportional population of people with type 2 diabetes — a completely preventable condition. We have higher than usual rates of specific cancers, and our mental health — and mental healthcare system — is in rough shape (quick note, both of these factors can be prevented to a degree by engaging in physical activity).