A vision for transportation in Halifax

By Marcus Garnet, professional planner and public transportation advocate

The Scenario:
The year is 2025, a warm spring day in Halifax, and Brian has invited us all out to his place in
Bedford for a BBQ. After a fine meal Mike suggests we head downtown to take in a local band
at one of Halifax’s many entertainment venues. How do we get there, and what do we see along
the way?

We start out on foot, walking along wide, tree-lined sidewalks, with views of Bedford Basin
unfolding as our street winds its way downhill. As we get closer to the Bedford Highway, we
start passing more townhouses, then some condominiums with downstairs cafes and stores with
shop windows right next to the sidewalk.

Hybrid double-decker buses cruise past, taking passengers from Bedford West to the Mill Cove
Transit Centre with its plaza, wellness clinic and grocery deli. Others pass us on bikes and
driving electric smart cars.

When we enter the glass-roofed Transit Centre we can choose between local buses, a fast ferry to
Purdys Wharf, or a rail shuttle that links all the university campuses with shopping centres and
downtown Halifax. Our cellphones show us the schedule then display a bar code that lets us
through the turnstiles. Some of us use our MacPass which we took from our cars. That MacPass
is even good for parking fees and peak-hour road tolls.

We’re going to a new performance venue at the Halifax Farmers Market, so we hop on the rail
shuttle. The ferry is a shorter ride, but it isn’t going where we want to go tonight. The fast boat
is popular with office workers at Purdys Wharf and Scotia Square. In fact, we could even have
biked all the way to the Farmers Market on the trail alongside the railway, but the band starts in
only 20 minutes.

Our self-propelled Dayliner glides up to the platform, a short ramp slides across the gap, and we
can board on the level. Several people get off after going shopping at Sunnyside or Bedford
Common. Two motorized wheelchairs, a child’s stroller and three bicycles roll on. The child
starts to squawk, so we move into the other car.

We choose comfortable seats with a panorama of the Basin. We quickly outpace the
rollerbladers racing us along the waterfront trail. Soon we’re passing cars in the roundabouts on
the Bedford Highway.

It’s hard to believe our vehicle has a shell that’s nearly 70 years old. Its stainless steel still
sparkles, and all its innards were replaced with low-emission systems in a complete rebuild done
here in the Maritimes. And most of the welded tracks were already there too. So we’re re-using
and re-cycling existing assets.

Before we know it, we’re slowing for the stop at Mount Saint Vincent, where students get off for
evening classes. Other young people get on for a trip downtown with friends.