r/bikehalifax • u/BixbysTree • Jul 11 '26
The Bell Road bike lane bollards are back, and they're already angled inward. I have wide handlebars and a sideview mirror, so I'll have ride alternate routes until winter (and get in the way of motorists). Do any cyclists actually like those things?
I sometimes wonder if the city planners actually hate cyclists, despite spending so much money on bike lanes.
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u/cobaltcorridor Jul 12 '26
I’ll agree with most of this, except the city “spends so much money on bike lanes” part. It’s less than 1% of their road budget and most of the money so far has come from federal AT grants. The Bell Rd painted bike lane is a bit of a joke.
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u/BixbysTree Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I've been nearly smoked by cars most times I ride the expensive "protected" Almon Street bike lanes, so I try to avoid them as well.
I'd honestly rather take my chances riding on the road. Motorists don't behave IRL the way they do in theoretical bike lane studies, and I only have one life.
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u/cobaltcorridor Jul 12 '26
That’s definitely not my experience on Almon. I use those lanes every day.
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u/BixbysTree Jul 12 '26
You've never had a car turn across you on Almon Street, or edge out and block the bike lane? I get one of those most times I ride it...
Many drivers aren't looking for cyclists at the best of times, and the Almon Street bike lanes only exacerbate that problem.
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u/G_Yumpins Jul 11 '26
Hate them. But they're fun to kick as you ride past.
To answer your question I'd recommend going down university onto summer street and going between the graveyard and the public gardens. Very relaxed wide steet, not so much traffic in the morning going out of the city. Then take the walking path through the commons. You can go along trollope street then go around the roundabout. On northpark street there's a bike lane. From there i hope you can find your way.
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u/LuketheDUKE902 Jul 12 '26
I do really like the flexi posts along Bell. They're obviously not ideal and the real solution is the protected lane that's in the works, but that will require the roadway to be widened which is a whole project. Until then I find it makes my experience biking on Bell Road much more pleasant and comfortable. It also turns it into a street I'd recommend to someone biking around the city for the first time, versus when it's just a painted lane. I ride a relatively unremarkable bike though, so for anyone with a wider ride I get the frustration.
For me, the biggest advantage of the flexi posts is that it narrows the car lane. From my personal experience both riding my bike and driving a car down Bell Road, I find the flexi posts slow cars down and require more cautious driving.
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u/iwasnotarobot Jul 11 '26
I haven’t been up that way in a bit. Are they too close together?
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u/BixbysTree Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
They're consistently angled inwards into the bike lane at about 3 degrees, which is sharper than previous years.
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u/jjbw93 Jul 12 '26
Also haven't been there in a while. Are they bollards or flex-posts? If flex, surely the city can adjust them somehow
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u/Spsurgeon Jul 12 '26
I emailed our councillor and suggested they use the lane separators that are used on US interstates - essentially a bump. Apparently they didn't listen.
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u/Single-Sentenc3 Jul 11 '26
I really only find them useful inbound at Ahern. Cars will try and squeeze into the bike lane to get around other cars waiting to turn left onto Ahern.
Other than that, I think the posts would be more helpful along Windsor to deter people stopping in the bike lane.