Hundreds of cyclists temporarily reclaimed Halifax roads on Wednesday evening, with calls for safety at the forefront with bike bells rattling in the hot summer breeze.
“We need better cycling infrastructure and I know that showing the city as a crowd, being in numbers is the best way to get ahead on things,” said event participant Steve McKay.
Steve McKay is a Halifax resident who rode in solidarity with his son.
Alexa McLean / Global Halifax
Last Saturday, Rob Clue was riding his bike to work on Purcell’s Cove Road when he was hit by a car and seriously injured.
Since then, the cycling community has rallied together to raise funds for her recovery, culminating in a significant mass ride.
“It was hundreds of people,” said Jillian Banfield, known as the “bicycle mayor” of Halifax. Cycle Mayors and Leaders Network,
“We have proof that there are many people in Halifax wanting to ride a bike – plus, there is a lot of frustration because these people do not feel safe riding in Halifax, most of the time, on our roads, and this should not be the case. “
In 2016, an HRM survey found that a significant number of Halifax residents wanted to bike more often, but did not feel safe doing so unless infrastructure such as protected bike lanes were in place. That infrastructure would create more isolation from vehicles.
Since then, the municipality has built a network of approximately 57 kilometers of connected bike paths in the regional centre.
The initial target was to complete it by 2022. Now the entire network is expected to be completed sometime after 2024.
“I know things take time, I know they take money. We have money, we have plans, we have years. There’s no sense of urgency,” Banfield said.
Jillian Banfield says the large number of cycling infrastructure plans for ride solidarity shows an urgent need to accelerate.
Alexa McLean / Global Halifax
Keeping the environment and health and wellness in mind, Vital Bike Mass participants said that the overall goal is to make more people feel safe riding their bikes around the city.
“This shows that the cycling community in Halifax does not feel completely safe on the roads,” McKay said.
“It’s a widespread sentiment across the community and I hope they get the message that we want secure infrastructure.”
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