The mayor of Halifax said he is sorry that the motion he tabled last Tuesday to pause construction on bike lanes, was shut down by council.
In a post on social media, Andy Fillmore said his intention was simple.
“Let’s make sure that we’re building smart, functional infrastructure that works for all of us…cyclists, drivers, transit users, pedestrians…and that we’re doing that responsibly with taxpayers in mind,” said Fillmore.
He touched on the bike network with its ballooning cost, quadrupling from the original estimate to nearly $100 million.
“It’s growing,” Fillmore said, “and that should be a concern to all of us”.
Contentious issue
The motion, according to Fillmore, was to take a look at a spreadsheet of the capital projects for new bike lanes, not yet tendered, over the next four years.
Whatever hindered the flow of traffic would get paused, where the projects that didn’t, would get a thumbs up.
However, this plan caused a debate that lasted hours at council and was ultimately shut down, 12 to five.
In addition to that, a rally with hundreds of cyclists, protested the plan outside city hall.
Backed by premier
Despite city council shutting down the motion, Premier Tim Houston had the mayors back.
He told reporters Thursday that it makes sense to talk about the cost and location of new projects.
A focus on balance
Even though the motion was rejected, Fillmore said he is still striving for “balanced, thoughtful solutions” to make the city not only more affordable but easier to move around in.
“I was elected mayor with a strong mandate to focus on three key areas. Keeping life more affordable, solving congestion and building more homes. This motion was rooted in two of those things. Affordability and congestion …and I’m really sorry it didn’t pass.”
