HRM council to look at alternatives to AAA bikeway network

Halifax regional council voted on Tuesday to look at cost-saving alternatives to a bike network that’s friendly to all ages and abilities.

Over the last nine years, a system of connected bike lanes on the peninsula and Dartmouth meant to encourage active transportation has been under construction. In an Oct. 31, 2025 report, HRM chief administrative officer Brad Anguish said 31 kilometres of the bikeway was complete, and the project’s 57-km goal is expected to be reached in the 2029/30 fiscal year.  

Anguish said in the same report that so far, $19.1 million had been spent and a high estimate of the remaining costs is $66.3 million.

On Tuesday, Mayor Andy Fillmore called for council to look at cheaper options for bikeway construction in fiscal 2028-29 and 2029-30. 

Fillmore said despite his motion to look at downgrading the efforts, he does want more active transportation. 

“We all want a transportation network that works but during an affordability crisis, we cannot demand taxpayers to pay for the most expensive solutions.”  

The AAA standard, which sees concrete barriers and raised paths physically separate bike lanes from vehicles, is supposed to encourage biking for people wary of “mixed traffic.” With more active transportation and less vehicle traffic, the thought is that streets on the peninsula and in Dartmouth will be safer.  

Without high quality safety measures for bikers, said District 5 Coun. Sam Austin, this alternative form of commuting won’t be adopted.

“I’m wondering what (Fillmore’s) end goal here is … is it paint on a road?” Austin said. “Because if it’s paint, I’m not interested.”  

This isn’t the first time the issue has come up. In June 2025, Fillmore put forward a motion to temporarily suspend the AAA bikeway network plan to assess congestion caused by bike lane construction and rising costs associated with the program.  

The council voted against Fillmore’s proposal. At Tuesday’s meeting, District 12 Coun. Janet Steele said “I’m so disappointed we keep talking about this and delaying safety.”

Steele said that council inaction could be causing people to be “injured, maimed, have long-term disabilities” on the municipality’s roads. 

An investigation from The Signal found that bicycle-vehicle collisions have been steadily climbing since 2018. 

Fillmore said he will continue to bring up overspending until it stops. The projected cost of the AAA bikeway network was $25 million when it was introduced in 2017, and $20.83 million was to be funded by other levels of government.  

The provincial and federal governments haven’t committed any further funding, even as project costs have risen 241 per cent because of “project complexity,” inflation and labour shortages. 

District 9 Coun. Shawn Cleary asked if council should be “saving a couple bucks” on the AAA network in fiscal 2028/29 and 2029/30 only to spend millions on things like potholes in the future.  

From January to November 2025, pickup trucks and SUVs accounted for 87.2 per cent of unit vehicle sales in Nova Scotia. Cleary said that saving money on bike lanes is pointless if the HRM doesn’t take serious steps to get drivers of heavier vehicles — a leading cause of road maintenance costs — engaged in active transportation over driving.  

The mayor’s proposal passed with a vote of 10-5; when the report will return to council hasn’t been announced.