Residents rally against plan to widen Robie Street

Friends of Halifax Common, a non-profit community group, held a rally along Robie Street on Thursday to protest the city’s plan to widen the busy street to create a new bus lane. 

“We’re opposed to it because it’s the most destructive, most costly plan, with the least effective outcome,” said Peggy Cameron, co-founder of FHC. “Widening roads, even for public transportation, does not reduce traffic or congestion.” 

The plan involves the city buying up 33 properties to be demolished and taking down an estimated 60 trees between North and Cunard streets. 

Total cost for the project is projected at about $149 million.

The plan is part of Halifax Regional Municipality’s Rapid Transit Strategy, which aims to streamline transit in the city to become faster and more reliable. 

District 10 Coun. Kathryn Morse says that while she understands why people are upset with the changes to Robie Street, it’s necessary for more reliable transportation.

“We need to step up transit service in HRM, where our population is growing, and the only solution as cities grow, really … is to make transit more useful and more viable for more people,” Morse said in a phone interview with The Signal. 

The Friends of Halifax Common said they want to see the city implement reversible lanes or overhead signals instead of adding a new bus lane. Morse says this won’t be effective enough.

“I’ve heard that before and I understand the sentiment but on a practical level it wouldn’t work, according to HRM’s engineers.” 

Two rallies were held, one in the afternoon and one at night. About 10 local residents came out to each to show their opposition to the project. They put up signs on trees and handed out flyers. 

The flyers featured QR codes leading to a petition asking Mayor Andy Fillmore to cancel the project. As of Friday, the petition has over 600 signatures. 

Many passing cars beeped in support, but one driver yelled “We need good transit!”

Resident Howard Epstein, a former MLA and city councillor, joined in the rally.

“We’re all in favour of buses and fewer private automobiles, but this is not the way to do it,” said Epstein. “There’s going to be a loss of housing and trees along here which doesn’t make any sense.”

Resident Susan Barratt says traffic on Robie is not a big enough issue to justify demolishing homes and cutting down trees. 

“I really will be gutted if they take all these trees down,” Barrat said. 

“I mean, it’s going to be ugly and it’s going to be cruel, really, to take down all these trees. They’re making the air better. Look at all this exhaust, these trees are fighting the valiant fight.” 

Construction to widen the road between Young and Cunard streets is set to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2030.