Halifax’s turn for bike lane drama

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore is facing backlash after proposing a pause on new bike lane contracts, citing growing concerns over traffic congestion and escalating project costs.

In a memo to council—shared on BlueSky—Fillmore said residents and business owners are frustrated with how the city is rolling out its “all ages and abilities” (AAA) cycling network. It was originally budgeted at $25 million. The project is now projected to cost $93 million, with just $8 million covered by provincial and federal funding. “That leaves an unexpected $69 million to be funded through the municipal tax rate,” Fillmore told CBC.

Mayor Andy Fillmore states that he will introduce a motion next Tuesday to halt construction of new bike lanes #BikeHfx

— Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 (@benmacleod.bsky.social) 2025-06-06T12:23:49.605Z

Concerns about vehicular traffic

Speaking to CBC Radio’s Mainstreet Halifax, Fillmore said the goal isn’t to cancel bike lanes. But to “build cycling infrastructure in the right way.” He says that means without intensifying traffic issues or undermining the needs of transit users, delivery drivers, or those who must rely on cars.

The proposed pause would apply only to tenders not yet awarded. That includes projects identified in the capital budget over the next four years. Projects already under construction will continue. Fillmore said staff would return with a list of bike lane projects marked with a “red light” or “green light,” . That would allow the city to reassess plans that could “worsen congestion.”

David Trueman, chair of the Halifax Cycling Coalition, called the proposal “misguided” and politically motivated. “If you stop the pipeline, the flow is cut off. And there can be untold delays and escalating costs,” he told the CBC. He added that Halifax has one of the highest active transportation rates in Canada and warned the city risks losing that progress.

“This is a wedge issue,” Trueman said. “Cycling is already divisive, and this just deepens the split.”

Halifax is one of many cities across the country that has been pausing, or even trying to remove, current or planned bike lanes. In Alberta, calls to remove lanes have surfaced in both Edmonton and Calgary. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford has waged a long-standing campaign against bike infrastructure in Toronto. It curbed in recently passed legislation that curbs municipal powers to add new lanes. Similar backlash has emerged in London, Ont., where pushback has prompted cancellation requests — and in Moncton, where opposition is also growing.