Spring Garden Business Owner Calls Transit-Only Pilot Project ‘Lies And Malarkey’
HALIFAX — The Spring Garden Road business community is unhappy with the city’s plan to ban vehicles from a section of the commercial corridor during the day.
The plan is part of a pilot project that will test the impact of closing a four-block section of Spring Garden Road to all vehicle traffic except buses from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
The pilot will start in June of 2022 and run for one year. Staff will use that time to assess if the change has a positive impact.
The pilot project comes at the end of a massive streetscaping project that has seen swaths of the street ripped up and impassable for months.
On December 7, Halifax Regional Council enthusiastically approved the pilot project.
Communication Has Been ‘Terrible’
Some Spring Garden business owners support the transit-only pilot. Others are vehemently opposed. But most agree the city has done a terrible job communicating its plans.
Sue Uteck, the executive director of the Spring Garden Area Business Association, says the association’s members are “somewhat split on the issue.” About half support the pilot project and half oppose it.
But what upsets most Spring Garden business owners is how poorly the city has done at keeping businesses in the loop.
“HRM is terrible at communication,” Uteck says.
Two weeks ago, city staff brought its plan for the pilot before the Transporation Standing Committee. Uteck says she only learned the news, through an email, two days before it happened.
For Uteck, that fit a pattern of the city appearing to charge ahead with its own plans without considering what business owners wanted.
Kurt Bulger owns Jennifer’s Of Nova Scotia. The shop has operated out of its home on Spring Garden Road for close to three decades.
Bulger has even stronger feelings about the city’s plan.
“I think it’s a bunch of lies malarkey and deceit,” he says.
The push to refresh Spring Garden Road started decades ago, when a group of business owners approached the city with a comparatively moderate proposal to widen the sidewalks.
Now, Bulger says, the project has ballooned in size and scope, drifting farther away from what many in the business community originally wanted.
“We wanted them to just widen the sidewalks and just refresh the street and this is what we get. Much more than we ever bargained for or wanted. It’s just insane,” he says.
Plan Will Ruin Spring Garden’s Character
Bulger’s big fear is that the push to drive traffic off the street will strip Spring Garden Road of its character and cause local businesses to leave.
He points to Argyle Street, which became a part-time, pedestrian-only street a few years ago. Many point to Argyle as a success and say the street’s popularity shows how effective removing cars can be.
Bulger argues the opposite. He says Argyle has been completely taken over by bars and restaurants—most owned by large chains or hospitality companies—and that the street “doesn’t have much character left anymore.”
“If I close my eyes and open them again, I could be in Niagara Falls. I’m not in Halifax anymore,” he says.
He believes making Spring Garden a transit-only corridor will have a similar effect.
“Bars, restaurants, and cafés: that’s what’s Spring Garden will be in 10 years,” he says. “I don’t think it’s good for the downtown—and especially not for the street. Spring Garden Road always had a vibe about it that I think will change, whether it be for the good or the bad, I really don’t know.”
Council’s Enthusiastic Yes
At the December 7 council meeting, many councillors expressed their excitement for the project.
Coun. Patty Cuttell called the project a “game-changer,” while Coun. Tony Mancini said he was “so excited” to see it move forward.
Coun. Waye Mason, meanwhile, brushed off concerns the city didn’t do enough consultation. He pointed to several public engagement sessions that happened in 2018 and 2019.
He said the roughly 50/50 split between support and opposition from the business community was “enough” for him to support the project.
Several councillors did make a point, however, of stressing how important feedback from the business community will be during the pilot.
Coun. Trish Purdy said she’d like to see the city put more emphasis on the economic success of Spring Garden Road businesses when it measures the overall effectiveness of the program.
Mayor Mike Savage also urged staff to listen more closely to business owners on the street.
“Please listen to the businesses on Spring Garden Road, please listen to the people who have been putting money in on the ground,” he said.
Trevor Nichols is the associate editor of Huddle, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].