Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 (Halifax, NS) – The Halifax Regional Municipality is advising residents that construction of the Hollis Street bicycle lane, located on Hollis Street south of Cogswell Street to Terminal Road, is expected to be completed within the next few days.

As a result of the bicycle lane installation, residents should take note of the following street signage, parking and traffic flow changes that will be in effect along this section of Hollis Street: 
 
Cyclists:
•The bicycle lane is for southbound travel and will be on the left (east) side of the street. It will include a 0.6m painted buffer area between the bicycle lane and the vehicle lane.
•The bicycle lane will be temporarily interrupted for a short segment after Sackville Street due to construction. Please exercise caution in this area.
•The bicycle lane will end between Morris Street and Terminal Road. There will be shared lane markings to assist cyclists to position themselves to turn left onto Terminal Road, or continue south on Hollis. Please check for motor vehicles when transitioning from the bicycle lane into the general purpose lanes. Bicycles and motor vehicles are intended to operate in single file in this transition section.

Motorists: 
•A new stop sign has been installed on Hollis Street southbound at Terminal Road, creating an all-way stop.
•There will be no parking at any time in the bicycle lane (left side of street).
•There will be no stopping in the bicycle lane during peak hours (7-9 a.m. & 4-6 p.m., Monday to Friday). At other times, stopping in the bike lane should be avoided, but brief stops (i.e. to load/unload passengers or goods) are permitted under the Motor Vehicle Act.
•There will be no stopping on the west/right side of the street (even at meters) between Cogswell Street and Salter Street during peak hours (7-9 a.m. & 4-6 p.m., Monday to Friday). This is to allow for an additional vehicle travel lane to keep traffic moving during rush hour.
•Outside of peak hours, parking on the right side of the street will not be impacted and new metered parking is being installed where possible.
•The bicycle lane will be temporarily interrupted for a short segment after Sackville Street due to construction. Please exercise caution in this area.
•The bicycle lane will end between Morris Street and Terminal Road. Be aware that people on bicycles will be transitioning at this point and that they will be operating in single file with other road users in this area.

The Hollis Street bicycle lane is the final element of downtown street network changes implemented in 2011, which resulted in a re-organization of one and two-way streets, additional on-street parking, and a bicycle lane on a portion of Lower Water Street. The bicycle lane will also provide more options for residents to get around the city, and improve access to key downtown destinations including offices, businesses, the Seaport Market, NSCAD, the train and bus station, and other destinations further south.

Please note that while the bicycle lane will provide improved visibility and a dedicated travel way for cyclists, Hollis Street remains a multi-modal corridor with a variety of users. All road users are reminded to safely share the road and look out for one another.

For more information on the Hollis Street bicycle lane visit www.halifax.ca/cycling/HollisStreetBikeLane.php. 

Source: Release