August 8, 2025 - Halifax regional council has reversed its staff’s recommendation to proceed with a bike lane on Morris Street that would have turned the street into a one-way road reports The Chronical Herald, CBC and other outlets.
Voting 11-5 to rescind the motion, the council was on notice by Nova Scotia Premier, Tim Houston, who threatened to use new legislation — Bill 24 — that gives the province authority over municipal transportation decisions.
Mayor Andy Fillmore, who brought forward the recision motion, argued that council needs the best new data as the traffic study and community feedback on Morris Street were years old by the time the decision on the bike lane came to council for a vote on July 8.
“Sometimes it’s better to make a strategic retreat on one battle than to lose the war,” Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Cathie O’Toole told council.
Halifax recently made headlines in June as city council voted 12-5 to continue moving ahead with its bike network and defeated a motion by Fillmore who asked to temporarily pause awarding new design and construction contracts for bike lanes – read more here.
Read the The Chronical Herald report here and the CBC report here.
