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Derek Bellemore

@derekbellemore.bsky.social
168 followers 102 following 412 posts

Municipal government and transportation planning obsessed. My thoughts are my own.

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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 19h
It’s hard enough for cities in Canada to do smarter things given how often bad city leaders hurt their own cities. But it’s extra infuriating watching awful provincial premiers sabotaging cities by ripping out good things they FINALLY managed to achieve. Premiers should not have that power, period.
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 20h
"Ripping out these protected bike lanes against the will of Toronto city council is a colossal waste of $48 million. The province’s own experts know it will not ease traffic congestion, it will put people’s lives at risk…” One of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen any politician do to any city.
cbc.ca
Ontario will officially begin removing Toronto bike lanes on Tuesday | CBC News
Ontario will begin removing bike lanes from a stretch on Bloor Street W. in Etobicoke on Tuesday, the Ministry of Transportation says.
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Vision Zero Kjipuktuk-Halifax @visionzerokh.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The long-awaited Traffic Safety Act will take effect on October 19th. We have questions, including yielding to persons not on foot using crosswalks, key vulnerable road user offences, and the unexpected turnaround on photo radar www.halifaxexaminer.ca/transportati...
halifaxexaminer.ca
Nova Scotia has a new Traffic Safety Act. Here's what some road safety advocates and elected officials have to say - Halifax Examiner
Advocates talks about concerns around clarity of language in the new act, as well as no photo radar.
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Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I hate hate hate this law requiring cyclists to yield to vehicles when they exit a bike lane. And all these other requirements, like keeping to the right of a bike lane where all the debris is and the gutter
(3) A cyclist travelling in a bicycle lane must do all of the following:
(a) keep right, if practicable, unless overtaking other traffic travelling in the
same direction;
(b) for a divided bicycle lane, drive in the lane marked for traffic travelling in
the same direction;
(c) go by any oncoming traffic on the right;
(d) overtake any traffic travelling in the same direction on the left;
(e) use a bell or horn to alert other traffic, if intending to overtake or go by.
(4) Before exiting a bicycle lane, a cyclist must yield to any other traffic lawfully travelling in the area of the highway that they are entering.
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Vision Zero Vancouver @visionzerovancouver.ca · 08/10/2026
Today's announcement from ABC that they plan to remove traffic calming in neighbourhoods that badly need it will have dire and long-reaching consequences - and it's actually about much more than banana barriers. Our statement: visionzerovancouver.ca/2026/10/07/a...
visionzerovancouver.ca
Latest ABC campaign promise on removing traffic calming will have grave, long-term consequences for road safety
This morning, ABC announced a slew of dangerous campaign promises that will move the city backwards on road safety.
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath 50 reasons for more walkable streets.
fastcompany.com
50 Reasons Why Everyone Should Want More Walkable Streets
From making you live longer to making cities more resilient: If you want a reason to make your city more walkable, it's in here.
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Matt MacIntyre @thinkontheclock.com · 07/10/2026
"No one is suggesting that you bike through White Juan while fighting polar bears with your u lock as you cross the Macdonald." I'm suggesting that, but... watch Kevin's video anyway. His content is great & if you're on the fence about winter cycling... this may be the nudge you need. #bikehfx
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"Tilley said there’s more research required before the province decides it will move ahead with using photo radar in the province" Really? What more could possibly need researching - consider their impact along high crash roads and school zones
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
David Trueman @davidwtrueman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
With South Park missing data from one side of the street, I think it’s a pretty safe bet the actual total would be over 90,000, blowing all previous years out of the water.
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"research shows that most children are not developmentally equipped to safely navigate traffic environments designed around moving automobiles quickly and efficiently. Yet we routinely build communities around this priority, leaving children dependent on adults for their mobility"
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Jen @envirojen.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Attention #KidicalMassHfx! Take your kids to the Central Library on Saturday morning for a pop-up #BikeHfx engagement session about the Morris St. bike lanes. This is a family-friendly location & time, but the engagement activities will likely need your interpretation for kids' participation.
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Derek Bellemore @derekbellemore.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I'm having issues trying to find changes to speed regulations. Has anyone found anything on whether municipalities can set their own speed limits now?
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Government of Nova Scotia @nsgov.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Traffic Safety Act Regulations Released news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/10/0...
news.novascotia.ca
Traffic Safety Act Regulations Released
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Terri @terriclarke.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Lots of reading to do
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Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"If a driver is convicted of an offence under Sections 185 (careful and prudent manner), 186 (careful and prudent speed), or 187 (dangerous speed), the courts can issue an order suspending the driver’s licence of the driver for up to one year"
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Kevin Wilson @kwilsonhfx.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This was one of the answers in the Q&A video and should clarify a bunch of bike stuff vis a vis the law.
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Dan Peterson @danp.net · 07/10/2026
There are some Morris / Peninsula South #BikeHfx pop-up sessions coming up (or happening right now): Oct 7, 11:30 - 1, VG cafeteria Oct 8, 11:30 - 1, Dal Sexton Campus Field, near B-Building Oct 10, 9:30 - 11, Central Library Lobby
engagehalifax.ca
Peninsula South Complete Streets
The municipality is exploring options for a safer, connected cycling route between University Ave. and Lower Water St. while maintaining two-way traffic, where possible.
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Part 2, I cross without impatient tuning drivers.
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
where I live kids walk or bus to McDonalds from the schools in the most hostile possible car-centric shopping Mall. A pedestrian was run over there recently, very severely injured. Requests for a safety audit refused. globalnews.ca/news/1154056...
globalnews.ca
Woman has life-threatening injuries after being hit by garbage truck: Halifax police - Halifax | Globalnews.ca
Halifax police say a 34-year-old woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after being struck by a garbage truck early Monday morning.
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Terri @terriclarke.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
If you want to help, don’t donate money to the guy sticking a camera in people’s faces, donate to an organization such as Adsum House, Bryony House, Hope Cottage, or the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, among others.
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Nicole Munro @nicolemunro.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The struggle to find childcare in Nova Scotia was highlighted this past session when NDP MLA Lina Hamid sometimes spoke on the floor with her four-month-old daughter by her side. www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/...
saltwire.com
Nova Scotia MLA who brought baby to legislature says 'lack of supports for parents to pursue their careers' shared by many
Lina Hamid brought four-month-old daughter to fall session
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Vision Zero Vancouver @visionzerovancouver.ca · 03/10/2026
We tried to do something in Vancouver but ABC voted it down. They put cars over children. Oh by the way it's the first day of early voting and the sun is shining ☀️
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Vision Zero Kjipuktuk-Halifax @visionzerokh.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"Growing up & growing old in a city designed for drivers". Our latest article explores how Vision Zero starts with supporting people most excluded by car dependence - children and seniors #VisionZero #RoadSafety #KidicalMassHFX
visionzerohfx.ghost.io
Growing up and growing old in a city designed for drivers
Vision Zero starts with supporting people most excluded by car dependence - children and seniors
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Derek Bellemore @derekbellemore.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
True. Though true transit signal priority could be a good method with the bottlenecks. Learning proper signal priority at this stage would put us ahead of Toronto, especially when and if we want to convert the BRT to an express tramway. And we would have more money for bottlenecks we can't avoid.
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Derek Bellemore @derekbellemore.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We have more than enough road space to convert to bus lanes. Most of the proposed BRT routes are along corridors that could be converted within the next month. Bus service in general would improve significantly before the BRT routes are integrated. Reminder: removing lanes causes traffic evaporation
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Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"We must find a better way to make it easier to travel to and from the Halifax peninsula" There is no magic. It's bus lanes, or congestion charging
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Derek Bellemore @derekbellemore.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Bus lanes, congestion pricing and reintroduced bridge tolls, high order transit that Halifax is the category of city for, regular service regional rail, and expanded and more frequent transit routes.
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Terri @terriclarke.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Social Justice Co-Op Newfoundland and Labrador is holding a rally today in St. John’s to call for better sidewalk snow clearing. vocm.com/2026/10/06/3...
vocm.com
Rally at St. John’s City Hall Today Calling for Better Snow Clearing
Winter is coming, and the Social Justice Co-Op NL is holding a rally today to call for better sidewalk snow cl...
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Reposted by Derek Bellemore
Halifax Examiner @halifaxexaminer.ca · 06/10/2026
Emera plans on buying Canadian Utilities for $14.3 billion reported by Jennifer Henderson @dartjenhen.bsky.social
halifaxexaminer.ca
Emera plans on buying Canadian Utilities for $14.3 billion - Halifax Examiner
Canadian Utilities operates in Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Puerto Rico.
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Halifax Transit @hfxtransit.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
All aboard! Halifax Transit is now on Instagram. Follow us for rider tips, service updates, behind-the-scenes content and more: www.instagram.com/hfxtransitof...
Blue background with a yellow Instagram icon and the text "Catch us on Instagram - @hfxtransitofficial". The Halifax Transit logo appears centered at the bottom.
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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Bike lanes are for more than just cyclists!
Mobility scooter in a bike lane in Montreal 
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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
If the PQ wins tonight, hopefully they’ll follow through on their promise to enact electoral reform. Unlike the CAQ in Quebec before and Justin Trudeau federally, who both abandoned their promises.
youtu.be
Time To Stop Voting Like Americans
YouTube video by Paige Saunders
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Reece Martin @rmtransit.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
A masterful plea for proportional representation from Paige Saunders (contains lots of swears) youtu.be/1iaXqhX0Edk?...
youtu.be
Time To Stop Voting Like Americans
YouTube video by Paige Saunders
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Danny Doucette @dannydoucette.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
#bikehfx my preschooler, seeing road rage: they should not drive and be angry, they should ride a bike and be happy
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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Denied. Developed with Steven Hardy-Braz (pictured) who does amazing work in the accessibility space.
When would be a good time to make cities accessible for all? Seriously, when? We’re waiting, literally.” With an image of a wheelchair user at a corner that lacks a curb cut.
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Safe Kjipuktuk @safehrm.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Anyone know about the pedestrian incident yesterday on Ochterloney? Nothing reported, one person said it involved a transit bus and two pedestrians in a crosswalk.
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Halifax Regional Municipality @hfxgov.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The Halifax Municipal Archives is hosting a series of “Ask an Archivist” events this fall. Archivists will be available to answer questions and help residents find municipal records, donate materials and locate genealogical sources. Details: buff.ly/D1waES7
Promotional poster for Halifax Municipal Archives' Ask an Archivist pop-up event showing a pedestrian bridge over a rushing river; text reads: Ask an Archivist pop up event — October 21 | 10 a.m. to noon — Sheet Harbour Public Library, with HALIFAX Municipal Archives logo.Poster announcing "Ask an Archivist" pop-up at Halifax Central Library, Nov 7, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., set over a sepia 19th-century storefront with arched windows and a "Piano Forte Manufactory" sign, with Halifax Municipal Archives branding.Promotional poster for Halifax Municipal Archives' "Ask an Archivist" pop-up event — November 9, 1:30–3 p.m., J.D. Shatford Library — over a sepia photograph of a Victorian-era house.Poster announcing "Ask an Archivist pop up event" — November 21, 1–4 p.m., Woodlawn Library, Halifax Municipal Archives branding, set over a black-and-white aerial photo of a sprawling suburban neighbourhood.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
READ: “If bike lanes were actually removed today, the premier would lose his scapegoat. How would he then explain worsening motor traffic congestion – an outcome that’s virtually assured given a growing population and his measures to induce driving by making it cheaper…” Via @spacing.bsky.social
spacing.ca
OP-ED: It’s not just about bike lanes - Spacing Toronto
Whether it’s buck-a-beer, easier access to alcohol, or tunnelling under Highway 401, Doug Ford has proven himself to be a master of distraction, diverting attention from his government’s failures and ...
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Reece Martin @rmtransit.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Canadian public transit agencies should work more with the uitp (the international public transport association) and less with apta (the American public transport association), we just have so much to learn from the world and a lot of our mistakes are common with the US.
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The Narwhal @thenarwhal.ca · 05/10/2026
Canada has more lakes than any other country. With devastating wildfire seasons becoming more common, scientists are learning how they affect the water.
thenarwhal.ca
When a forest burns, what does it mean for lakes? Scientists are trying to find out
Canada has more lakes than any other country, and nearly every one has been exposed to wildfire smoke
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Halifax Regional Municipality @hfxgov.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Can you guess the year and location of this photo? It's part of a recently acquired collection of photos taken between the 1920s-1950s by photographer Albert Edwards. We love all the details! #MysteryMonday #HfxArchives
A sepia-toned photo of a street lined with vehicles and a street car passing by.
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Derek Bellemore @derekbellemore.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Barrington Street facing Blowers Street. Maybe 1924.
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Terri @terriclarke.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This story from The Canadian Press quotes many emails written to the Halifax mayor and council regarding Andy Fillmore & his office being investigated by the RCMP.
cbc.ca
Halifax residents react to police investigation into mayor's expenses | CBC News
After financial expenses from Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore’s office were flagged to police earlier this year, some residents wrote to the city about their disappointment. A former top bureaucrat also t...
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Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 05/10/2026
Monday morning outside Rotterdam Centraal, thousands of cyclists stream toward the station in a carefully choreographed flow. What you’re seeing is the power of systems thinking—the bicycle and train both succeed because they work together seamlessly, where each mode extends the reach of the other.
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Dan Peterson @danp.net · 02/10/2026
Two years ago today. #BikeHfx
cbc.ca
Halifax adding protected bike lanes on Morris Street and University Avenue | CBC News
Halifax is moving forward with plans to add protected bike lanes to University Avenue and Morris Street in the city's south end.
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Matt Stickland @landofsticks.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
You would never know this from the headlong but this guy was actually not struck by a car, he was struck by a driver failing to yield.
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Derek Bellemore @derekbellemore.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Not to mention their crappy AI image showing that some of the bidirectional bikeways are wide enough to fit a bus. Which is also wide enough to accommodate emergency vehicles.
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Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I contrast ABC Toronto’s opposition of University bike lanes in May using a badly faked AI image, claiming it’s a hospital corridor 1st, w dozens healthcare workers rallying this week in support of lanes, w 650 of them signing an open letter to Doug Ford. Very Real vs Very Fake.
Bizarre AI image of a fake university aveHealthcare workers rallying w a long letter
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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 02/10/2026
Montreal’s automated metro REM is considerably surpassing ridership expectations this fall, with average daily ridership settling in at 130,000, even before the opening of the airport branch, expected next year.
lapresse.ca
Réseau express métropolitain | L’achalandage du REM bondit
Loin d’être en retard, l’achalandage quotidien du Réseau express métropolitain (REM) a bondi de plus de 60 % durant l’été, au point où il est dorénavant bien au-delà de ses cibles, selon La Caisse, qu...
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Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Cities everywhere are discussing the dangers of ebikes in cities and passing swift legislation to tightly control them. Meanwhile:
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