Halifax Harbour is going to be pretty electric soon
Electric ferries and buses are powering Halifax into the future of transit in Canada????
If you’ve never visited Atlantic Canada, you really should go (summer and fall are the best times) and one of your first stops should be Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax isn’t just the largest city in Atlantic Canada, it’s also home to the oldest salt water ferry in North America and a vibrant transit system headed up by this week’s podcast guest, Dave Reage. This is Dave’s second time on the Transit Unplugged podcast, but instead of just talking to Paul from his office, Dave took Paul on a tour of his city while also filming an episode for Transit Unplugged TV (check out the sneak peek below).
Did you know?
- Someone from Halifax is called a Haligonian.
- The 1917 Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made explosion until the invention of nuclear weapons, and destroyed much of the city.
- The City of Halifax sends a Christmas tree to the City of Boston every year as a thank you for helping Halifax in the aftermath of the explosion.
- The Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market is the oldest farmers market in North America.
- The Halifax Citadel is one of the most visited historic sites in Canada and one of the most popular events there is the cannon firing at noon each day (except Christmas).
- Pier 21 is where many immigrants to Canada first arrived and is now a museum highlighting the history of immigration.
As Paul and Dave wander the city by bus and ferry, Dave talks about how this fast-growing city is expanding transit with bus rapid transit (BRT) and a new ferry terminal. As you’ll see on Transit Unplugged TV next week, Dave and his team are in the midst of testing new electric buses. This testing is crucial because not only is Halifax cold in the winter, it’s also a hilly city. Hills are an interesting challenge to electric buses because, as Dave explains, hills take energy going up, but the regenerative braking produces energy on the way down.
As Dave jokes in the interview, this switch to electric buses is the biggest shift for the agency since they switched from electric trollies to diesel buses, bringing the agency full circle.
Have a listen and let us know if ferries are part of your commute or regular travel.
Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged: Matthew Daus and Congestion Charging in NYC
This week New York Governor Kathy Hochul has pressed pause on congestion charging in New York City (which was due to come into effect June 30th). NYC was going to be the first city in the U.S. to implement congestion charging, and many people were looking at it as a test bed for congestion charges in the rest of North America.
Paul interviewed Matthew Daus, Transportation Technology Chair at the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Transportation Research Center of The City College of New York and chair of the Transportation Practice Group at Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP about congestion charges. Matthew has been an outspoken critic of New York City’s congestion charging plan and in his interview with Paul you get his take on why Gov Hochul stepped back from the plan and what should happen next.
We’ve juggled the schedule here at Transit Unplugged to bring this interview to you as our next episode on June 12 so you can hear his thoughts for yourself.
Make sure you follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss this thought provoking episode!
Find us wherever you get your podcasts
Set Sail for Halifax on Transit Unplugged TV
As we mentioned above, Paul was in Halifax recently for the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) meeting and to film our latest episode of Transit Unplugged TV.
Join Paul as he takes us on a tour through Halifax, including the Titanic memorials, historic Halifax Citadel, and of course the transit system. You’ll learn about Halifax’s rich maritime history, including its pivotal role in the Titanic shipwreck search and recovery efforts.
Paul also enjoys some seafood with Dave Reage and goes on the hunt for the perfect donair, the quintessential sandwich in the Maritimes.
Get your first look at this episode from one of North America’s greatest seaports.
