Halifax as a Newbie Cyclist
- rolloutrideshrm
- Feb 11, 2024
- 2 min read
As a new resident of Halifax, I was pretty nervous to start cycling in the city. I grew up in a small town an hour from Halifax, and had barely ridden a bike since I was a kid. Let alone in a big (ish) city! So when I moved here in 2018 to study, biking was not really on my radar as a way to get around. Plus, I lived so close to campus, I didn't need to go far.
But in second year, I got a job in the North End of Halifax, and I realized that a 25 minute walk could turn into a 10 minute bike ride. Also, I started biking to campus too, saving myself an extra 15 minutes to sleep in! I had more free time, and I was able to explore more and more of the city that had previously felt too far away.
But how did I start? How did I get the confidence to go from not having ridden a bike in 8+ years to casually riding my bike around everywhere? While there are many dangerous roads in Halifax, there are also many safe, calm streets that can be a great place to start if you're new to cycling! The South End, near Dalhousie has a ton of low traffic streets where you can practice, and that's mostly where I began to test out my bike. I started with small trips to and from campus along the quieter streets, and then worked my way up to longer trips farther and farther away.
I remember cycling with my friend during second year, and we biked from Dal campus down to Point Pleasant Park. Before we left I was a bit nervous, because in my mind, Point Pleasant was so far away, I didn't know the route very well, and I was worried there would be some high traffic roads that could be dangerous. But thankfully, in the last few years, the city has added protected bike lanes to a large portion of the way along South Park Street, so I actually felt pretty safe for most of the trip.
Biking around Halifax can be intimidating and stressful if you don't know where
to start, but once you do, you'll realize how great it can be as a way to get around, spend time with friends, and explore the city!
Love hearing about how to start biking in Halifax! 🙂 I have a question; if there are no bike lanes, is it OK to bike on the sidewalk, or should you stick to the road?