Halifax puts Spring Garden Road bus-only pilot on hold

Less than a week after it began, Halifax announced it's pausing the bus-only pilot on Spring Garden Road.

In a statement, the city said the pilot will be put on hold "until further notice."

"The municipality intends to re-evaluate the current traffic control measures to recommend alternative methods to communicate and enforce the pilot initiative," officials said.

Spring Garden Road will return to "normal traffic operations" from Queen Street to South Park Street, effective immediately.

The city also said vehicle access will be maintained on Spring Garden southbound on Birmingham Street and northbound on Dresden Row and Brenton Street.

Clyde Street will remain two-way between South Park and Queen streets, and cyclists and pedestrians will continue to have full access at all times.

The pilot began on Monday and was intended to last a year. Originally, the area fromSouth Park Street to Queen Street was only to be used by buses, cyclists and pedestrians from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

Elora Wilkinson,the Halifax Regional Municipalityprincipal planner, previously said the pilot was meant to change the atmosphere of Spring Garden and improve the experience for pedestrians.

Users on social media, however, have pointed outthat motorists haven't been following the rules, ignoring signs placed by the city and driving around traffic cones.