Before the Crash: The First 100 responses to our Incident Report Form paint a worrying picture
On April 10, 2026, Vision Zero Kjipuktuk-Halifax launched an online incident safety report form for people who walk, cycle, roll or use other modes of micromobility or mobility aids to report any close calls or near misses they experience in the HRM. We did this because these road safety incidents are not routinely captured, but they offer an early warning system. They identify dangerous conditions before death or serious injury occur and therefore should be treated as actionable safety data.
While we're continuing to collect these reports, we have summarised the first 100 incidents reported between April 10 and June 19, 2026.
Most reports involved near misses rather than collisions. Drivers failing to yield at crosswalks, making close passes, speeding, blocking sidewalks, or engaging in aggressive driving featured repeatedly, as did unsafe intersections. Respondents described having to stop suddenly, change direction or take evasive action to avoid being struck. These incidents rarely appear in official crash statistics, yet they have a real impact. They make people feel unsafe, discourage walking, rolling and cycling, and limit independent mobility for children, older adults and people with accessibility needs.
One of our strongest findings is that many incidents occurred while people were using infrastructure exactly as intended - crossing at marked crosswalks, walking on sidewalks or cycling in infrastructure that forms part of our AAA bicycle network. This points to issues with the road design and driver behaviours - systemic issues rather than individual mistakes.
Our findings reinforce a key principle of Vision Zero, that road deaths and serious injuries are preventable, and responsibility for safety should not rest solely on the people most at risk. Streets should be designed so that predictable human error does not result in tragedy.
Our incident reporting tool complements official collision data by capturing the "near misses" and everyday safety concerns that would otherwise remain invisible. These reports provide valuable evidence to help identify dangerous locations, understand patterns of risk and advocate for improvements before someone is seriously injured.
Vulnerable road users face unacceptable risks and disproportionate harm from everyday actions, like using crosswalks. We strongly recommend Councillors take action to:
(1) adopt specific fatal and injury crash reduction targets specifically for vulnerable road users
(2) propose the development of a vulnerable road user safety action plan, following Vision Zero methodology
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to submit a report. Every response helps build a more complete picture of what it's like to walk, wheel or cycle in HRM. If you've experienced a near miss, a driver failing to yield, an unsafe crossing or another safety concern on HRM streets, we'd still like to hear from you. The more evidence we collect, the stronger the case for safer streets. You can report an incident here: https://forms.gle/XGr4do39sW9VtK5P.
You can read the full report here:
