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# Three areas where HRM's Road Safety Strategy falls short of Vision Zero best practice
- URL: https://visionzerohfx.ghost.io/three-areas-where-hrms-road-safety-strategy-falls-short-of-vision-zero-best-practice/
- Published: 2026-09-09T10:02:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-09T10:02:21.000Z
- Description: If every traffic death is preventable, why are proven safety measures being implemented so slowly in the HRM? Three examples illustrate the gap between HRM’s Vision Zero aspirations and the reality on our streets.
- Author: Vision Zero Kjipuktuk-Halifax
- Tags: Explainer, Call to Action, Road safety

As we [explained last week](https://visionzerohfx.ghost.io/vision-zero-without-a-goal-is-not-vision-zero/), Vision Zero is more than a target. It is a framework for prioritizing investments, identifying risks and designing roads to prevent serious injuries and deaths. Cities that have successfully improved road safety focus resources on high-risk corridors, address hazards before tragedies occur, and design streets to support safe speeds. 

Halifax has adopted elements of this approach, but important gaps remain between Vision Zero principles and practice.

**1\. Vision Zero prioritizes high-injury networks, HRM does not**

A cornerstone of Vision Zero is the use of High-Injury Network analysis (HIN) - maps identifying the small number of roads and intersections where most serious and fatal crashes occur. These networks help municipalities target limited resources where they can prevent the greatest harm. 

For example, [Arlington County, Virginia](https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Transportation/Vision-Zero/About/High-Injury-Network?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io)’s HIN covers just 6.6% of its road network but accounts for approximately 51% of injury crashes. The HIN guides safety audits, funding decisions, corridor redesigns, and community engagement. 

HRM already collects extensive collision data through its [mapping tool](https://data-hrm.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/traffic-collisions/explore?location=44.912932%2C-62.014396%2C9&ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io). The corridors responsible for the greatest number of crashes are clearly visible, particularly for pedestrian and cyclist collisions, as shown below. These data could be expanded to highlight serious injuries and fatalities, helping direct investments where they would have the greatest impact. 

Analysis by the [Crosswalk Safety Society of Nova Scotia ](https://www.crosswalksafetysociety.ca/?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io)found that vulnerable road users accounted for 23.3% of fatal and serious collisions between 2022 and 2024, despite representing only 4.3% of all reported crashes. The evidence points to an urgent need for a targeted safety strategy focused on the urban core, major corridors and high risk intersections.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0d/9e/0d9e4256-0810-4ce1-b2ab-bb6537dcc7f4/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-09-at-04.58.05.png)

Image: [Pedestrian crashes in HRM](https://data-hrm.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/traffic-collisions/explore?filters=eyJQRURFU1RSSUFOX0NPTExJU0lPTlMiOlsiWSJdfQ%3D%3D&location=44.648968%2C-63.587651%2C14&ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0d/9e/0d9e4256-0810-4ce1-b2ab-bb6537dcc7f4/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-09-at-04.59.28.png)

Image: [Cyclist crashes in HRM](https://data-hrm.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/traffic-collisions/explore?filters=eyJCSUNZQ0xFX0NPTExJU0lPTlMiOlsiWSJdfQ%3D%3D&location=44.648968%2C-63.587651%2C14&ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io)

HRM staff indicate a HIN is being developed, but there is no public timeline and little clarity on how it will shape future investments. Meanwhile, changes to arterial and major collector routes and intersections, where most severe crashes occur, have been limited. 

Vision Zero emphasises high impact interventions. Existing incident maps already identify opportunities such as lower downtown speed limits, road space reallocation on corridors like Quinpool Road, and safer intersection designs that better separate vulnerable road users from vehicles.

**2\. Vision Zero is proactive, not reactive**

Traditional road safety approaches often respond to locations only after multiple serious crashes have occurred. Vision Zero instead uses a [systemic approach to safety](https://highways.dot.gov/safety/data-analysis-tools/systemic?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io), identifying risk factors and addressing them before severe crashes happen. 

This distinction matters for HRM. Council approved a limited package of intersection safety improvements in 2024, but [implementation has so far been limited](https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/standing-committees/250123tsc1312pres%5F0.pdf?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io). Meanwhile, a significant share of road safety spending continues to focus on residential and minor collector roads, while major corridors and downtown streets account for a disproportionate share of serious injuries and fatalities. 

HRM also lacks a public process for collecting near-miss data or systematically identifying [emerging risks](https://highways.fhwa.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-06/apprch.pdf?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io). Instead, it is left to advocacy groups like ours to [fill this gap](https://visionzerohfx.ghost.io/before-the-crash-the-first-100-responses-to-our-incident-report-form-paint-a-worrying-picture-2/). A stronger Vision Zero approach would combine collision data, community concerns, near-miss reporting and road design analysis to identify and address hazards proactively.

**3\. Safe speeds require road design, not simply enforcement**

Speed management may be the clearest example of the gap between HRM's Vision Zero ambitions and practice. HRM reported that [only 31% of drivers complied with posted speed limits](https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/standing-committees/251023tsc1311.pdf?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io) on sampled major roads in 2024 (p.13). 

Provincial delays in implementing automated speed enforcement and the [Traffic Safety Act](https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/09/23/new-traffic-safety-act-introduced?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io) have contributed to the problem. However, Vision Zero does not depend primarily on enforcement. It assumes people will make mistakes and focuses on designing roads that make speeding and aggressive driving less likely.

One proven strategy is [road space reallocation](https://www.local.gov.uk/case-studies/reflections-upper-tier-authority-how-do-we-frame-benefits-road-space-reallocation-both?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io), often called a [“road diet”.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road%5Fdiet?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io) US research has found that converting four-lane roads to three-lane configurations can lead to a [19-47% reduction in total crashes](https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/Road%20Diets%5F508.pdf?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io).

Road diets improve safety by reducing conflict points, lowering operating speeds, and creating space for transit, cycling, and walking infrastructure. Roads such as Quinpool Road could better support both mobility and safety through this approach, consistent with the goals of the [Integrated Mobility Plan](https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/about-the-city/regional-community-planning/IMP%5Freport%5F171220-WEB.pdf?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io).

Yet many major Halifax corridors continue to prioritise private vehicle throughput using designs that encourage higher speeds. This reflects a broader tendency to treat driver delay as a greater concern than the safety of people walking, wheeling, cycling, or using transit. 

Reallocations can be implemented during routine resurfacing projects through relatively inexpensive changes to lane markings and signage. Examples include converting four lanes to three with a centre turning lane, or repurposing existing lanes for transit and active transportation. These measures can [reduce speeds, improve safety and deliver broader public health benefits](https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/298435/1/298435.pdf?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io) without costly road widening. 

**Closing the gap between vision and reality**

Vision Zero requires a fundamental shift in how transportation decisions are made. It recognises that people make mistakes, and those mistakes should not be fatal. It also prioritises the safety of road users who have historically borne the costs of decisions focused primarily on vehicle movement. 

HRM has adopted elements of the Safe System approach, but implementation remains incremental. Until investments are consistently directed toward high-injury corridors, proactive risk reduction, and proven measures such as road space reallocation and safer street design, HRM will continue to fall short of Vision Zero best practices and struggle to reduce serious and fatal crashes.

If you’d like a stronger commitment to Vision Zero, please share this article with [your Councillor](https://hfx.bike/email-council/?ref=visionzerohfx.ghost.io) along with any concerns you have about your safety. Ask for the development of a Vision Zero road safety action plan that adopts best practices - including identifying a HIN - and implements the changes necessary to reduce harm.