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sydhaines.bsky.social
syd_haines
@sydhaines.bsky.social
310 followers 690 following 220 posts
📍Halifax, NS • 🏳️‍🌈 • she/her • Newbie cyclist

"I can hardly describe to you the effects of these books"
-Mary Shelly, Frankenstein
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sydhaines.bsky.social
Had a blast at the Halloween Bike Party & Critical Mass ride tonight! All the passerby seem to have thought our music & costumes were fun. It was lovely to see so many people have a touch of joy brought to their evening. Thanks as always to the organizers & ride marshals! #BikeHFX #CriticalMassHFX
A mass of cyclists in Halloween costumes wait for a red intersection light to change A mass of cyclists in Halloween costumes wait for a red intersection light to change A few cyclists wait in a bike lane for a light to change in Halloween costumes (a knight and pink dragon) with cyclists in high vis vests in the background
October 30, 2025 at 11:37 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Brilliant satire on at Neptune Theatre for only a few more days! Make sure to catch a ticket if you can, my face hurt from laughing so much. Bear Grease is an incredible piece of indigenous art!
Photo of a Playbill for 'Bear Grease' with the logo and cast of the production on the cover. The crowd and stage of Neptune theatre can be seen in the background Photo of the cast & part of the production team behind Bear Grease
October 1, 2025 at 12:35 AM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Latest update on Dal's craziness in the lockout - now I can't even access Brightspace pages that profs had set us up access to so we could at least keep up on readings during the strike. I'm sure this won't worsen timelines on getting through all our course materials at all 🙃
#Keepdalstrong
Dalhousie University - Announcements: Brightspace Course Update Posted Wednesday, September 10, 2025 7:45 PM ADT Please note: You may see changes to your Brightspace courses over the next few days. We have temporarily deactivated some courses as they were sendina automatic the next few days. We have temporarily deactivated some courses as they were sending automatic announcements and deadline reminders for courses currently paused due to the labour disruption. Courses and course syllabi will be ammended upon class resumption. If you are unsure whether your course is paused, please consult the Course Information page.
September 11, 2025 at 12:27 AM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Had a lovely time with #CriticalMassHFX tonight! I got the chance to try out an ebike thanks to @justip.bsky.social & really enjoyed cycling across town
with such a welcoming crew of folks (most entertaining part was the tourists delighted by the sight of us during their Harbour Hopper ride)
Large group of cyclists waiting for the ride to start at Grand Parade Critical Mass going down Barrington street past a Harbour Hopper!
August 29, 2025 at 11:35 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Can't get more ironic then reading this piece while sitting on a bus during supper rush gridlock on Robie
@grandparade.bsky.social
burnout threatens nature by M. Stickland On Thursday August 6, Halifax's Bn- vironment and Sustainability standing committee met and got a few presenta-tions. There was some good news: the oeting was bell and Mike Lancaster, who gave a presentation about community-based wilderness stewardship. The two men, representing the St. Margaret's Bay Stewardship Association, highlighted the benefits of having local community members take custodial ownership of their nearby wild places. But there are drawbacks too, even though this group of volunteers, and other stewardship groups, are huge boons to this city; they are volunteers, and as the city has grown, so too has the demand on their wondraship. One of the many reasons Halifax has been able to keep its property caxes and user fces so low for so long is that essential parts of the HRM's operations, like wilderness management (and rural firefighting), are being done for free by volunteers. But these volunteers are at max capacity, and there are a lot of natural places in the HRM that could benefit from local stewardship. Committee member Laura White put forward a motion to see what the city could do to start putting resources into supporting such an essential volunteer service like wilderness stewardship. City this vol would a Halifax® Plan. TH sent it o Kathryt year to in the u Halifax Green I largely the bet All th the city ford to Halifax's new strategic plansty M. Stickland Last week was a big week for Halifax's new(ish) city council, they finally passed the first reading of their strategic plan to make the city their very own. The strategic plan is a result of almost a year of councillors telling staff their priorities, and city staff turning those priorities into a plan. The strategic plan passed on Tuesday (Sam Austin and Trish Purdy the lone votes against it). It's a high-level document which gives instructions to staff, which staffers then use to update Halifax's lower order plans, like the Integrated Mobility or S…
August 11, 2025 at 7:52 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Many thanks to everyone for a lovely experience with my first ever bike ride in Halifax as part of #Kidicalmass this morning! It is very evident that our local cycling community is full of kindness and care. I felt very safe and looked after as a new duckling of the flock!
Photo of a Tern adjustable bike with helmet hanging off the handlebars Photo of a mass of cyclists, young and old, waiting for kidical mass to start Photo of several cyclists on multiple different styles of bikes mid ride Sign for Kidical Mass Halifax stuck in a patch of grass which reads "kidical mass Halifax, Family-focused city bike rides, because streets are for everyone"
August 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
"HRM's AAA Bike Network is business as usual" so that's just a straight up lie...
#Halifax
1.2.1 Building on existing initiatives The RTP did not start from scratch. It was built on a considerable body of work by the Core Partners and municipalities in the region, and it complements and extends existing plans and projects, which propose important improvements to the transportation system. It also works towards Nova Scotia's climate goals, building on existing net-zero initiatives underway across the province. The RTP is shaped by provincial population projections and the expectations of municipalities in the Region for how this growth will be geographically distributed. It is the first transportation plan in the province to account for the pace of recent growth and the potential for continued growth. Business as Usual Scenario Transportation projects that have been initiated or committed to prior to the completion of the RTP are included in a Business as Usual (BAU) scenario - a future without any of the further interventions outlined in the RTP. This BAU scenario allows for the comparison of a future with and without the RTP. The BAU includes: • 100-series highway investments including the Highway 107 extension connecting Sackville and Bedford to Burnside, twinning along Highways 101 and 103, capacity enhancements along Highway 102, and select interchange upgrades. • The Windsor Street Exchange Redevelopment and the Halifax Port Rail Solution. • New connections between Trunk 2 in Wellington and Highway 102, as well as between Hammonds Plains and Highway 101. • The Mill Cove Ferry. • HRM's Regional Centre All Ages & Abilities Cycling Network and select active transportation projects that have secured funding to date.
August 6, 2025 at 5:37 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Hey #BikeHfx, tidbit of good news for today; looks like the flex posts on Bell rd are being reinstalled! Walked past the road closed & workers drilling in the road on route home from a book event
Construction worker reinstalling green flex bike posts Construction worker reinstalling green flex bike posts
August 6, 2025 at 12:24 AM
sydhaines.bsky.social
My own email to council as an example template for folks working on theirs about the bike lane debacle #bikehfx
To council, I implore you not to capitulate to the province's whim in the debate over the Morris Street bike lane and the bike lanes at large. The bike lanes on Morris and University would be critical connection points vital to the bike network overall. It would be a blight on our democracy to allow such a proposal to go through. Houston should not be able to strong-arm meddling in the city's affairs like this. To quote Sam Austin's newest newsletter; "There is no perfect solution for Morris Street. The Street has limited space and what everyone is trying to fit there are two-directional bike lanes, two-directional vehicle traffic, street side parking/loading, and trees. There isn’t enough room for all of that and whatever HRM does will involve trade-offs. HRM staff have done extensive work to analyze traffic patterns and have consulted the public and other stakeholders. None of this was decided on a whim. The result was a recommendation that would keep curbside parking/loading, retain the existing mature trees, and provide two-direction bike lanes. The trade-off is we lose a vehicle lane, which HRM staff concluded was manageable." No one in Halifax should be forced to own a vehicle solely because of our infrastructure setup. Vehicle ownership is extremely expensive and is part of what is radically increasing our cost of living. We cannot spend hundreds of millions of dollars on repaving roads only to whine about a project that was supposed to have been completed pre-pandemic becoming a project with a higher price tag. Personally, I would love to be able to sell my car (not have to pay insurance fees, upkeep & gas) and purchase an e-bike to take around town, but the current state of our infrastructure does not give me enough confidence to do so. Dan Peterson requested copies of all the communication related to the original motion about bike lanes from Filmore and out of the over 600 pages worth of emails he received back and posted on Bluesky, the overwhelming majority wants Halifax & HRM at large to invest in active transit infrastructure. From a pure numbers standpoint then, one can argue that this motion is bonkers as we'd be bending to the whim of the province in a direction not supported by your very own constituents. I've spent the last few days skimming through said emails and everyone in favour of the bike lanes speaks to both personal and community motivations, some of which were so emotional to almost move me to tears. As folks pointed out, our city should be able to provide independence to our younger citizens by building safe infrastructure for kids to bike to school. As a current student of one of the city's many universities, I hope, desperately, that Halifax is a city I can stay and build my life in once I graduate. Frankly, the loss of recognition of the importance of transportation options would be a notch on the board in favour of not staying here. Please see below link of the impassioned speeches from the bike lane rally; my own speech runs from 29:20-34:35 https://youtu.be/u5H8mffqtRk All this to say that I, as someone who is not currently a cyclist, resoundingly support the continuation of the completion of our bike network. I plead with our elected officials to ensure they do not vote in favour of our Mayor’s reckless proposition and hand him the keys to power he has not earned in a democratic manner. I hope you all vote in favour of our democracy Tuesday as the citizens of HRM *will* remember if you do not. Kind regards, Sydney Haines (she/her)
August 2, 2025 at 1:31 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Spotted a @halifaxexaminer.ca poster on the #4 tonight! Unfortunately looks like it isn't properly secured... but cool to see one in the wild nonetheless
Photo of a poster for the Halifax Examiner news on a Halifax Transit bus half off the display
June 27, 2025 at 8:15 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Text edition part 2/2!
I have had countless close calls of drivers blocking pedestrian crossings and not slowing down for me to cross in my times walking from the North End to classes. I have had to scream at drivers to pay attention to the road. Existing in the city as a pedestrian is increasingly becoming scary and more risky as Halifax’s road deaths this year have happened at an astounding rate. When I walk to campus from the North End, I walk along Windsor Street, up Quinpool and then along Vernon as long as possible. I discovered this route as relatively safe because Vernon is a traffic-calmed bike centric pathway with crossing guards along intersections for younger school-aged children. When I walk to campus in the early mornings, the crossing guard at Vernon and Jubilee bellows a welcoming “Good morning! Have a good day at work, school, or wherever you’re headed!”. Each day I’d smile and tell him “thank you” as I cross with his protection. Several months ago, a new addition was made to this intersection; a makeshift sign and flowers as a memorial for Alex Wortman, who died from a reckless impaired driver nearby the intersection I routinely crossed every day on my way to class. She, like me, was also a student of King’s and Dal. Now, when I cross that road I also witness her memorial. No one in Halifax should have to fear dying via a vehicle collision. All this to say that I, as someone who is not currently a cyclist, resoundingly support the continuation of the completion of our bike network. I plead with our elected officials to ensure they do not vote in favour of our Mayor’s reckless proposition.
June 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Text edition for accessibility! (1/2)
I speak today as someone who has, over the last 3 years, shifted my own mindset from one that is car-centric to a person who routinely walks and busses across the city. I came into Halifax for university from a rural area of NS; as in I grew up on a dirt road named after my great-great uncle level of rural. I anxiously awaited my 16th birthday so I could start learning how to drive & purchased my first car as soon as I was legally and financially able to do so, because living a thirty minute drive out from civilization in any direction meant driving and owning a vehicle equaled personal freedom. I loved the newfound freedom driving provided, getting to shifts at work, classes at school and hang outs with friends all on my own instead of relying on my parents & others for drives. Needless to say, moving to the city was a huge culture shock. Before my first year at University of King’s College, I had never ridden the bus. In the last few years of living in residence at King’s, I came to exclusively rely on bussing and walking to my destinations. Now I live in an apartment in the North End and am able to use my car in the city, though I do so incredibly sparingly, mostly to ensure I arrive at my shifts to my jobs on time, as the bussing schedule can be deeply unreliable. My friends from other cities gripe about how unreliable and slow our transit system can be. We need to take opportunities to reduce congestion, and that includes prompting modal shifts away from single-passenger vehicles commuting across the peninsula. I *want* to be able to bus to my work shifts and not risk being late; but this requires making it easier for busses to move across Halifax on time. I desperately want to be able to choose to safely bike from my apartment to campus, but the bike infrastructure in its current half-completed and unconnected state does not provide me enough confidence in my own safety to do so. I would 100% be utilizing Bird’s new electric bikes if there was infrastructure to separate me cycling from Halifax’s increasingly dangerous, distracted and speeding drivers.
June 10, 2025 at 11:59 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
(Part 2/2!)
June 10, 2025 at 11:45 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
My speech at the #Bikehfx rally at Grand Parade this morning! Many thanks to @seebo429.bsky.social for organizing the event & to everyone who showed up today to fight for the betterment of our city (1/2 with Bluesky's video limits)
June 10, 2025 at 11:41 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Thank you Elisabeth! I really enjoyed the ride back up town in the front of your bike
View of driving on a road in Halifax sitting in the front basket of an e-bike
June 10, 2025 at 2:02 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
My email to my councillor supporting #Bikehfx as a non-cyclist, as potential useful inspiration for others. I desperately hope this proposition does not pass & I get to see a version of Halifax that I feel safe biking within
I write to request that you vote to reject the following proposal: Pause awarding contracts for any new bike lane design or construction capital projects, effective immediately, until Council receives a supplementary staff report that: 1. Provides a list of bike lane projects proposed in the current 4-year capital plan that could result in reduced vehicular traffic capacity and/or increased traffic congestion; and 2. Assesses the feasibility of alternative network solutions that could achieve active transportation goals while sustaining or improving current traffic flow. We cannot continue to live in communities where cars are the default. We know that cycle lanes improve congestion, and do not contribute to it. Therefore the list proposed by the Mayor will not have any results, making it a pointless exercise. I came into Halifax for university from a rural area of NS; as in I grew up on a dirt road named after my great-great uncle level of rural. I anxiously awaited my 16th birthday so I could start learning how to drive & purchased my first car as soon as I was legally and financially able to do so. Needless to say, coming into the city was a huge culture shock. Before my first year at University of King's College, I had never ridden the bus. In the last few years of living in residence at King's, I came to exclusively rely on bussing and walking to my destinations. Now I live in an apartment in the North End and am able to use my car in the city, though I do so incredibly sparingly, mostly to ensure I arrive at my shifts to my on-campus jobs on time, as the bussing schedule can be deeply unreliable. My friends from other cities gripe about how unreliable and slow our transit system can be. We need to take opportunities to reduce congestion, and that includes prompting modal shifts away from single-passenger vehicles commuting across the peninsula. I speak as someone who has, over the last 3 years, shifted my own mindset from one that is car-centric to a person who routinely walks and busses across the city. I *want* to be able to bus to my work shifts and not risk being late; but this requires making it easier for busses to move across Halifax on time. I desperately want to be able to choose to safely bike from my apartment to campus, but the bike infrastructure in its current half-completed and not connected state does not provide me enough confidence in my own safety to do so. I would 100% be utilizing Bird's new electric bikes if there was infrastructure to separate me cycling from Halifax's increasingly dangerous, distracted and speeding drivers. I have had countless close calls of drivers blocking pedestrian crossings and not slowing down for me to cross in my times walking from the North End to classes. I have had to scream at drivers to pay attention to the road. Existing in the city as a pedestrian is incredibly becoming scary and more risky as Halifax's road deaths this year have happened at an astounding rate. When I walk to campus from the North End, I walk along Windsor Street, up Quinpool and then along Vernon as long as possible. I discovered this route as relatively safe because Vernon is a traffic-calmed bike centric pathway with crossing guards along intersections for younger school-aged children. When I walk to campus in the early mornings, the crossing guard at Vernon and Jubilee bellows a welcoming "Good morning! Have a good day at work, school, or wherever you're headed!". Each day l'd smile and tell him "thank you" as I cross with his protection. Several months ago, a new addition was made to this intersection; a makeshift sign and flowers as a memorial for Alex Wortman, who died from a reckless impaired driver at the intersection I routinely crossed every day on my way to class. She, like me, was also a student of King's and Dal. Now, when I cross that road I also witness her memorial. No one in Halifax should have to fear dying via a vehicle collision. All this to say that I, as someone who is not currently a cyclist, resoundingly support the continuation of the completion of our bike network. I would appreciate a response that affirms your support to continue building our bike infrastructure. Kind regards, Sydney Haines (she/her)
June 8, 2025 at 4:43 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
@printrunpodcast.bsky.social
A meme of the logo for Print Run podcast as the Batman Bat signal
June 1, 2025 at 9:18 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Made a post-work run to Atlantic News for a paper copy of @landofsticks.bsky.social's new paper! #halisky
Photo in Halifax NS of "Grand Parade: A City Hall Newspaper" by Matt Stickland
May 5, 2025 at 11:27 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
April 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
sydhaines.bsky.social
This gal has a bunch of awesome general cooking tips & recipes, she posts on Tiktok & then cross posts on Youtube shorts & Insta
www.instagram.com/mac.larena?i...
Instagram screenshot for user profile mac.larena
April 12, 2025 at 6:02 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
I got curious if @printrunpodcast.bsky.social had merch... and now someone needs to convince me that I don't need another tote bag in my collection
Tote bag from PrintRun Podcast with their loon logo and 'welcome to another week of books' printed on it
April 12, 2025 at 2:18 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
Mother Mother and Cavetown put on an amazing show last night in Halifax!
Photo of the band Mother Mother performing in Halifax, NS Photo of Cavetown performing in Halifax, NS
March 5, 2025 at 7:11 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
An example of Halifax's finest snow clearing efforts on a Priority 1 section of Windsor Street, intersecting with Liverpool Street, spotted on my way to yoga this evening (I already called 311). I'm lucky to have been able to skirt across the curb cut without a car hitting me #Halisky #hfx #halifax
Photo of a pedestrian crossing at night where the crossing and beg button access is obstructed by a snow/ice bank
February 11, 2025 at 1:51 AM
sydhaines.bsky.social
I've followed CJ on Tiktok & Insta for years and she gives a lot of helpful tips & tricks on what to watch out for with car purchases! She'll even negotiate with a dealership on your behalf to avoid their bullshit fake fees & add-ons.

www.cowartautoconsulting.com
A screenshot of Instagram user @cargirl.cj's profile
January 3, 2025 at 11:40 PM
sydhaines.bsky.social
I've followed CJ on Tiktok & Insta for years and she gives a lot of helpful tips & tricks on what to watch out for with car purchases! She'll even negotiate with a dealership on your behalf to avoid their bullshit fake fees & add-ons

www.cowartautoconsulting.com
A screenshot of Instagram user @cargirl.cj's profile
January 3, 2025 at 11:38 PM