Davies Transportation Consulting Inc. recently completed a Regional Goods Movement Scoping Study for Halifax Regional Municipality. The study was undertaken in the context of development of a new Integrated Mobility Plan which will expand the focus of regional transportation planning. The project team included James Frost of MariNova Consulting, Thomas McGuire of Group ATN and Steve Hayto of S5 Services.
The scope of the project included a literature review; analysis of case studies in North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand; an overview of the Halifax goods movement system; and extensive consultations with commercial, public agency and community stakeholders to gather information on the goods movement system and identify issues. The majority identified port-related truck traffic in downtown Halifax as the major problem, with perceptions of traffic congestion, safety and environmental impacts. Previous related studies were reviewed, and priorities for future exploration of potential solutions were identified. Recommendations for integrating goods movements into regional transportation planning were also provided.