Commuting Times in Halifax Nova Scotia

If you are considering moving to the Halifax metro(HRM) area you are no doubt interested in how you are going to get to and from work. To help you with that here is some information about commuting.

What are the options? There are only a few options of getting to and from work in Halifax. You can drive. Take a bus. Take a ferry. Use a combination of any of these. There is no train or subway system and a very limited bike path system. Which method you might choose will depend on where you live. If you live in Dartmouth, for example, you might use the ferry on a regular basis. A ferry runs between Dartmouth and Halifax from two locations in Dartmouth that arrive at one location in Halifax. The Halifax Ferry Terminal is located in downtown Halifax, a short walk to the main business district. There are two ferry terminals in Dartmouth, one in downtown Dartmouth and the other closer to eastern Passage on Pleasant Street in Woodside. People will either take a bus or drive to the ferry terminal and then take a ferry to Halifax. Ferries take about 12 minutes each way. There is limited paid parking at both ferry terminals so you can drive to the ferry and take a ferry to Halifax. A bus can also be a good option from Dartmouth. A "METRO LINK" bus service is a bus that runs from Cole Harbour to downtown Halifax with only one stop. This bus takes less than 30 minutes to get from Cole Harbour to downtown Halifax. This bus service costs a little bit more but is worth it. There is limited parking in the Cole Harbour bus terminal where you can leave your car all day.
If you live in Bedford or Sackville you would either drive a car or take a bus. There is also a "METRO LINK" bus service from Lower Sackville to downtown Halifax. This bus takes less than 30 minutes.There is limited parking in the Lower Sackville bus terminal where you can leave your car all day.
If you happen to live in Hammonds Plains, Fall River/Waverley or outsiide of Lower Sackville in Beaverbank , there is only limited bus service that runs at peak times in the morning and afternoon. There are other parts of the outlying metro area where bus service is not be available leaving your only option driving your car to work or to a Park and Ride parking lot and taking a bus from there.
There a several considerations when considering commuting times and distances. Halifax and Dartmouth are separated by a harbour so if you live on the Dartmouth side you will have to contend with either one of the two bridges or using the ferry. Bridges always seem to be under construction and accidents are common extending the commute time several times throughout the year. Where you live in a particular area also can make a big difference. If you live on the Papermill Lake end of Bedford you are at the closest point to Halifax in Bedford but if you live in Nottingham you are at least 5- 10 minutes farther away.
Cost and availability of parking in Halifax can also be a big factor. Parking is very limited and the cost can be high so finding an alternative means of transportation may be an economical necessity. University parking in particular can be a big problem. Often more parking passes are issued than are spaces so you may have to drive around for 30 minutes to find a free spot even though you have a permit.
Below is a table of driving distances and times that will give you a guide to getting around our fair city.Keep in mind that these are averages only. Times can vary considerably depending on what specific street you live on in the community.
For more information on ferries go to http://www.region.halifax.ns.ca/metrotransit/Ferry/index.html. For more information on busses go to http://www.region.halifax.ns.ca/metrotransit/

Driving times and distances:
Here are some guidelines on distances and times it will take you to drive to different locations in the metro. Keep in mind that if an accident occurs somewhere in the system or weather is poor that these driving times increase substantially. A major snowstorm will add an hour to the drive home in rush hour traffic from most anywhere.
(P)-Stands for Peak times which is 7:30-9 am and 4:30-5:30
(N)-Stands for Non peak which is all times that are not peak times
(Min) - stands for minutes

N-15-20 min
P-20-30 min

N-25 - 30min
P-30-45min

N-25-35min
P-40-50min

N-20-25min
P-25-40 min

N-20-25 min
P-25-30 min

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