Recent data reveals a surge in fatal crashes on roads in Halifax last year, prompting concerns from residents about the effectiveness of current safety measures.
The city’s transportation committee reviewed the annual road safety report on Thursday.
In 2025, there were 20 fatal collisions, an increase from 11 in the previous year, out of a total of 5,959 reported collisions on provincial and municipal roads in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Last year saw 133 collisions resulting in serious injuries, slightly lower than the 141 reported in 2024.
Out of the 20 fatal collisions, motorcycles were involved in seven fatalities, marking the highest number since data collection began in 2022. Four pedestrians lost their lives, with the rest of the fatalities occurring in vehicles.
A roadside memorial at Jubilee Road and Vernon Street in Halifax marks the spot where Alexandria Wortman, a 21-year-old student, was fatally struck by a driver in January 2025. (Gareth Hampshire/CBC)
Brendan Doherty, the proprietor of the Old Triangle bar in downtown Halifax, expressed frustration during the meeting, stating, “We need real leadership. People are dying, people are getting hurt — it has to stop.” Doherty’s remarks followed an incident where one of his employees was hospitalized after being hit near the Macdonald Bridge.
Doherty highlighted another incident where an employee was struck by a truck while cycling in the city center, and he himself was injured when he fell off his bike to avoid a car that swerved towards him after honking.
“What you guys are doing is not good enough … we need better infrastructure, we need safer infrastructure and we need it now,” Doherty emphasized.
As of July 31 this year, Halifax had recorded four fatal collisions and 73 resulting in serious injuries. Among the fatalities was Nouman Ali, a respected Dalhousie University professor, who tragically died in mid-July after a driver in a pickup truck opened a door into his path.
The number of collisions involving bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters has been on the rise in recent years, reaching 111 in 2025 compared to 89 the previous year and 64 in 2023.
Of the 111 collisions last year, eight resulted in serious injuries, but there were no fatalities.
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