We have 800,000+ people in a rapidly growing city. It is not possible to build enough roads for everyone to drive a personal automobile.

What are we trying to achieve?

We can’t have safer roads and still have people speeding in automobiles. We can’t have people complain about speeding and then complain that bike lanes are slowing them down. We can all agree that we want safer streets for everyone. We can all agree that we want less pollution. We can all agree we want people to be healthier. We can all agree that we want our tax dollars spent wisely.

Bike lanes do not cause congestion. They allow people to make choices to leave the car behind for short trips. They allow children to travel independently to school, the library, the park. They allow disadvantaged people to get around. Separated bike lanes encourage more of the cautious riders to choose travelling by bicycle or other forms of micromobility. They encourage people to choose a combination of cycling/micromobility and transit.

This is an economic as well as a social issue. More dense development means more property taxes per hectare, available to pay for libraries, parks, recreation centres, culture and maintenance. Higher density can lead to transportation issues if not properly managed. A combination of walking, cycling, transit, and personal automobiles is the model that is used by big cities around the world to make the most efficient use of road space. Brampton is now the 3rd largest city in Ontario and 7th largest in Canada. We are no longer a sleepy suburban municipality.

The transportation option costs on the table for the Howden Boulevard between Williams Parkway and Dixie Road range from $730,000 to $5,800,000. These costs are in addition to what we have already spent installing bike lanes, planting trees and placing utilities. Council unanimously supported these bike lanes as part of the Active Transportation Master Plan (2019). Removing trees will add to summer heat.

Have your say – Howden Boulevard Public Engagement

This is the time to become informed, and then have your say. It is not ok to have a knee-jerk ‘yes’ or ‘no’ reaction to bike lanes. Understand all the facts and then comment.

This is a watershed moment for City of Brampton. How will the city grow and accommodate its transportation needs? This is about much more than one section of roadway. It’s about the future of both transportation and livability in our city. It is our responsibility to act, whether we are fearless confident cyclists or not. Let’s show empathy and allow other cyclists to become confident road users.

4 Drop-in Public Sessions (attendance strongly recommended)

During the events, city staff will have about 15 boards presenting all the context, data and information related to the design alternatives for Howden, along with iPads for people to fill out the survey and collect feedback. They can knowledgably answer your questions.

• Wed July 23, Bramalea City Centre Bus Terminal, 25 Peel Centre Drive (2-6pm)
• Sat July 26, Bramalea City Centre Mall, near main food court 2nd floor (12-4pm)
• Tues July 29, Chinguacousy Park Sandra Hames Centre, 9050 Bramalea Road (4-8pm)
• Thurs July 31, Chinguacousy Park Sandra Hames Centre, 9050 Bramalea Road (4-8pm)

Facts to consider for an informed choice:

• Residents complained about excessive speeding on Howden Boulevard.
• Howden Boulevard was selected for a ‘road diet’ to calm the speeding by reducing 4 traffic lanes to 2 lanes.
• The bike lanes were painted in May 2020. Complaints have only started since they were physically separated last year. This has also coincided with water main construction on Dixie Road, which may be temporarily increasing cut-through traffic to avoid Dixie.
• Vision Zero is embedded in every aspect of the road diet design, focusing on preventing serious injuries and fatalities.
• According to Canadian Guide to Traffic Calming, vehicle speeds decrease on average between 5-7 km/h, collisions on average decrease by 25% after bike lane installation.
• As measured on Howden ‘before’ (April 2021) and ‘after’ (April 2025), cut-through traffic decreased by 35%, speed decreased by 11%, and average daily bike volume increased by 106% to 298 trips.
• Last week, condo towers of 50 and 55 storeys with 1,238 units were approved to be built at Bramalea City Centre. There will be 996 bicycle parking spaces and 886 vehicle parking spots. This reflects priority to change transportation habits. These new residents deserve to ride comfortably and safely, including on nearby Howden bike lanes.
• The Atmospheric Fund reported from 2018-2023, the number of Brampton cycling trips increased 57% to 3.5 million. At the same time, the distance cycled increased by 73% to 9.5 million km annually. Brampton compares very favourably to other communities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

BikeBrampton’s Take on this issue

This section of Howden Boulevard is part of Brampton’s east-west cycling corridor, a core element of Brampton’s Active Transportation Master Plan. Impeding cyclists’ journeys with a multi-use path shared with pedestrians will not encourage more people to cycle. Bi-directional multi-use paths are even more problematic for safety. Commuting cyclists travelling at speeds of 20-25km/h will choose to ride on the road if the bike lanes are removed. They will block automobile traffic, because they will cause drivers to change lanes to pass. This will actually cause congestion and reduce road safety.

Our preference would be to keep the bike lanes as they are! However, to accommodate traffic that want a right turn lane from Howden to Dixie, OPTION 4, with the raised cycle track at the intersection and with a cost of $730,000 is the best compromise for everyone.

Analysis of Options:

Option 1A/1B – Multi-use path on one side of the road

• Sidewalk removed and replaced with multi-use asphalt path
• Cyclists and pedestrians mix in the boulevard, creating potential conflict and reduced speed for cyclists.
• Drivers do not tend to stop and look for pedestrians and cyclists on a multi-use path before turning, and especially when paths are used in both directions.
• Option 1A has multi-use path on the east side of Howden from Williams to Vodden, then switching to the west side after Hedgepark Court/Hillpark Trail. Multiple road crossings make this option less safe.
• cost of $2.9 million.
• Option 1B has a multi-use path on the west side of Howden only.
• While omitting the 2 crossings, it would cost more at $3.5 million.
• 44 trees removed for Option 1A or 1B
• These 2 options do not connect well with bike lanes on North Park Drive for southbound cyclists on the bike lane, who have to switch to other side of the road to continue on a multi-use path.
• Increased speed of automobiles with 4 lanes on traffic
• Increased collisions with 4 lanes of traffic
• Increased traffic volumes with 4 lanes of traffic
• School crossing guards have to navigate 4 lanes of live traffic
• Removal of Automated Speed Enforcement in school area

Option 2 – Multi-use path on both sides of the road

• Cyclists and pedestrians mix in the boulevard, creating potential conflict and reduced speed for cyclists.
• Drivers do not tend to stop and look for pedestrians and cyclists on a multi-use path before turning, and especially when paths are used in both directions.
• Cost of $4.5 million
• 76 trees removed
• This option does not connect well with bike lanes on North Park Drive for southbound cyclists on the bike lane, who have to switch to other side of the road to continue on a multi-use path.
• Increased speed of automobiles with 4 lanes on traffic
• Increased collisions with 4 lanes of traffic
• Increased traffic volumes with 4 lanes of traffic
• School crossing guards have to navigate 4 lanes of live traffic
• Removal of Automated Speed Enforcement in school area

Option 3 – Cycle tracks on both sides of the road

• bike lanes removed to increase road to 4 lanes, by moving bike lane up onto boulevard in dedicated path, separated from automobiles by a curb and from pedestrians on the sidewalk.
• Cost of $5.8 million
• 98 trees removed
• Increased speed of automobiles with 4 lanes on traffic
• Increased collisions with 4 lanes of traffic
• Increased traffic volumes with 4 lanes of traffic
• School crossing guards have to navigate 4 lanes of live traffic
• Removal of Automated Speed Enforcement in school area
• While this design is a ‘cadillac’ and one that has been used along Eglington Avenue in Toronto, the excessive cost and excessive loss of trees makes this not an appropriate selection for Brampton.

Option 4 – Intersection Improvements at Dixie Road and Williams Parkway

• Maintains bike lanes except at these 2 intersections on Howden Boulevard. Cyclists take ramp up from the bike lane onto a cycle track just before the intersection. Cyclists cross with a crossride light signal, instead of the regular traffic signal.
• This option allows for a right turning lane at Dixie and Williams.
• Allows for the traffic calming benefits of 2 lanes of traffic on Howden instead of increasing to 4 lanes.
• Cost of $730,000
• 1 tree removed
• OF THE OPTIONS PRESENTED, BIKEBRAMPTON PREFERS THIS OPTION

Online Survey – complete only once you have the Facts. All the Facts are not presented online.

Online survey open until Aug 7 on City’s Let’s Connect page 

After the events, city staff will compile all the comments and feedback. They will start working on the report that will be going back to Committee of Council in the Fall (Sept 17 tentatively), with a recommended design based on both technical work and community input.

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