What to know
- Brampton City Council voted 10-1 to remove bike lanes along Howden Boulevard, with Councillor Rowena Santos casting the only dissenting vote.
- Santos opposed the decision, citing safety concerns, reduced speeding after the lanes were installed, and alignment with previously approved city transportation plans.
- Council approved removing both the bike lanes and concrete barriers between Dixie Road and Williams Parkway, replacing them with sharrows.
- Santos said a compromise, removing barriers but keeping the lanes, could have addressed resident concerns without dismantling a key east-west cycling corridor.
A Brampton City Council vote will result in the removal of dedicated bike lanes along a major east-west cycling corridor, a decision opposed by all but one councillor.
At a special budget meeting on Jan. 27, council voted 10-1 to remove the bike lanes along Howden Boulevard, with Councillor for Wards 1 and 5 Rowena Santos casting the lone vote.
“I could not vote for a motion which would ultimately make the roads less safe, not just for drivers, but also for pedestrians and cyclists,” Santos said in an interview with Now Toronto.
The bike lanes, installed in 2021 and later supplemented with concrete barriers in 2023, run along Howden Boulevard and form part of Brampton’s only continuous east-west active transportation corridor south of Bovaird Drive. The route connects Vodden Street in the west to Hanover Road in the east.
The lanes have become the subject of months-long debate, resulting in pushback from some residents and councillors. Several residents have said the barriers prevented them from making right or left turns, leaving them feeling “trapped” within their neighbourhoods.
As a result of the council’s decision, both the barriers and the bike lanes will be removed between Dixie Road and Williams Parkway, returning the stretch to four vehicle lanes. Council has also directed staff to install shared-lane markings in an effort to maintain some cycling accommodation.
The installation of the bike lanes cost the city approximately $1 million. Their removal is expected to cost an additional $337,000.
Santos said her opposition was rooted in safety concerns along the Howden corridor, particularly between Williams Parkway and Dixie Road.
“The speeding was so bad that the city in 2012 installed rocks and boulders along the boulevard, because residents were afraid that cars would end up speeding into their backyards.”
She said conditions improved following the introduction of the bike lanes.
“We have seen that since the painted bike lanes were implemented in 2021… the speed reduced by 13 kilometres an hour,” she said.
She added that speeds dropped further once automated enforcement was introduced.
“And then it was further reduced when the speed cameras were in place,” she said.
With speed cameras now banned under the province’s Bill 56, Santos said she attempted to advance a compromise by proposing the removal of concrete barriers only, alongside intersection improvements so vehicles could “go safely left and safely right at the bottlenecks.”
Santos also said her position was guided by previous council decisions, including the Brampton Mobility Plan, which was passed unanimously in the fall.
“[The plan] looks at a multi mode share of transportation… because Brampton can no longer accommodate more roads to deal with more cars.”
She added that the plan identifies alternatives as the solution.
“And in fact, the solution is to create more alternatives for people to safely get around the city, including transit and bikes and micro mobility.”
Santos adds affordability was also a factor in her opposition, noting cycling is one of the least expensive ways to travel.
“My fundamental principle as a councillor is to always look at evidence and data when making a decision,” she said. “So, it was tough for me to sit there and then have colleagues not like to completely disregard the evidence.”
While she acknowledged the concerns raised by drivers, Santos said other options were available.
The motion passed by council indicates that the lanes will be removed immediately. $393,000 be allocated to future bike lane relocation projects, including a multi-use pathway along the same route.
