Burlington, ON – Halton Regional Council voted unanimously on November 13 to accelerate transit and active transportation improvements. The vote directs staff to return with options to speed up implementation timelines in the region’s proposed 25-year Integrated Master Plan.

The vote came after Safe Streets Halton submitted a detailed written delegation. The group criticized the original Master Plan’s seven-year timeline for basic high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and the three proposed road widenings that lack guaranteed transit priority measures.

“We thank Council for critically looking at this plan,” said Nick Morrison, President of Safe Streets Halton. “While the plan makes important progress with its ‘protected-by-default’ approach to cycling infrastructure, a seven-year wait for basic transit priority measures is unacceptable given our climate, safety, and congestion challenges.”

Safe Streets Halton highlighted that major corridors like Trafalgar Road and Dundas Street—identified as future bus rapid transit routes—are currently being reconstructed without transit lanes, representing both wasted taxpayer dollars and missed opportunities. The organization argues that building complete streets from the outset is more cost-effective than retrofitting transit priority measures years later.

Safe Streets Halton also raised concerns about the proposed widenings of Neyagawa Boulevard, Trafalgar Road, and Ninth Line. The group called on Council to ensure any widenings include dedicated transit priority and protected active transportation facilities from day one, rather than lanes primarily serving general automobile use.

In their delegation, Safe Streets Halton criticised the consultation process as “a significant barrier to meaningful public participation.” They noted the plan’s exclusively online engagement fell short of standards that local municipalities routinely require for their own master plans and major infrastructure projects.

Council’s motion directs staff to report back in Q1 2026 with options to expedite the plan and identify opportunities to advance implementation timelines for the Adopted Transit Priority Corridor Network and Active Transportation Network.

You can read Safe Streets Halton’s full delegation here.

About Safe Streets Halton
Safe Streets Halton is a grassroots organization on a mission to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and serious injuries in Halton, Ontario.

Safe Streets Halton is a grass-roots organization on a mission to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and serious injuries in Halton, Ontario.