Petition calls for bike lane ‘removal’ or ‘relocation’ from Brampton road

There’s a petition calling for bike lanes to be scrapped or moved from a Brampton street, but the city is considering upgrades that could cost up to $5.9 million.

A report to Brampton City Council earlier this month showed options for new or upgraded bike lanes on Howden Boulevard cost between $730,000 to $5.9 million, depending on which one of four options councillors approve.

The report recommended Option 4, adding cycle tracks to the intersections of Howden and Dixie, and Howden and Williams Parkway, at a cost of around $73,000.

But an “Option 5” has since been floated by Coun. Rod Power, “which would remove the existing bicycle lane and curbing on Howden Boulevard.” And over 200 Brampton residents agree, according to a petition filed with the City Clerk’s office.

The citizen-led petition is calling for the “removal/relocation” of the Howden bike lanes and has garnered approximately 240 signatures.

Power’s motion proposing “Option 5” and the citizen petition have both been referred to Mayor Patrick Brown for consideration in the 2026 Brampton budget.

“Option 5” was not included or considered in any bike lane reports or assessments, prior to it being introduced in a motion on Oct. 15.

Four options were presented to residents at a series of public information sessions, with most residents surveyed saying they wanted to see a multi-use path on one side of Howden Boulevard, at a cost of $2.9 million.

Some 70 per cent of residents surveyed favoured Option 1, which would bring a three-metre-wide, multi-use path to Howden Boulevard.

Option 3, a proposal to add cycle tracks on both sides of Howden Boulevard, had the lowest approval score of 35 per cent.

If Option 4 is approved, the cycle tracks would be a two-metre-wide asphalt path “intended for unidirectional cyclist use,” according to the report.

“Option 4 (targeted in-boulevard cycle tracks at intersections) is the recommended option for design and implementation as the first step of a phased approach,” the report reads.

Late last year, the province pushed for a bill requiring municipalities to ask the province for permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.

The plan to ban bike lanes was paused after the Ontario Superior Court found the province’s plan to remove bike lanes along Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue in Toronto violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Ford has blamed bike lanes for contributing to increased traffic on Ontario roads, and made removing the bike lanes a campaign issue during the snap election he called and won in February.