City of Brampton…

City of Brampton Transportation Planning staff (“staff”) acknowledge the role of the Parkway Belt West Plan (PBWP) in protecting infrastructure corridors for transportation, electricity transmission, and open space systems. Staff accept the proposed revocation of the PBWP provided that, as outlined in the ERO posting, provincial initiatives that allow for a seamless transition away from the PBWP while maintaining important land use protections are implemented. To that end, staff welcome acknowledgement in the ERO posting that, with the revocation of the PBWP, MTO would continue to plan for transportation projects in this area to support the movement of goods and people by means of policies in PPS 2024 and the Public Transportation and Highways Improvement Act.

Of particular interest to staff is the potential Highway 407 Transitway. Building on the Highway 407 Transitway Frequent Regional Express Bus project depicted in Metrolinx’s 2041 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), a conceptual Highway 407 Transitway was included in the longer-term transit networks identified in the Brampton Mobility Plan (the City’s Transportation Master Plan). This and the Highway 413 Transitway were envisioned as important components in the City’s future grid of rapid transit corridors, and which are seen as supportive of the City’s goal of increasing the share of trips made using sustainable modes of transportation (transit, cycling, and walking).

Staff acknowledge that sections of the Highway 407 Transitway are not depicted in the Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), which shows a Conceptual Higher Order Transit Connection linking Burlington and Oshawa, but which bypasses much of Brampton. Staff acknowledged this when working with Metrolinx on their RTP Refresh project but also advocated for including the bypassed sections of the Highway 407 Transitway in the updated RTP as a means of protecting for potential future needs (likely beyond 2051, the horizon year of the Brampton Mobility Plan).

Staff request that, if the PBWP is to be revoked, a mechanism be put in place to maintain protection for the segments of the Highway 407 Transitway in Peel and Halton Regions that do not form part of the Conceptual Higher Order Transit Connection as currently envisioned in the Transportation Plan for the GGH but that could provide another “arm” of this corridor in the future. Staff note that the segments of the 407 Transitway in question have undergone a completed Environmental Assessment process and could, per wording in the ERO posting, be protected through designation under MTO’s Public Transportation and Highways Improvement Act.