1) Staff are not supportive…

1) Staff are not supportive of the proposed change, as municipalities should continue to make decisions regarding the allocation of road space and continue to balance local transportation needs, safety priorities and community objectives. Municipalities must retain the ability to make context-sensitive decisions about roadway design and implement their own evidence-based transportation and road safety measures.

2) The Province should further consult and/or collaborate closely with municipalities to develop guidelines/criteria for when vehicle traffic lanes can or cannot be reduced to ensure road safety measures are adhered to.

3) The Province should provide a clear definition of what “any other prescribed purpose” entails and provide scenarios in which an exemption from this change may be necessary.

4) The Province should consult further with municipalities to understand why a municipality may need to remove a lane of traffic (e.g., traffic calming scenario vs. reduction of a needed travel lane to implement a bike lane). The current proposal does not include this distinction, which should be further clarified.