Residents, drivers, and cyclists will have to wait a bit longer to learn whether a pilot project that significantly altered traffic flow on a busy street in Mississauga’s north end will become a permanent solution for road safety.
As part of the trial, a large section of Aquitaine Avenue in Meadowvale underwent major changes, including the removal of one traffic lane and the addition of bicycle lanes, in an effort to improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists, according to city officials.
The City of Mississauga’s Aquitaine Avenue Road Safety Pilot Project, which reduced a section of the busy four-lane road to three lanes starting in the summer of 2023, aims to enhance safety and reduce speeding. This project is one of several road safety initiatives being implemented across the city.
A public meeting, originally scheduled for next month, where city officials were to present their ideas to the community, has been postponed until further notice.
Martin Reid, the area councillor, stated in his latest newsletter to residents that the city has decided to pause the meeting until it:
* Conducts further work to review various design alternatives for Aquitaine Avenue, Argentia Road, and Millcreek Drive
* Receives guidance from Ontario’s transportation ministry concerning Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, which came into effect in November. The bill requires municipalities to obtain the ministry’s approval in certain cases before constructing bicycle lanes.
Several information pop-ups and at least one in-person public information session were held earlier last year. Another public meeting had been scheduled for the fall of 2024. Once the city has completed its review and received clarification from the provincial government, it will engage the public again for additional feedback before any permanent changes are made.
Many Meadowvale residents living near Aquitaine Avenue have voiced their opposition to making the changes permanent.
Earlier in the pilot phase, city officials stated that every street should be safe for all residents. They explained that the modification of Aquitaine Avenue into a three-lane system, with bike lanes, parking spaces, and a left-turn lane, was intended to make the road safer for all users.
The proposed changes have sparked significant attention from residents of the area since early last year. City officials had initially planned to collect public feedback while monitoring the effects of the pilot study throughout 2024 to inform any permanent road changes.
This traffic-calming measure, they said, is designed to reduce speeding by narrowing the road and encouraging slower traffic. As part of the pilot, on-road protected bike lanes, dedicated parking lanes, and a dedicated center/left turn lane were added to various sections of Aquitaine Avenue.
The changes are being implemented on Aquitaine Avenue between Tenth Line West in West Meadowvale and Millcreek Drive near the Meadowvale GO station. One stretch of this busy road passes by Meadowvale Town Centre, where both pedestrian and vehicle traffic are high.