Written By Olena Riznyk
LUCAN-BIDDULPH – During the June 3 meeting, Council approved a motion to proceed with an Active Transportation Needs Report for Highway 4, following a requirement from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
The report, which will cost $13,500 plus HST, is a prerequisite for advancing the long-planned urbanization of Highway 4 — specifically the stretch from Saintsbury Line to Olde Clover Drive, south of Lucan. The project aims to address a growing safety concern in an area where residential growth has outpaced infrastructure, leaving pedestrians and cyclists with few safe options.
The Active Transportation Needs Report will form part of a broader Traffic Impact Study that the MTO requires before allowing any detailed design or construction work to proceed.
The Township had not budgeted for the study in 2025, but staff recommended moving forward without delay to avoid further postponement. Of the total cost, $2,700 will be drawn from construction reserves, and $10,800 will come from development charges already collected for this project.
Jeff Little, Director of Public Works, emphasized in his staff report that this step is necessary to unlock the process: “Urbanization and extending the Connecting Link is the Township’s goal. We need to start the process and use that start in our discussions with both MTO staff and government officials,” he stated in the report presented to Council.
One member of Council voiced concern that the need for sidewalks and cycling infrastructure in the area should already be obvious. They noted that comparing the site today to ten years ago — now surrounded by subdivisions and a four-storey apartment building — clearly illustrates both the growth and the current lack of safe walking or biking routes. In their view, common sense and simple observation should be enough to justify the improvements without requiring another formal study.
The urbanization project includes potential upgrades to sidewalks, stormwater management, and the replacement of aging water mains. A sanitary line may also be included to support properties currently on septic systems. However, the MTO has emphasized that the project is not intended to support future development, but rather to respond to infrastructure needs created by existing growth.
One member of Council suggested raising the issue at the next Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference as an example of unnecessary procedural delays.
Council hopes that by highlighting the situation, it may encourage provincial ministries to streamline future project approvals and better support municipal infrastructure needs.
