Bill 60 throws monkey wrench into plan to put Wellington Road 46 through Aberfoyle on a ‘road diet’

ABERFOYLE – Don’t call it a road diet anymore, and don’t expect the province to approve speed mitigation measures envisioned by Puslinch Township and Wellington County on Brock Road/Wellington County Road 46 through Aberfoyle.

That seemed to be the consensus formed during the March 25 Puslinch council meeting.

County engineer Don Kudo explained to council the county has engaged Dillon Consulting to study the road section between Wellington Road 34 and Sideroad 23.

The goal is to determine the most effective – and cost effective – way to slow traffic on that section of the street, which daily sees thousands of commuters, transport trucks and other traffic headed to or from Highway 401.

The township had reached out to the county for assistance some years ago and was told a traffic study would begin when the Hanlon Expressway midblock exchange was completed. Otherwise, the county would not get a true read on traffic flow, traffic counts and driver behaviour.

With that construction now done, Kudo said the county is ready to commence the study.

The township had recommended speed mitigation measures such as adding a raised crosswalk at Old Brock Road, radar speed signs and additional crosswalks further south on Brock Road.

The big one, though, was the so-called road diet, where the four-lane road would be narrowed to three and include a centre turn lane and possibly on-street parking.

This would slow traffic and increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and the parking could benefit local businesses, township officials say.

And then came Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act. Passed in 2025, it contains a lot of things but specifically prohibits municipalities from removing vehicle lanes for bike lanes or other lane-reducing projects. The rationale is to keep lanes open to reduce gridlock and congestion on major transportation routes.

Kudo said the county had issued a purchase order for line painting on Brock Road with the road diet in mind, and the contract was awarded to a line painting company, all before Bill 60 passed.

But he wasn’t sure that would fly with the province.

“The province might say ‘okay’,” Kudo said. “I hope it will approve it.”

Brock Road currently has four lanes, two in each direction, narrow sidewalks interrupted in some places, and a posted speed limit of 50km/h.

There are roundabouts at Wellington Road 34 and Gilmour Road and a traffic light at Maple Leaf Lane/Old Brock Road with a crossing guard for children heading to Aberfoyle Public School.

This intersection had automated speed enforcement cameras and that seemed to be slowing traffic. Now speed cameras have been banned by the province.

The section is a designated Community Safety Zone.

The study will look at Brock Road but also some of the secondary roads in the area to determine if traffic mitigation on Brock would inadvertently cause issues on other roads like Concession 7, Victoria Road South, Gilmour, McLean or Wellington Roads 34 and 36.

It will also attempt to determine if the mid-block interchange on the Hanlon has increased or reduced traffic through Aberfoyle.

Preliminary alternatives include doing nothing, adding traffic calming within the right of way, lane reductions with line painting, or physical roadway modifications like bump-outs, wider sidewalks or medians.

The study will weigh impacts on traffic and transportation, construction costs, potential social and economic benefits, and other considerations. 

There will be two rounds of public engagement. This spring there will be a page on the county website with an online questionnaire and in the fall a public open house will take place to present the preferred alternative.

A technical advisory committee will discuss the findings, weigh the data and ultimately determine the preferred alternative.

Council wanted to be sure the social benefits had equal weight with traffic and transportation impacts.

“Our intention is to have an independent approach,” said Ian Borsuk, project manager with Dillon Consulting.

“We’ll look at the social benefits, the economic benefits, the traffic benefits and see the trade-offs.”

Councillor Sara Bailey said her goal would be “to push traffic to Highway 6 (Hanlon Expressway).”

Councillor Russel Hurst noted that once the Clair/Maltby area in Guelph is fully developed, “10 years from now (traffic) will be monumental.”

He also noted there are several different traffic calming measures employed on Kortright Road in Guelph and called it a “tickle trunk” of traffic calming measures.

“I hope that’s not what Aberfoyle gets,” he said.

The township recently received provincial funding to add benches, planters and lighting in Aberfoyle and Morriston, which officials wanted the team to know before the study begins.

Mayor James Seeley said he doesn’t think there is appetite in the township or the county for expensive construction measures to reduce speeds on Brock Road.

He too worried the study itself might be weighted in favour of improving traffic flow without consideration of livability for local residents. He hoped at least one elected representative could also sit on the technical advisory committee.

And in light of Bill 60, everyone in the room agreed to drop the term “road diet.” 

“We call it a road reconfiguration or a road study,” Borsuk said.