Gridlock is Costing Oakville & Halton More Than Just Time
Every day, residents of Oakville, Burlington, and Halton spend hours trapped in gridlock, watching the clock as their morning and evening commutes stretch longer and longer. Meanwhile, GO Transit is unreliable, local bus service is insufficient, and road expansions keep falling behind development. While our population continues to grow at record rates, our transit and infrastructure investments have failed to keep up, leaving us with congestion that worsens by the year.
The PCs, Liberals, and NDP have all made promises to fix traffic, but here we are—still stuck. So, how did we get here? And more importantly, how do we finally break free from the gridlock?
The Background: Decades of Empty Promises and Bad Planning
The Ontario Liberals: A Legacy of Delayed Investments
For 15 years, the Ontario Liberals controlled transit policy, but instead of building a reliable transportation network, they delayed key projects, underfunded transit, and let congestion spiral out of control. Under their watch:
- The long-promised two-way, all-day GO Train service for Halton never materialized, despite repeated election commitments.
- Oakville and Halton saw limited investment in intercity and regional bus service, making it harder for residents to commute without a car.
- Highway congestion worsened due to a lack of proper planning for population growth, yet the Liberals continued to focus on short-term fixes instead of long-term transit expansion.
- Local transit remained unreliable and underfunded, with bus routes failing to connect efficiently with GO stations.
The Progressive Conservatives: Prioritizing Highways Over Real Transit Solutions
Instead of fixing the Liberals’ mistakes, the PC’s doubled down on bad policies. His government has:
- Scrapped planned transit projects in favor of new highways, including the controversial Highway 413, which will cost billions while providing minimal traffic relief.
- Cut municipal transit funding, forcing cities like Oakville to either raise taxes or cut services.
- Delayed two-way, all-day GO service even further, leaving commuters stuck with infrequent trains.
- Pushed reckless high-density development without securing the necessary transit expansion to support it, leading to even worse congestion.
- Failed to deliver a regional transit strategy, keeping communities disconnected and forcing more people onto already crowded roads.
The NDP: No Clear Plan to Fix the Problem
The NDP criticizes Ford’s transportation policies, but they have no clear alternative. Despite being Ontario’s Official Opposition, they have:
- Failed to outline a realistic, fully-funded transit plan for Halton and other growing regions.
- Offered vague spending promises without a strategy for implementation.
- Lacked urgency in addressing congestion, despite years of complaints from residents and local governments.
- Ignored local transit challenges, focusing more on Toronto than on regional needs like those of Oakville and Halton.
- Offered no real strategy for sustainable transportation, missing key opportunities to expand cycling infrastructure and intercity bus service.
The Current Problem: Halton’s Transit Crisis is Getting Worse
Today, traffic congestion in Oakville and Halton is worse than ever. The region’s population is expected to reach 1.1 million by 2051, but transit investments remain stagnant. Here’s how it’s impacting our community:
- Daily commutes are longer than ever, wasting time and reducing quality of life.
- Public transit is unreliable, infrequent, and disconnected, forcing more people to drive.
- Road congestion leads to more pollution, increasing emissions and harming air quality.
- Highways are constantly expanding, but congestion doesn’t improve, proving that road-building alone won’t solve the problem.
- Municipal budgets are stretched, with cities forced to choose between transit funding and other critical services.
Instead of proactive investment, our government is stuck in a cycle of reactionary, short-term thinking, leaving residents with no viable alternatives to driving.
The Green Party’s Plan to Fix Traffic & Transit in Ontario
Unlike the other parties, the Green Party has a clear, well-funded, and actionable plan to fix transit and congestion across Ontario. Here’s how we will get Oakville and Halton moving again:
- Expand Two-Way, All-Day GO Train Service – Provide frequent, reliable GO service every 15 minutes during peak hours, making train travel a real alternative to driving.
- Invest in Local Transit – Increase municipal transit funding so Oakville and Halton can expand bus service and improve connectivity between GO stations and neighborhoods.
- Develop a Province-Wide Intercity Bus Network – Introduce a clean, affordable, intercity electric bus service to better connect Halton with the rest of Ontario.
- Stop Prioritizing Highways Over Transit – Cancel Highway 413 and redirect billions into public transit expansion, active transportation, and road maintenance.
- Build More Walkable, Transit-Friendly Communities – Require higher-density developments to include transit funding and walkability standards to reduce car dependency.
- Make Cycling & Active Transportation Safer – Invest in protected bike lanes, safer pedestrian routes, and smart urban planning to give people more transportation options.
The Green Party’s plan is the only one that truly prioritizes public transit, walkability, and real traffic relief.
Why the Strategic Vote is Green
If you vote PC, Liberal, or NDP, you’re voting for more of the same failed policies that caused our traffic crisis. Here’s why:
🔵 The Progressive Conservatives Have Made Traffic Worse. Ford’s government prioritizes highways over transit, leaving commuters with more congestion and no real alternatives to driving. Instead of investing in public transit, he is spending billions on Highway 413, a project that won’t solve congestion but will destroy green space and farmlands. His policies force municipalities to approve high-density projects without transit infrastructure, making traffic worse. Ford has had years to fix Ontario’s gridlock—and he has failed.
🔴 The Ontario Liberals Talked About Transit But Never Delivered. The Liberals had 15 years to expand GO service and improve regional transit, yet they failed to deliver two-way, all-day GO trains and didn’t invest enough in local transit. They allowed Ontario’s transit systems to become disconnected and underfunded, making it harder for people to commute without a car. Their slow planning and project delays left Ontario’s transportation network in crisis, allowing Ford to cut even more.
🟠 The NDP Lacks a Clear Plan to Fix Gridlock. The NDP criticizes Ford’s policies, but they have no detailed transit strategy of their own. They fail to outline how they will fund and deliver regional transit projects, making vague promises without real commitments. Their platform ignores the need for better local transit and better cycling infrastructure, leaving communities like Halton and Oakville without proper solutions. They say they support better transit—but they have no plan to make it happen.
✅ The Green Party is the ONLY real choice to fix Ontario’s traffic and transit crisis. Unlike the PCs, Liberals, and NDP, we don’t make empty promises—we offer real, well-funded, and community-first solutions. The Greens will expand GO service, improve local transit, invest in intercity bus networks, and stop wasting billions on ineffective highway projects.
This election, don’t vote for more gridlock—vote for the only party with a real transportation plan. Vote Green.