Queen Street East, Brampton

Queen Street is a major thoroughfare running in the City of Brampton in Peel Region, Ontario, Canada. It follows sections of two Peel Regional Roads: 6 and 107. Queen Street continues east into the City of Vaughan as York Regional Road 7, formerly Highway 7, of which the eastern section of Queen was also part of.

Route description

In the west, Queen Street begins at Mississauga Road as Peel Road 6, mostly lined with older semi-rural homes and properties through the neighbourhoods of Huttonville and Springbrook (both formerly rural hamlets) to east of Creditview Road. It becomes more developed as it passes underneath a narrow hydro corridor, then intersects Chinguacousy and Mclaughlin Roads. East of McLaughlin, its character changes abruptly as it enters an older part of Brampton. At McMurchy Avenue, The Peel Road 6 designation ends and the street is maintained by the City of Brampton east of that point. Queen then soon reaches the city's small downtown. The Algoma University at Brampton campus and The Rose (a performing arts venue) are located in the downtown area on Queen near Main Street.

East of downtown, starting near Kennedy Road, Queen Street widens to six lanes and becomes a busy suburban retail strip, lined with fast food outlets, care dealerships, and plazas. When it crosses Highway 410, which marks the point where former Highway 7 joined Queen Street (after running concurrently south along the 410) to follow it eastwards, Peel Region jurisdiction resumes and the street becomes Peel Road 107. East of the 410, Queen has an unusually wide right-of way with mostly median street lighting as it enters the Bramalea district. Crossing Dixie Road, it passes by the Bramalea City Centre, a large regional shopping mall, and 10 Peel Centre Drive, the headquarters of the Peel Region government.

History

Queen Street was originally surveyed as the Fifth Sideroad, a concession road road whose baseline also includes Embleton Road in the west and Ebenezer Road in the east. Due to the Credit River running under the concession near its intersection with Mississauga Road, a jog was created, resulting in the western terminus of Queen being at Mississauga Road, with Embleton running along the section west of the jog. In the east, a part of the concession was bypassed to eliminate a jog in the former Highway 7 at Highway 50 at the former Peel / York county (now region) line.

East of Highway 410, Queen was part of Highway 7, until the portion of the highway through Brampton was downloaded to Peel Region in 1997. The number 107 was chosen over 7 due to Airport Road already being Peel Road 7. To keep the former highway route (which ran concurrently with Highway 410 north to before continuing west along what is today Bovaird Drive) easy to follow for motorists, the 107 designation was applied to Queen east of the 410, and to Bovaird west of it, with ''"Formerly Highway 7"'' tabs placed under the regional road shields. Later, the Peel Road 6 designation was given to Queen west of McMurchy Ave. west of downtown (not at the 410), hence the street's signing as two regional roads.

Prior to the construction of Highway 410, Highway 7 followed Queen as far west as Main Street to run concurrently with Highway 10 north to Bovaird Drive.

Public transit

There are three Brampton Transit trunk routes serving Queen Street; one a local bus route and two bus rapid transit (BRT) routes. The Route #1 Queen serves its entire length from Brampton's eastern limits to the streets western end at Mississauga Road, where it turns north, before briefly running east on Bovaird Drive to terminate at Mount Pleasant GO station, and there is also a limited-service 'A' branch serving a shorter section (roughly between Chinguacousy and Airport Roads) and looping via side streets.

The BRT routes, branded Züm, split service along both halves of Queen; divided at the Brampton Downtown Terminal. The 501 Züm Queen runs along the eastern half, stopping at the Bramalea Terminal, before continuing into the City of Vaughan along Highway 7, where it makes a connection with the Toronto subway system at the SmartVMC Bus Terminal (next to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station), where the route terminates.

561 Züm Queen West serves the western portion of Queen until Mississauga Road, where it turns north (as does Route #1) to reach Mount Pleasant GO station.

Route table:

Future bus rapid-way

The proposed Queen Street-Highway 7 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor is "poised to be a game-changer for Brampton and Vaughan". This project aims to address the city's growing transportation challenges while stimulating economic growth and enhancing quality of life.
Key benefits of a BRT on Queen Street include:
* Reduced traffic congestion: By providing a dedicated lane for buses, BRT can significantly improve travel times and reduce traffic congestion on Queen Street.
* Increased ridership: BRT's speed, reliability, and comfort can attract more people to choose public transit over personal vehicles.
* Economic development: BRT stations can serve as catalysts for development, attracting new businesses and investment to the area.
* Environmental sustainability: By reducing reliance on personal vehicles, BRT can help to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
* Improved accessibility: BRT can provide better access to jobs, education, healthcare, and other essential services for residents.
Next Steps
To move forward with the Queen Street BRT, several key steps need to be taken:
* Detailed planning and design: Developing a comprehensive plan for the BRT system, including station locations, route alignment, and operating schedules.
* Environmental impact assessment: Conducting a thorough assessment to identify potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures.
* Public consultation: Engaging with the community to gather feedback and address concerns.
* Funding acquisition: Securing the necessary financial resources to implement the project.
* Construction and implementation: Building the BRT infrastructure and launching the service.

Communities along the route

* Huttonville
* Springbrook
* Downtown Brampton
* Bramalea
* Claireville
* Ebenezer

Landmarks along the route

* Claireville Conservation Area
* Bramalea City Centre

See also

* List of roads in Brampton
* List of numbered roads in Peel Region
* Highway 7

References

{{Peel Regional Roads
107
Roads in Brampton