Hamilton’s public transit agency remains unprepared for major road closures and system disruptions.

The Ontario Provincial Police had to close Highway 403 between Main Street West and York Boulevard on April 22 in response to a suicidal individual on the King Street West bridge above the highway. Hamilton Police closed the bridge on King Street West.

The result was traffic congestion in West Hamilton – something which occurs infrequently, but not uncommonly.

The Hamilton Street Railway is one of the largest transit systems in Canada; however, it does not have plans in place for rerouting during major road disruptions.

Last Tuesday, the HSR had to cancel numerous bus trips in Stoney Creek because buses were stuck in traffic leaving Dundas’ University Gardens plaza. The 1-King travelling to Eastgate Square had service gaps of over 30 minutes, instead of a bus every six minutes.

HSR Director Maureen Cosyn Heath stated on Monday, April 28, that last week’s event was “a rather extensive, unpredictable closure that put us in a position where there was no alternative.”

Asked why buses were not turned around before getting stuck in traffic, similar to how GO Transit implemented its detour plans for major road closures in Hamilton, Cosyn Heath stated the HSR always conducts reviews following major events.

She added that the planned revamp of the HSR routes will provide more network resiliency.

Production Details
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Published: May 2, 2025
Last updated: May 2, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman

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  1. Reviewing after the fact is similar to closing the barn door after the horses have left is it not? Not sure how or why this helps when such things do happen? Then again the more things change, the more they remain the same with HSR muckety mucks! Heck, still can’t use their QR code to track buses from the cyber incident of February 2024?!?!

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  2. A whole thirty minutes gap in service. It would be nice to have service that often on some of the mountain routes.

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