St. Thomas to look at potential $500 million Transportation Master Plan over next 30 years

The City of St. Thomas is looking into a 25-year Transportation Master Plan at City Council on Oct. 14, 2025. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV News London)

With the population of St. Thomas, Ont. projected to nearly double to 80,000 over the next 25 years, consultants are working on a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) refresh.

Kevin Jones of Paradigm Transportation Services Ltd. (PTSL) will go before city council Tuesday, Oct. 14 to present his plans to handle planned industrial development and projected residential growth.

The plan, broken into two five-year segments and two-10-year blocks, could cost a staggering $500 million if council approved everything in the report.

PTSL was retained a year ago and used an online public survey, two public open house events, stakeholder meetings and youth engagement to determine the next steps forward.

The youth engagement was done in partnership with the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and the STEAM Education Centre, which engaged 72 local high school students from Parkside and Central Elgin Collegiate Institutes to share their ideas and vision for transportation in St Thomas.

In a report to council by Jones, the key feedback themes which emerged were:

• There is a need to enhance the transit system in the community to support growth
• A strong network of pedestrian and cycling routes, separated from traffic
• Updating parking polices, managing transportation demand, and embracing new technologies
• A more strategic approach to investments in road improvements

The report also states by 2051 the transportation system in St. Thomas will be “a multi-modal transportation network that facilitates connectivity for residents to jobs, services, and recreation providing options for traveling within and beyond the City safely and efficiently.”

The TMP has a goal by 2051 of reducing car transportation from 93 per cent to 83 per cent, increasing bus transportation from 0.3 per cent to six per cent, and doubling walking and cycling use from five percent to 10 per cent.

The TMP also identified key priorities when planning for a modern transit system.

1. Fix transit coverage gaps in the fixed route service

2. Extend hours of fixed route service to serve more customers

3. Provide service to new growth areas

4. Add new fixed routes to reduce journey times

5. Increase bus frequency to encourage higher ridership

The complete report can be found here.