January 30, 2026 - (Toronto, ON) Cyclists in Toronto were back in the Court of Appeal for Ontario on Jan. 28 to defend their previous successful challenge in the Superior Court vs the province’s attempt to rip up three stretches of the city’s bike lanes reports CBC.
Premier Doug Ford’s government passed Bill 212 into law in 2024, aiming to remove 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes in Toronto along Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue, claiming their removal would reduce traffic congestion.
Led by Cycle Toronto, cyclists had argued that dismantling protected lanes would breach their Charter rights to life, liberty, and security, and in July 2025, Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas sided with the cyclists – read more here.
He also noted that the government proceeded despite its own advisers and external experts broadly agreeing that it would not accomplish its stated goal to reduce traffic congestion — and could possibly make it worse.
The judge found that even if the province’s claim was taken at face value, the harm caused to cyclists would be way out of step with the law’s intent to save some drivers “a few minutes of travel time.”
The province had argued that a decision in favour of the cyclists would effectively create a right to bike lanes, but this was also dismissed by Schabas.
While the case was being decided the government attempted to amend the law changing the language from “removal” to “reconfiguration,” but Schabas found that was an attempt to evade his ruling, noting that removing the bike lanes, or reconfiguring them so they’re no longer separated, would lead to more accidents, injuries and death. The government recognized as much when it added an immunity clause to the legislation shielding it from liability, his ruling said.
As part of its appeal, the province argued that improving travel time by reducing congestion was not its sole goal, but rather to also allow more cars on the road by people who want to drive. The province’s legal team said that Schabas erred in finding that bike lane removals would violate the right to life, liberty and security of a person as that section of the Charter “was never intended to subject legislation that has any impact on safety to judicial scrutiny.”
According to a 2024 Toronto city staff report, research suggests that the risk of cyclist injury on a major street with parked cars and no cycling infrastructure is about nine times greater than on a protected bike lane.
“We’re really just trying to push back against some pretty blatant government overreach, and protecting this infrastructure that’s been put in by the City of Toronto following the best practices of transportation experts,” commented Michael Longfield, Executive Director at Cycle Toronto. “The Ford government is wasting time and public money on a bad-faith culture war, against the advice of its own experts, at a moment when Ontarians need leadership focused on real solutions for real challenges.”
A decision on the appeal, to be made by a panel of three judges, will come at a later date.
Read the full CBC report here.
