January 28, 2025 - The Ontario government announced today that it has “retained an engineering company to complete design work, as it prepares to reinstate vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West, Yonge Street and University Avenue,” reports CP24 and other outlets – read the announcement here.
Last year in late Nov., the province passed Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, allowing the government to remove existing bike lanes, and mandating that municipalities request permission to build bike lanes that require the removal of traffic lanes.
The controversial bill was met with stiff opposition from cycling communities across the province, primarily from Cycle Toronto, a non-profit cycling advocacy group, that launched a Charter challenge against Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government in Dec. and is currently seeking an injunction on March 11, to block the removal of any bike lanes until the full case can be heard. – read more here.
City staff have estimated it will cost $48 million to remove the three Toronto bike lanes, while the cost to install them was $27 million, but Ford has taken issue with that estimate. Whatever the cost it’s taxpayers who will ultimately foot the bill if the bike lanes do come out, a move not supported by the City, Mayor Olivia Chow, cycling advocacy groups, doctors, city planners and more.
Mayor Chow is still hopeful and “continues to engage with the provincial government to find a constructive solution” reports the Toronto Star – read more here.
Critics point to a critical last-minute amendment to Bill 212 that strongly suggests that the government it well aware of the dangers and risks, as the amendment protects the provincial government from lawsuits filed by cyclists, or their families, if they are injured or killed in an area where a bike lane has been removed.
According to Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, “Our government has heard loud and clear from residents and businesses about the problems with gridlock. The failed approach of installing bike lanes without a second thought for drivers or local businesses is not working.”
Yet countless studies claim the opposite, including Toronto’s Bloor Annex BIA that issued a statement on Oct. 23 telling Ontario’s Premier Ford to “back off their bike lanes as they are having a positive impact, adding that removing any bike lanes in the area would be disastrous to the neighbourhood.” – read more here.
The BIA estimates that about 8,000 cyclists per day currently use the Bloor St. bike lanes and adds that bike lanes reduce congestion, which is also supported by independent studies.
The province says that only 1.2% of the city’s population actually commutes to work by bike, citing Statistics Canada data from the 2011 census, but the City of Toronto’s Respecting Local Democracy and Cities – Supplemental Report: Impact of Bill 212 Bike Lanes clearly shows massive ridership increases following the installation of cycling infrastructure, eclipsing 600% in some cases – read more here.
Ridership in Toronto is estimated at upwards of 10% of the city’s population, and Bike Share Toronto reported a record 7 million trips across the city in 2024, up from 5.7 million the year before, and just 665,000 in 2015.
Read more in CP24 here.
