October 9, 2026 - According to a Notice of Construction issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) the province will begin removing Toronto bike lanes from a 1.2-kilometre section on Bloor Street W. in Etobicoke between Clissold Road and Royal York Road on October 13.
The move comes two months after the Court of Appeal ruled in August that Premier Doug Ford’s government can rip out 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes in Toronto along Bloor St., University Ave. and Yonge St., reversing a lower-court decision made in July 2025 – read more here.
This province is moving ahead despite a government-commissioned report by the engineering firm CIMA+ which found that the removal of the bike lanes could increase collisions by 54% for all road users and would be unlikely to reduce congestion.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow vows to mobilize efforts against the removal of bike lanes if re-elected telling CBC, “It is outrageous, he’s overstepping. That is trampling on local democracy, the right of Torontonians through their municipal government to have a say over the municipal affairs of this city. Whether it is bike lanes, speed cameras, the Island airport, every element we need to have our say. The city belongs to all of us Torontonians through the municipal government.”
Advocacy group Cycle Toronto is outraged but not surprised and claims that it’s a truly shameful day, and an international embarrassment for Ontario.
“Ripping out these protected bike lanes against the will of Toronto city council is a colossal waste of $48 million. The province’s own experts know it will not ease traffic congestion, it will put people’s lives at risk, and there is no network of side streets that could replace these lanes,” commented Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto.
Ontario healthcare workers, the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and many others have denounced Ontario’s plans to remove bike lanes and urge the province to back down as the battle for bike lanes in Toronto continues.
Local cycling advocacy groups have planned an All Out protest ride on Oct. 13 at Islington and Royal York to disrupt, or try to make it difficult for the bike lanes to be removed. Previous protest rides have seen up to 1,000 riders or more show up on mass in support of bike lanes – read more here and here.
Read more on CBC here.
