October 15, 2024 - The Ontario government says it will introduce legislation that would require municipalities to get provincial approval before building any new bike lanes that remove car lanes reports CBC, City News Everywhere and other outlets.
Ontario Transportation Minister, Prabmeet Sarkaria, made the announcement on Oct. 15 at a west-end Toronto restaurant on Bloor Street West steps away from where bike lanes were installed last year in Etobicoke which have become a flash point for the debate about bike lanes in the city.
According to the province, municipalities would need to demonstrate that any proposed bike lanes will not have a “negative impact on vehicle traffic”. The government will also request data from municipalities on bike lane projects initiated in the last five years that replaced car lanes.
The City of Toronto has disputed claims regarding emergency vehicles being affected, saying last month that emergency services have not raised any official concerns about bike lanes.
Sarkaria claimed that data gathered at the municipal level to advance bike lane projects did not reflect a lack of bicycle usage during the winter, on rainy days or when there was excessive heat.
He also cited a study by satellite navigation company TomTom that found Toronto had the third-slowest average traffic travel times out of 387 cities surveyed.
Yet according to a City of Toronto study, bike lanes on Bloor St. W. saw a 56% increase in cyclists, positive economic impact for businesses, and improved safety for all road users among other benefits – read more here.
For now current bike lanes are “staying in right now,” but Sarkaria suggested that the province could require their removal at a future date pending a review of data related to their impact on travel times for drivers.
As 2024 has been the deadliest year for cyclists in the city advocates say more needs to done to protect cyclists and that everybody benefits from this type of infrastructure.
Read more in CBC here.
Read Ontario’s official release here.
Read more in City News Everywhere here.
