The Ontario government says it will introduce legislation that would require municipalities to get provincial approval before building any new bike lanes that reduce lanes of vehicle traffic.
Municipalities would need to demonstrate any proposed bike lanes will not have a “negative impact in vehicle traffic,” according to the province.
The government will also request data from municipalities on bike lane projects initiated in the last five years, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said Tuesday in Toronto.
“Across our province, we’re seeing an explosion of bike lanes, including many that were installed during the pandemic when fewer vehicles were on the road and their impacts on traffic were unclear,” he said.
“Strategically placed bike lanes are a vital part of every city, offering residents a safe and a reliable way to move around. What cities should not be doing, however, is taking away lanes of traffic on our more most congested roads,” Sarkaria continued, adding that bike lanes should be installed on side streets instead.
He made the announcement at an Etobicoke restaurant and pool hall on Bloor Street W. The busy thoroughfare has become a flash point for the debate about bike lanes in the city, with residents and business owners split over protected lanes that were installed in 2023.
Premier Doug Ford, who lives in Etobicoke, has complained about the bike lanes, saying the street is jammed and first responders are having a hard time getting through the congestion.
The City of Toronto has disputed that claim, saying last month that emergency services have not raised any official concerns about the bike lanes.
Under the looming legislation, the ultimate decision on whether a lane of traffic can be removed for a bike lane will fall to the minister, not to bureaucrats within the ministry, Sarkaria said.
He also repeatedly implied the existing bike lanes on Yonge Street, Avenue Road, College Street, Harbord Street and Bloor Street in Toronto will be reviewed by the province. He said the lanes are “staying in right now,” but suggested the provincial government could require the city to do so at a future date pending a review of data related to the lanes’ impacts on travel times for drivers.
The legislation, which will be introduced once the legislature resumes Oct. 21 after an extended summer break, will also include other measures the government says will tackle gridlock. Among them is a plan to increase speed limits to 110 km/h on all 400-series highways “where it is safe to do so.”
Similarly, the province says it is also “developing a design standard to allow vehicles to travel safely at speeds higher than 120 km/h on new highways.”
More to come.