Ontario government to backtrack on bike lane removal?

In a time when there’s plenty of bad news, cyclists might finally have something to celebrate.

The Ontario government appears to be backing away from plans to remove bike lanes from major arterial roads in Toronto following discussions with the city. For months, the Ford government has pushed to eliminate lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University.

Bill 212, passed in fall 2024, requires provincial approval for any new bike lanes that replace traffic lanes and gives the province authority to remove some existing ones. Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria argued the move was necessary to ease congestion in the downtown core.

Plans to change?

However, at a press conference Tuesday with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, signs of a possible shift emerged.

“Our non-negotiable is to get a lane of traffic back into place to reduce the congestion and allow people to move more freely,” Sarkaria said. “We will work with the city if there are alternative ways to reinstate a bike lane, but for us, the lane of traffic has to be back.”

Chow responded, “There are sections where it could be a win-win solution—where we could add car lanes back in but still protect cyclists and maintain a bike lane.”

Local cyclists fight back

In March, a court denied CycleTO’s request to block the province from moving forward with bike lane removals. The group had sought an injunction ahead of its Charter challenge, scheduled for April 16. While Judge Firestone ruled in the province’s favour, he acknowledged the case had merit but said the group hadn’t met the high bar of proving an injunction better served the public interest.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Michael Longfield of CycleTO in an interview with The Trillium. “But we think the decision still shows that our Charter challenge itself has merit.” He noted the judge recognized the serious issue of irreparable harm to cyclists. “It just seems that we lost on the issue of balance of convenience—the presumption that because this legislation was passed by the provincial government, it is inherently valid.”

Compromise between both sides?

Sarkaria repeated that the province is open to working with Toronto if a compromise is possible. “We will work with the city if there are alternative ways to reinstate a bike lane, but for us, the lane of traffic has to be back.”

Matti Siemiatycki, Director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto, told CityNews he believes a compromise is achievable. “I’d want to see what the technical solution is,” he said. “The key is that the bike lanes are evidence-based, that they’re being well-used, and that they’re improving safety.”

Chow echoed that sentiment. “In other areas where bike lanes have been established for a long time and are working well—where local businesses and residents support them and they’re used by tens of thousands of cyclists—there’s no reason to touch those,” she said.

In a statement, the Ministry of Transportation also suggested room for compromise.

“Where both a reinstated car lane and a bike lane can exist, we are open to collaboration with the City of Toronto, provided they fund their portion of the identified infrastructure needs.”

With CycleTO’s Charter challenge set for April 16, it’s unclear whether the province is responding to public pressure, legal risk, or both.