Toronto says ‘sorry not sorry’ in clever bike lane workaround
The city is narrowing car lanes—but not removing them—to stay within provincial rules while adding more cycling infrastructure
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Toronto has outlined a new approach to expanding its bike network that stays just inside the limits set by Queen’s Park. According to CityNews, the city plans to narrow vehicle lanes—rather than remove them—to make room for cycling infrastructure following the passage of Ontario’s Bill 60.
The provincial law bars municipalities from adding bike lanes if doing so would “reduce or permit a reduction in the number of marked lanes” for motor vehicles. Toronto’s latest Cycling Network Plan update says it can still add more than 20 kilometres of bike routes by slimming lane widths to current municipal standards. Staff say the change supports safer driving speeds while allowing room for protected cycling space.
Mayor Olivia Chow said Monday the design shift amounts to a straightforward compromise rather than a workaround. “We keep the car lanes, we put the bike lanes in, everyone’s happy and we keep cyclists safe,” she said, noting the city is “moving ahead” with the plan.
One of the early projects is a six-kilometre section of Kingston Road, where renderings show bike lanes fitted alongside maintained traffic lanes.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the province has no issue with the approach as long as vehicle lanes remain intact. “If there is a way where you can have both the vehicle lane and a bike lane on the same street, then that is OK,” he said.
The city’s fourth-quarter cycling update lists nearly a dozen projects. They range from cycle tracks to multi-use trails. The projects have a combined estimated cost of $30.4 million. The list includes planned work on Keele Street, Trethewey Drive, Martin Grove Road, Morningside Avenue, and neighbourhood connections in Malvern and Alton Towers.
Meanwhile, the Ford government is appealing an Ontario Superior Court ruling. That judgment struck down its order to remove bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University. The court found the law unconstitutional, citing heightened safety risks for cyclists and a lack of evidence that removing lanes would ease congestion.
Toronto isn’t the only place in Canada where cycling advocates are trying to fight back and preserve valuable cycling infrastructure. In Montreal, locals are pushing back against the new administration’s plans to kibosh or limit present or future bike lanes.