Ford government moving ahead with plan to remove Toronto bike lanes

Posted January 28, 2025 10:29 am.
Last Updated January 28, 2025 12:27 pm.
The Ford government announced it’s hired an engineering firm to finalize the design for removing bike lanes from certain Toronto streets.
With an election announcement slated for Wednesday, the province revealed its intentions to reinstall vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West, Yonge Street, and University Avenue.
“Our government has heard loud and clear from residents and businesses about the problems with gridlock. The failed approach of installing bike lanes without a second thought for drivers or local businesses is not working,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation.
“By freeing up some of Toronto’s most important roads, we’re bringing common sense back to municipal planning.”
The government did not indicate when the bike lanes would be removed.
Premier Doug Ford has often complained about some bike lanes creating gridlock, particularly on a stretch of Bloor Street West, about a 10-minute drive from his home in Toronto’s west end.
Christine Hogarth, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, echoed Ford’s past comments on Tuesday.
“The bike lanes on Bloor were troubling from the start for the many residents that shop and live in the community,” Hogarth said. “The lanes were underutilized and caused stress on drivers, seniors, those with accessibility issues and made it harder for emergency responders to get through our community. Removing these bike lanes makes sense for our community and it cannot be done soon enough.”
City and province at odds over bike lanes
In November, Ontario passed legislation preventing municipalities from adding new bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic. The bill also allows the removal of the bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue.
Just before the Christmas holidays, cyclists launched a Charter challenge against the Ford government over its decision to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street West, Yonge Street and University Avenue, alleging the change puts lives at risk.
The City of Toronto also opposed the province’s legislation titled “Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024,” which estimated that removing $27 million worth of bike lane infrastructure would cost $48 million.
Mayor Olivia Chow has repeatedly called it an overreach by Premier Ford and the province.

Sarkaria has stated that the province will establish a clear set of criteria for reviewing municipalities’ requests to install bike lanes, including effects on traffic volume, road safety, and emergency response times, but maintained that “If we determine that building those bike lanes would make congestion worse, they will not get built.”
The legislation also requires municipalities to provide data on existing bike lanes, which could be removed.
“From day one, the bike lanes on Bloor West have been poorly planned, sitting empty for half the year, hurting local businesses and making life harder for drivers and pedestrians,” said Sam Pappas, Board Member of Balance on Bloor.
“Restoring vehicle lanes on major roads in Toronto is a major milestone that will help our community continue to thrive.”
With files from The Canadian Press