Province restoring lane of traffic on stretch of Bloor Street in Etobicoke, will keep bike lanes

The Ford government will be restoring a lane of traffic on Bloor Street West in Etobicoke amid an ongoing court case over the removal of bike lanes in the City of Toronto.

The province says between Resurrection Road, just east of Kipling Avenue, and Clissold Road, just west of Islington Avenue, one lane of traffic will be restored.

The work will require a bike lane in one direction to be temporarily removed to complete the work.

The Minister of Transportation Singh Sarkaria says the work is consistent with the court ruling blocking bike lanes from being removed as the stretch of road will include new protected bike lanes once construction is completed.

“We want to ensure that we’re consistent with the court’s ruling, but ultimately, we were going to continue to show progress on our plan to get the City of Toronto moving getting vehicle lanes reinstated wherever possible, where they have been removed in the past is really important for us, and this is one way of showing that step forward,” said Sarkaria.

Mayor Olivia Chow said she welcomes the announcement from the province, calling it a “win-win solution.”

“We know bike lanes save lives, protect cyclists, but we also know that it is important to have less congestion,” said Chow.

Chow added they continue to work with the provincial government to try and find solutions like these. “We are talking to the provincial government. We’re doing drawings to look at ways to accommodate both the car lanes and preserve the bike lanes. And here’s the result of it.”

Premier Doug Ford’s government is currently appealing a recent Ontario Superior Court decision that struck down its plan to remove bike lanes on three major Toronto streets. Ford called the ruling “the most ridiculous” he’s ever seen.

The court found the province’s legislation — which targeted bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue — unconstitutional, citing increased risks to cyclist safety and a lack of evidence that the removals would reduce traffic congestion.

When asked about how bike lanes were deemed okay in this case, Sakaria said this is an example of where we can have both lanes moving forward. “That’s what we’re going to do, that’s what the people want in the city, is to get people more moving, restore those vehicle lanes and make it easier to get around.”

Construction is set to begin on Oct. 20 and is expected to cost $750,000.