Toronto cycling organization calls for Ontario government to rethink decision on limiting new bike lanes

A cycling charity is urging the provincial government to stay in its own lane when it comes to installing bike lanes on Toronto’s roads.

In a video posted to X on Monday, Cycle Toronto highlighted the incomplete cycling network on city streets, particularly on Dupont Street, which it called “dangerous.”

The City of Toronto has proposed the development of a complete street on Dupont Street, extending 4.7 kilometers between Dundas Street West and Davenport Road. The idea of ​​a complete street is to meet the needs of all road users, providing pedestrians, cyclists and motorists with a functional road network and better connected access. With several residential redevelopments underway, improvements on Dupont Street should be particularly beneficial for residents without vehicles.

The city is still agreeing to public consultations on the road and construction would begin sometime in 2025. But Cycle Toronto fears the whole thing could be canceled due to the Ontario government’s reluctance to put in new bike lanes.

On Monday, the Ford government introduced a bill that would give the province the power to prevent cities from building new bike lanes, in an effort to reduce congestion.

Under the new bill, municipalities would require provincial approval before installing new bike lanes, which would result in the removal of traffic lanes.

“There is room for cyclists… but traffic jams are reaching an unprecedented level,” Transport Minister Prabmeet Sakaria said in a video of a press conference posted on his X account.

Premier Doug Ford echoed a similar sentiment at a news conference a few days later, saying he planned to remove existing bike lanes on major roads if it would cause car traffic to stop.

In response to Ford’s promise to remove already existing cycling infrastructure, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she did not support limiting the city’s powers.

“Tearing up our roads will make congestion worse,” Chow posted on roads that have made it more difficult to get around our city. »

Cycle Toronto has launched a petition asking the provincial government to listen to communities across Ontario who want to improve the growing cycling network.

“In cities and towns across Ontario, people want a more vibrant and user-friendly public realm. They know that reducing traffic congestion is about giving people more transportation options, not fewer,” the petition reads.

“Ontarians want to go carbon neutral for a greener, healthier future and want their communities connected so that not all trips to school, the store or work have to be made by car.

So far, the petition has garnered more than 10,500 signatures.

Reactions to the government’s new approval process for bike lanes have been divided among Ontarians.

“Desperately needed,” one user wrote on X.

“Traffic on Dupont is often pretty busy,” another user said. “I can’t imagine how slow it will be if a bike lane is added. »

“Under the Highway Code, bicycles are considered vehicles and have the right to a lane,” underlined a user of the platform.

“There are so few arteries to go from the west to downtown and now another one will be blocked,” another X user said.