City of Toronto and advocates defend bike lanes from Ford government legislation

The Ford government’s proposed plan to limit bike lanes in Ontario would undermine municipal decision-making, worsen traffic congestion and hinder efforts to create safer, more sustainable streets, critics suggest.

The new legislation would require provincial approval and proof that vehicle traffic wasn’t negatively impacted before municipalities could add bike lanes that reduce traffic lanes. 

The government says it’s about making life easier for drivers.

In a statement, Ontario's Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkari said Ontario cities have seen a significant increase in bike lanes, many of which were added during the pandemic when traffic patterns were different and their impact on congestion was uncertain.

“Too many drivers are now stuck in gridlock as a result, which is why our government is bringing informed decision-making and oversight to bike lanes, as well as taking steps to increase speed limits safely and clean up potholes.”

The province says the legislation, part of Ontario’s fall legislative session beginning Oct. 21, aims to reduce gridlock and improve commuting for drivers across the province.

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow was quick to express her disapproval of the announcement. 

“I do not support limiting city powers,” said Chow in an email response to questions from Canada’s National Observer. “It’s always better when we work together to get things right. To tackle congestion and keep people safe on city roads, we need all types of transportation.”

Chow suggested that the province should prioritize completing major transit projects, like the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch LRT, as these would significantly reduce congestion in Toronto.

“As the Province's largest municipality, Toronto also needs our share of money to repair our aging roads and potholes to keep people moving.”

Many cities in Ontario are actively investing in bike lanes, with Toronto and Hamilton at the forefront of efforts to create bikeways that promote a more sustainable and cyclist-friendly urban environment.

There’s evidence from Ontario that bike lanes can have significant economic benefits for local businesses. In 2016, the city of Toronto installed a pilot bike lane along a busy 2.4 km stretch of Bloor Street downtown, removing some traffic lanes and about 100 parking spots. To evaluate its impact, the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) collaborated with local organizations and researchers from the University of Toronto to conduct surveys and bicycle counts.

The study found that businesses on Bloor and Danforth streets saw an increase in daily customers, with those arriving by foot or bike spending more than those who came by car or transit. Locals were 2.6 times more likely to spend at least $100 per month compared to customers from outside the area.

Business owners greatly overestimated the significance of traffic and parking, too. While the majority believed that at least 25 per cent of their customers were driving to Bloor, in fact, fewer than 10 per cent of customers reported arriving by car. 

Toronto city councillor Dianne Saxe, a strong advocate for bikes and bike lanes, described the proposed legislation as harmful to both the city and local businesses. 

“As always, what Ford is doing is bad for the city. It's bad for businesses and the environment,” Saxe said. 

“The claim is to reduce congestion, but it can only increase congestion, if you force people like me off my bike and into cars, which increases congestion.”

Saxe told Canada’s National Observer that in addition to the Bloor Street pilot looking at business traffic, studies show improved home values, reduced living costs for residents, and boosts to health and safety. She said many people in the city rely on biking as an affordable and efficient mode of transportation. 

The proposed law will make cycling less attractive and less safe, she said.

“It's not a solution. It's going to make the problem worse, just like building a highway makes sprawl worse, makes congestion worse, and makes travel times worse,” Saxe said. “It's bad law, bad science, bad urban policy.”

Saxe argues that the province’s intervention would strip municipalities of their ability to address local traffic and transportation needs, “sacrificing the city, yet again, to the interests of people who don't live in the city.”

Cycling advocates argue that, as cities grapple with issues, such as traffic congestion, air pollution and public health concerns, there is growing demand for cycling as a viable transportation option.

Nate Wallace, clean transportation program manager at Environmental Defence, accused the Ford government of scapegoating cyclists for a traffic problem largely created by its own policies.

“The Ontario government has done everything they can to encourage more driving," Wallace said in an email response. “From cuts to the gas tax, to eliminating licence plate fees, to building more highways while cutting transit operations funding and encouraging car-dependent sprawl. This has resulted in a traffic nightmare.”

Wallace said that if Minister Sarkaria examined the evidence, he would see that bike lanes help reduce gridlock. 

“Unfortunately, the minister is not looking for traffic solutions, just someone else to blame,” Wallace said. “It’s time to focus on real traffic solutions rather than playing politics with people’s lives.”

Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, welcomed the province’s focus on gridlock but argued that restricting municipalities from implementing bike lanes would undermine efforts to improve road safety. 

“All levels of government have a clear public health obligation to ensure roadways are safe for all users,” Longfield said. “And when it comes to building new bike lanes, the province needs to stay in its own lane.”

He mentioned that since the news of the legislation leaked, nearly 8,000 people have signed a petition opposing what they see as provincial overreach.

In an email response, Laura McQuillan, senior communications advisor for the City of Toronto, indicated that the city would withhold judgment on the proposed legislation until its details are made clear. 

McQuillan noted, however, that Toronto's current approach to bike lanes includes thorough traffic analysis and public consultation to balance the needs of different users, including drivers and cyclists alike. She explained that the city conducts various studies to monitor congestion and assess the traffic impacts of capital projects, including bikeways.

Ontario Green Party deputy leader Aislinn Clancy characterized the announcement as a distraction from the government's inability to provide serious solutions to the gridlock issue.

“If we want to solve our traffic problems, we need to give people more choices – not take them away,” Clancy said in a statement shared with Canada's National Observer. “More people biking, walking or taking public transit means more people not in cars and less gridlock. It means kids (like mine) can bike to school safely.”

Clancy said that Ontario needs a genuine plan to address gridlock by investing in public transit and infrastructure, creating communities that allow people to avoid long commutes. “The Ford government clearly doesn’t have that plan.”