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Opposition continues to pour in over Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s fight against bike lanes. The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI), with over 5,000 members, sent a letter to the government opposing new legislation that could remove bike lanes in Toronto or any other municipality.
The letter to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation warns the proposed legislation undermines environmental goals and more: removing bike lanes will increase car dependency, worsen congestion and hinder urban mobility, the planning group argues.
The proposed legislation, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, would remove bike lanes on major Toronto streets, including Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue. It would also require municipalities to seek provincial approval before adding additional bike lanes if doing so would reduce lanes for vehicles. The government argues the bill aims to “make life easier for drivers” and reduce traffic congestion deemed the worst in North America.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkari says that cities across the province have seen a “significant increase” in bike lanes, many of which were introduced during the pandemic when traffic patterns were altered and the impact on congestion remained uncertain. He argued many drivers are now experiencing gridlock as a result and said the government is implementing informed decision-making and oversight of bike lanes.
Claire Basinski, chair of OPPI, told Canada's National Observer that as cities grow, alternative transportation options are crucial for efficiency and reducing emissions, especially as many urban streets are already too congested to accommodate more cars.
“Right now, the reliance on vehicles is significantly impacting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” Basinski said. “It’s the most prominent contributor to the environmental degradation we’ve seen over the past several decades.”
Basinski said space for bike lanes should not be viewed as contributing to congestion. “One lane of mixed traffic can move up to 2,000 passengers per hour in optimal conditions. However, a dedicated bike lane can move up to 12,000 passengers per hour,” the letter reads.
”What problem is this (the proposed legislation) actually solving?” Basinski said. “If anything, it seems to move us backward, away from the common goal of creating complete, livable and sustainable communities that are accessible to all Ontarians, regardless of where they live.”
Before bike lanes are built, they go through a rigourous evaluation process to ensure they are built in optimal locations, Baskinski said. These routes and facilities are carefully recommended by professional planners, engineers and other experts, and are aligned with municipally adopted plans.
In a separate letter to city council, the University of Toronto (U of T) expressed strong support for maintaining and expanding bike lanes around its St. George campus, noting that 85 per cent of U of T students are commuters, many by bike. “Cycling is an affordable and environmentally-friendly transportation option that fosters greener, healthier communities,” said Andrew Thomson, chief of government relations at U of T. “It aligns with our Climate Positive Campus Plan, which has contributed to our ranking as the most sustainable university in the world.”
The City of Toronto estimates the cost to taxpayers for removing these bike lanes could reach $48 million, with the city already investing $27 million in their construction. Restoring vehicle lanes will likely offer minimal improvements in travel time and undermine the public health, environmental and economic benefits of active transportation, the report warns.
Bike Share Toronto has experienced impressive growth, with memberships doubling from 18,000 in 2020 to more than 35,000 in 2023, the report notes. Total trips by bike share surged from 2.9 million in 2020 to 5.7 million in 2023.
With more than half of downtown Toronto residents lacking access to a car, it is important to invest in transit and bikeway infrastructure, the report says.
Comments
It's so egregious, it's hard to know what to think. I'm writing just now from outside Copenhagen, a city that would have standstill traffic if most people didn't bike to work or school on the fabulous cycling infrastructure.
It would be fairly easy to make a lane unusable for cars. I wonder if there's a group in Toronto that could promise, perhaps anonymously, to do so in every place a bike lane is removed?
Does Ford actually care about congestion or is he using this as a wedge issue? The only way to really reduce congestion in the long term is to take private vehicles off the road by making it more expensive to use them in congested areas (eg the congestion charge zone in London, UK) while also offering compelling active and mass transit options.
One more lane isn't the answer - how many lanes is the 401 through Toronto?
Doug should ask Vancouver. A fair part of a downtown Vancouver street, Granville, has been private-vehicle-free for several decades. My daughter was small when we killed time on Granville Street downtown, waiting for travel connections, along Granville. There was a free "train" not unlike the trollies you find in some airports, that travelled the length of the car-free zone, and passengers could get the driver to stop at any address. She'd have happily rode up and down the street, all afternoon!!! The elderly ladies with canes liked it too.