Government of Ontario takes action to compel localities

Government of Ontario takes action to compel localities to obtain permission for bike lanes that replace motor lanes.



According to the Ford administration, Toronto has the third-longest travel times worldwide. We have a meeting with Prabmeet Sarkaria, the minister of transportation, to talk about his ideas for accelerating the process.

The Ford administration has declared its intention to present laws that will limit the elimination of car lanes in favour of bike lanes in local governments located in Ontario.

The announcement, which infuriated some, was made on Tuesday morning by Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, local MPP Christine Hogarth, and the proprietor of a west-end Toronto eatery on Bloor Street West, just a short distance from the location where bike lanes were put in last year.


Every community needs bike lanes because they provide citizens with  a dependable and safe means of transportation. Removing lanes from our most clogged highways is something that cities shouldn't be doing, according to Sarkaria.


"Informed decision making and oversight to process that is frankly out of control," he contended, will be brought about by the law. It is currently limited to upcoming bike lane projects.



The transportation minister would have direct jurisdiction under the proposed legislation to approve or disapprove plans to establish bike lanes and remove motor traffic lanes.

Sarkaria used a report by satellite navigation company TomTom to support the proposal, claiming Toronto had the third-slowest average traffic travel time. times among the 387 cities questioned.

Additionally, Sarkaria stated that the transportation ministry of Ontario will request commuter time statistics from municipalities that have implemented these bike lane modifications in the last five years. What might occur after such info is uploaded is unknown.



He claimed that there were times when statistics collected at the local level to support bike lane initiatives didn't show that people weren't riding their bicycles in the winter, on wet days, or in extremely hot weather.

Although the Bloor Street West bike lane extension project has caused controversy, Sarkaria stated that there are currently no intentions to order the lanes to be removed.

Related: Toronto accepts a number of new bike lanes while some mayoral contenders promise to cease their implementation
Reporters also questioned him about any intentions to implement such procedures for other initiatives and events, such as sidewalk widening, that would have an impact on automobile traffic.

It is crucial to make sure that we don't exacerbate the traffic jams we already have by adding more bike lanes. "Municipalities are still free to install bike lanes where they do not remove traffic and they are still free to do the other pedestrian zones as they wish or as they so please," Sarkaria stated.



Although the specific date of the legislation's introduction in the Ontario legislature is unknown, it is anticipated to pass given the government's majority.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Olivia Chow expressed her opposition to the Ontario government's attempt to curtail her authority.

Related: Toronto LRT troubles: Eglinton Crosstown won't open until 2025, and a lawsuit against Finch West is pending
When we collaborate to make the proper decisions, everything turns out better. We need all forms of mobility to combat traffic congestion and ensure public safety on city streets," the author stated.

"The Province should concentrate on their task of completing the opening of the Finch (West) and Eglinton Crosstown LRTs, as this will significantly reduce traffic in our city."



Following the announcement, Aislinn Clancy, the MPP for Kitchener Centre and deputy leader of the Green Party of Ontario, termed the legislation "a distraction" and stated the government doesn't have a "serious solution" to the impasse.

"We need to provide people more options, not fewer, in order to address our traffic issues. More people not in automobiles and decreased traffic jams result from more people riding, walking, or using public transportation, according to Clancy.

Bicycle lanes on Bloor Street West are the focus of an Ontario announcement.
A discussion among cyclists, entrepreneurs, and worried citizens provided the context for Tuesday's declaration.

A change.org petition regarding road congestion, reported underutilization, and effects on foot traffic to businesses was started in October 2023. Thousands of people signed it.

"We support a reassessment to guarantee a peaceful and secure harmony between bike lanes and automobile traffic, stressing the necessity for Bloor Street to maintain two traffic lanes in each direction. The petition's author, Cody MacRae, wrote at the time.


"Extensive" community and business consultation took place, according to a City of Toronto spokesperson at the time, with the goal of "maintaining roadway space for transit, emergency services, deliveries, shopping, and commuting, as well as improving safety for people walking, cycling, and driving."


The cycling network plan for Toronto stated that while it anticipates that the intersections in the Bloor West Village region will "generally operate well," lane adjustments may result in some increases in delays.

"The results of three different research were that the installation of bikeways on several stretches of Bloor Street West considerably enhanced traffic safety, the amount of people riding in the region, and the prosperity of nearby businesses.

The Crooked Cue's owner and longtime Etobicoke resident Sam Pappas voiced his displeasure with the bike lane project during the news conference on Tuesday. He claimed to have surveillance footage from his business that demonstrates delays beyond the two minutes that City of Toronto authorities claimed to have seen.


"This is not only an enormous waste of tax payers' money, but it also makes it even more absurd for the distribution of space and resources," Pappas remarked, citing winter plowing and a significant decline in bicycle utilization.

Associated: Transformative Work portion of West Bloor Street currently under construction
In order to address safety issues, Toronto city council members demanded improved upkeep throughout the winter months earlier in 2024.

Hogarth, who referred to Tuesday's statement as "a victory of common sense," said that her office had received multiple concerns, some of which had to do with traffic and the ease with which emergency vehicles could navigate the area. According to a survey conducted online and published on her website, about 60% of respondents supported the removal of the bike lanes on Bloor Street West.

An extensive amount of signatures have been collected on a petition by Cycle Toronto in support of the bike lanes, according to David Shellnutt, a lawyer specializing in cycling-related issues and injuries.



"In a great deal our situations, instances of Toronto Infrastructure that was secure and protected could have prevented serious collisions, injuries, and even fatalities. He wrote, "There can be no factual, statistical, or reasonable justification for obstructing the provision of safe infrastructure."

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