Advocates rally in Etobicoke to oppose Ford’s bike lane restrictions

A rally was held at High Park on Wednesday night to oppose the Doug Ford government’s proposed plan to restrict bike lanes in Toronto, which many called an attack on cyclists.

“The province coming in and saying, no, us unilaterally will decide what stays what gets built is really just overreach,” said Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto.

Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria made the announcement Tuesday morning alongside area MPP Christine Hogarth and the owner of a west-end Toronto restaurant on Bloor Street West.

Under the proposed provincial legislation, the transportation minister would have the authority to approve or deny plans to remove vehicular traffic lanes and install bike lanes.

Organizers of the rally at High Park say Premier Ford has launched an “us versus them campaign” against people on bikes.

“These types of infrastructures are really meaningful to people; they help people get to parts of the city, and they help people make local trips,” added Longfield.

As part of the justification for the move, the province cited a study that found Toronto had the third-slowest average traffic travel times out of 387 cities surveyed.

Sarkaria also said municipalities that enacted these bike lane changes over the past five years will be asked to submit data on commute times used in the decision-making process to Ontario’s transportation ministry.

Many advocates who assembled at the rally said the idea could be dangerous for those who regularly cycle on city roads.

“We can’t throw away human life for the slight driving inconvenience. That’s not acceptable, that’s not OK,” said Jess Spieker of Friends and Families for Safe Streets.

Cyclists later travelled to Etobicoke Collegiate Institute (ECI) for a meeting to discuss bike lanes on Bloor Street West.

Ford says traffic in parts of the city is disastrous. Toronto’s Mayor counters

Premier Ford, who lives in the west end of Toronto, has complained about bike lanes installed on Bloor Street West, saying the street is jammed and first responders are having difficulty getting through the congestion.

“There’s a petition just in Etobicoke for 50,000 people signing to get rid of these bike lanes,” he said last month. “You might see four or five bikes as you see traffic lined up down the road for kilometres and kilometres. … It’s an absolute disaster.”

Toronto’s Director of Transportation Project Design and Management said traffic is taking longer to move through that area, and the city is looking at methods to improve that, including syncing traffic lights.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she does not support limiting city powers.

“It’s always better when we work together to get things right,” she wrote in a statement this week. “To tackle congestion and keep people safe on city roads, we need all types of transportation. The province should focus on their job of finally getting the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch LRT open, which will have a huge impact on congestion in our city.” 

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario also reacted, releasing a statement that reads in part, “There have been recent examples of unintended consequences when the province has tried to take over local decision-making. We urge the province to respect local decision-making when considering transportation improvements and not repeat its mistakes of the past.”

Those gathered at Wednesday’s rally said they are concerned that the proposed legislation could impact the Bloor Street West bike lane extension project. However, Sakaria, Ontario’s Transportation Minister, has said there are no current plans to order the removal of the lanes.

The pending legislation will be introduced once the legislature resumes on Oct. 21.

With files from Nick Westoll of The Leader Spirit and the Canadian Press