City council moving ahead with proposal to install bike lanes on Parkside Drive

Toronto City Council has voted to move ahead with a proposal to install bike lanes on Parkside Drive even as the Ford government has threatened to rip out existing lanes on several other streets.

Councillors voted 19-7 to endorse, in principle, the road safety project on Parkside Drive that includes intersection safety improvements, reducing speeds and a bikeway between Bloor Street West and Lake Shore Boulevard West.

A report prepared by the Infrastructure and Environment Committee points out that in the last 10 years, there have been almost 1,500 collisions on the two kilometre stretch of roadway resulting in five serious injuries and three fatalities.

“All seven collisions involved vulnerable road users,” the report says. “Narrow and missing sidewalks, lack of bikeways, excessive vehicular speeds and aggressive driving, and a history of collisions resulting in fatality or serious injury are frequently heard concerns.”

The proposal would see a bi-directional cycling lane installed on the west side of Parkside Drive which would reduce the number of motor vehicle lanes to one southbound and one northbound lane.

The report pegs the cost of the safety improvements at $7.5 million.

The decision comes in the wake of the Ford government’s impending legislation that would see the province rip out existing bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue. The bill would also require municipalities to ask the province for permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, an avid cyclist herself, asked city staff to look into what can be done because she says the provincial legislation will overturn the decisions and work of a democratically elected council at “tremendous” cost to the taxpayer.

A city staff report released Wednesday estimated a cost of over $48 million including road reconstruction and road resurfacing.

Provincial officials disputed that estimate but did not provide their own. They noted that previous bike lane removals in the city cost far less, including about $300,000 for bike lane removals on Jarvis Street.

The estimated price tag doesn’t include any potential costs associated with changing or cancelling existing construction or maintenance contracts, staff said.

The mayor suggested that if the province is concerned about congestion, they should ensure the long-delayed Eglinton LRT opens.

Chow told her council colleagues on Thursday it doesn’t matter what side of the issue they fall on – they should stand up for local democracy and municipal jurisdiction.

“Whether you support bike lanes or you don’t support bike lanes, I think it’s important that this council and the people of Toronto have the respect they deserve,” Chow said.

“Once a decision is made we deserve the respect because we are a level of government. Each … councillor is duly elected by your constituents.”

Chow said she wants to know if there are grounds for litigation, and the city solicitor will look at that once the province’s regulations are finalized and the bill passes.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report