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The province is moving ahead with dismantling bike lanes on some of Toronto’s busiest streets, and will start the process of restoring lanes for motor vehicles.
This comes after the recent ruling from the Ontario Court of Appeal in which the provincial government issued a request for proposals (RFP) to begin the process of restoring motor vehicle lanes that were previously removed for bike lanes on Bloor St., Yonge St., University Ave., Queen’s Park, Queen’s Park Cres. and Avenue Rd. in Toronto, according to a press release on Tuesday.
The removal will “begin immediately” on a section of Bloor St. W., at Clissold Rd., less than a year after the Ontario government completed work to restore a vehicle lane and maintain a bike lane on a 600-metre section.
Minimal work is required there as the physical barriers had already been removed, so think scraping away old paint and painting in new lines.
Lane restoration to be determined by RFP
The RFP process will determine how the restoration of lanes for the rest of the streets will unfold.
Last year, a lower court stopped the province from replacing protected bike lanes with car lanes along 19 kilometres of Bloor St., Yonge St. and University Ave., ruling it posed an unconstitutional risk to cyclist safety.
The RFP follows Ontario’s successful appeal of a court challenge to the province’s bike lane framework, with the Court of Appeal unanimously finding that decisions about the design of public roadways are policy matters for the elected Legislature, not the courts.
“Our government was given a clear and direct mandate by the people of Ontario to fight gridlock, including by restoring motor vehicle lanes that are needed to keep drivers moving,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a statement.
“We’re keeping our promise,” he continued. “Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we’re getting people and goods moving again and giving commuters back more of their time.”