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When it comes to the removal of bike lanes on Bloor St. W., one battle was won on Tuesday night in Etobicoke. But the conflict is far from over.
At a Wednesday morning news conference, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw warned that those who interfere with the planned removal of the lanes in the Bloor-Islington Ave. area could face charges, including obstructing police or mischief.
“That is lawful work that is going to continue,” Demkiw told reporters.
Work to restore vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West was scheduled to begin tonight but was halted by protesters. Make no mistake: these bike lanes are coming out. We have a clear mandate and we will deliver.
— Prabmeet Sarkaria (@PrabSarkaria) October 14, 2026
Hours later, police made their point when they arrested and charged a 25-year-old Hamilton woman after an incident near Bloor and Lothian Ave., east of Islington.
Police said officers were in the area observing the demonstration at about 1 p.m., when road work was underway to remove the curb barriers separating the bike lanes from the roadway.
They said protesters including the accused entered the bike lane and that the accused sat on one of the barriers and allegedly interfered with its removal. She was warned by officers and given an opportunity to leave, but allegedly refused to comply and was arrested.
Nina Thi Thi Tran has since been charged with obstructing a peace officer and mischief interfering with property.
‘Rules need to be enforced:’ Bradford
Mayoral hopeful Brad Bradford was at Second Harvest in Etobicoke on Wednesday morning when he was asked about the cyclists and their raison d’être for blocking work on Tuesday that was legally authorized to begin.
“There are rules on the books,” he said. “There are bylaws on the books and the expectation as Torontonians is that we agree to abide by those rules. But if you don’t, the rules need to be enforced. There are consequences that include charges, arrests and prosecution. That is the deal in a western democracy, in a Canadian society, in a city like Toronto. We all agreed to follow the rules. We might not like them, but we agree to follow them. There are consequences for breaking the law.”
The province’s plan on Tuesday was to start removing a 1.2-km section of the lanes on Bloor between Royal York and Clissold Rds., but a cyclist demonstration stymied progress enough that work crews went away without accomplishing much, save for removing a few barriers anchored to the road.
The province vowed that won’t happen again.
“Work to restore vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West was scheduled to begin tonight but was halted by protesters,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria wrote on X on Tuesday night. “Make no mistake: these bike lanes are coming out. We have a clear mandate and we will deliver.”
Before the encounter with work crews, cyclists gathered in the parking lot at Tom Riley Park on Tuesday afternoon. The park is on the north side of Bloor and a five-minute walk from Islington Station.
Planned encounter
Led by cycling activist and lawyer David Shellnut, the group cycled along the north side of Bloor and stopped at the Green Lanes intersection. Segments of the group then splintered and crossed the intersection to occupy the bike lanes on both sides of the street.
From there, sections of the group held their ground on both sides of Bloor for several hours before construction crews arrived.
“We’re going to do it every single night that they plan construction here,” Shellnut said. “So let it be known that the people of Toronto, that the people on bikes, will not let the premier bully us and take away safe infrastructure. We are here.”
— With files from Jordan Ercit.
ganderson@postmedia.com