Ontario completes bike lane removal on part of Bloor in Etobicoke

Ontario completes Bloor Street bike lane removal in Etobicoke

What to know Ontario has completed the removal of bike lanes along a 1.2-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street West in Etobicoke. Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the work will help restore vehicle lanes and ease traffic congestion. The removal faced backlash from cycling advocates, who organized multi-day protests to oppose the work. Four people were arrested during demonstrations for allegedly ignoring police instructions and blocki…

Advocates, residents disappointed after province completes removal of bike lanes on section of Bloor Street W.

Bike lanes on a 1.2-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street West have been completely removed, according to the province Friday. It comes just weeks after dozens of residents came together in Etobicoke to protest the removal, which is the first part of Ontario's plan to rip out bike lanes on three major roads in Toronto.

Ontario completes removal of bike lanes on Bloor Street West

Work to remove the lanes resulted in a multi-day protest earlier this month.

Ontario completes bike lane removal on part of Bloor in Etobicoke

The Doug Ford government says it has completed the removal of a section of bike lanes on Bloor Street West in Etobicoke, restoring vehicle lanes along a 1.2-kilometre stretch of roadway the province argues is needed to ease traffic congestion. In a release issued Friday, the province said work has wrapped up between Clissold Road […]

Toronto VOTED for Bike Lanes: Critical Mass Ride on Oct. 30 and Mobility Lanes Ride on Oct. 31

The Ford government insists it has a mandate to remove all 19 km of protected bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University. But Toronto voters (again) sent a clear message and rejected the divisive rhetoric around bike lanes on Monday’s municipal election. The first night of protests to save the Bloor Street West bike lanes. © Joshua Best Etobicoke-Lakeshore, ground zero for this battle, reelected Amber Morley as city councillor. Along the entire Bloor corridor, councillors-elect Diana Chan McNally, Alejandra Bravo, Mike Layton, and Curran Stikuts also all pledged to fight to defend the bike lanes and restore any bike lanes removed by the province once the legislation is amended or repealed in Cycle Toronto’s municipal election candidate questionnaire. And while the city’s hands are definitely tied in terms of how the province’s Bill 60 limits the ability to build new bike lanes, we cannot let Queen’s Park be an excuse for our mayor and city council to go backwards or even stand still. Upgrading our quick-build bike lanes (think Harbord’s poured concrete curbs versus the flexi-posts on Bloor through Koreatown), keeping our bike lanes safe and passable year-round, and supporting Bike Share expansion should be among the new council’s actionable priorities from day one. That’s how we keep building a healthier and more vibrant cycling city for all.  Becoming a Cycle Toronto member is how we hold council to account. Become a member here. Two weeks ago, Cycle Toronto and our co-applicants, Eva Stanger-Ross, a university student, and Narada Kiondo, a food delivery courier, announced that we would be seeking leave to appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada to stop the province’s removal of 19 km of Toronto bike lanes. Our earlier victory at the Ontario Superior Court had been overturned at the Ontario Court of Appeal in August. As argued by our legal team with Ecojustice and Paliare Roland, our Charter case isn’t just about bike lanes. We’re asking the Supreme Court to rule on key questions that are foundational to a functioning democracy: the role of expert opinion when legislation is challenged in the courts; whether the Charter applies to government actions to remove benefits when there was no pre-existing constitutional right to that benefit; and how personal choice factors when governments take actions that put people’s lives at risk. Bronwyn Roe from Ecojustice speaking to reporters. © Joshua Best We think these are questions of national importance, especially as other provinces start considering similar moves to Ontario’s. The Supreme Court of Canada doesn’t agree to hear many cases, and we likely won’t know at least until 2027 whether they agree to hear ours. The fight isn’t over. We still need your support. Become a Member here. The night of that announcement, construction crews showed up to start removing a 1.2 km stretch of the Bloor Street West bike lanes in Etobicoke only to be met by hundreds of protesters refusing to let work commence. After a peaceful stand-off, workers packed up as the crowd chanted, “Get home safe!” Construction crews returned the next day, their company logos covered in duct tape (spoiler: the contractor is Verdi Alliance), beginning several tense days of road work and protests now countered by a greater police presence. To date four people have been arrested. Verdi Alliance contractors milling the road guarded by Toronto Police Services. © Joshua Best What happened in Etobicoke can happen downtown. The province’s Request For Proposal (RFP) is seeking bids from firms to do the design work to restore car lanes on the rest of Bloor, Yonge, and University. The earliest that work could start would be spring 2027. And while the idea of ripping out the Bloor bike lanes through, say, the Annex might seem ludicrous to anyone who sees their usage every day, the province can more easily make the side-streets and secondary routes argument by pointing to the existing bike lanes on Harbord (even though the city made the case for both routes over a decade ago with the Bloor pilot). We want to reiterate how powerful the community response has been these past few weeks through the municipal election, joining The Biking Lawyer, Fridays for Future, and Friends and Families for Safe Streets at protests and rallies in Etobicoke, and standing with us as we take the next step in our legal battle to protect Toronto’s bike lanes. Thank you for being in our corner. We have 18 kilometres of bike lanes to defend in the coming months. This is a marathon, not a sprint. And together, we’re ready. Hold Council Accountable here. P.S. Have you heard the War on Cars EPISODE 182: Doug Ford Versus Toronto’s Bike Lanes? Cycle Toronto’s Michael Longfield and Ecojustice’s Bronwyn Roe joined Doug and Sarah to talk about where things stand with our continuing legal battle, and what this all means not just for Toronto, but for the future of safe streets and of local control. P.P.S. Don’t forget! Critical Mass October is happening tonight, Friday October 30. Meet 6 pm at Gwendolyn MacEwen Parkette.P.P.P.S. And join us for the Bike Lanes = Mobility Lanes Ride tomorrow, Saturday, October 31, starting 10 am at Christie Pits.