Doug Ford’s provincial government recently proposed Bill 212, The Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, entailing a transfer of power from municipalities to the province in reviewing the capacity of existing bike lanes. The plan was conceived in an attempt to alleviate traffic congestion, as “Ontario is looking to fight gridlock and get drivers where they need to go faster.”
Bill 212 proposes “a new provincial approval process” to review existing bike lanes, and seeks to remove portions of bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue. The bill would require municipalities to submit information for review on existing bike lanes, after which it will be determined whether or not they should be removed.
Displeased cyclists and advocacy groups of Toronto dispute the precedence of automobile lanes. On Oct. 23, hundreds, including groups like the Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC), gathered at Queens Park in protest.
One of the causes for concern among Torontonians is safety, and many feel as though the government’s prioritization of vehicles over cyclists is inverted. The intentions of the government to prioritize motor traffic is emphasized on the Ontario website: “Municipalities would be required to demonstrate that the proposed bike lanes won’t have a negative impact on vehicle traffic.”
Professor of Urban Planning and Design Mahtot Gebresselassie explains that “on the priority of needs, safety of road users (in this instance, cyclists) supersedes the flow of vehicular movement. Removing bike lanes endangers cyclists — their safety is more important than motorists arriving at their destinations faster.”
According to Gebresselassie, the matter concerns social and gender equity as well, where “female cyclists feel safer and engage in cycling more” when bike lanes are present and “installing cycling infrastructure is about providing a variety of transportation options to as many people as possible. For some people, cycling may not be a preference, but the only affordable transportation option.”
Not only can bike lanes improve gridlock, they also lessen air pollution in the city. “Cycling contributes to an environmentally friendly transportation system that affords us various benefits including clean air. Expanding cycling infrastructure may, in fact, contribute to solving gridlock by persuading motorists out of their vehicles,” says Gebresselassie.
Across Ontario, alliance groups critique the provincial government’s “overreach” into municipal matters. The Urban Climate Alliance, formed between organizations in Hamilton, Ottawa, and Toronto issued a statement on Oct. 17: “We call on our local MPPs to speak out against the overreach into the municipalities’ ability to to make transportation decisions for their residents.” The Alliance holds that 2024 “has been the deadliest year yet for cyclists since counting began as part of Vision Zero.” Sarah Buchanan, the Campaigns Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, echoes this statement, saying that “six cyclists have already died this year.”
Excalibur reached out to the City of Toronto for comment on their priorities to lessen traffic, remain environmentally friendly, and support cycling infrastructure.
A media representative of the city writes: “The City of Toronto remains committed to expanding Toronto’s cycling network to make travel by bike safer and more inviting, which helps ease traffic congestion, creates a cleaner environment, and promotes physical activity. We will continue to work closely with our provincial partners to understand and address their concerns while ensuring the safety and mobility of all road users.”
While the provincial government argues that removing bicycle lanes would reduce gridlock, it is evident that investing in cycling infrastructure may be of public interest.
According to a 2019 survey conducted by Nanos for the City of Toronto, over the past two decades Toronto has seen an increase in cycling, with 70 per cent of Toronto residents reported cycling in 2019, as opposed to 54 per cent in 2009, and 48 per cent in 1999.
The number of utilitarian cyclists, defined as individuals who bike to work or school, increased from 29 per cent in 2009 to 44 per cent in 2019. Furthermore, the survey also highlights that 35 per cent of respondents reported they “would like to travel more by bike if the streets felt safer and there was dedicated bike infrastructure.”
BikeShare Toronto statistics also reported a drastic increase in ridership from 2015 to 2023 — from 665,000 trips annually to around 5.7 million. Toronto is evidently a city of cyclists, both in utility and in leisure.
As expressed by Toronto’s cyclists, the ideal focus of the provincial government should be the conception of effective cycling infrastructure, an emphasis placed on the safety and wellbeing of cyclists, and alternative transportation options to relieve the city’s infamous gridlock.
