As Car-First Premier Talks Bike Lane Removal, Toronto Set to Send a Message at Rally

When it comes to transportation planning in Ontario, it is the work of municipalities. But, apparently, Premier Doug Ford didn’t get that memo, and is set to rudely intrude on city business to not just block the creation of future bike lanes, but rip out three of the most crucial in Toronto. As a result, Toronto cyclists are taking to the streets for a rally on Oct. 23 to tell the Premier to take his grubby, car-centric, dinosaur paws off city bike lanes.

On Oct. 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., a coalition of cycling and road safety advocates will gather at Queen’s Park for the Rally & Ride for Road Safety. This event aims to raise awareness and protest against recent reports suggesting that the Ontario government may impose restrictions on the expansion of safe and protected bike lanes in cities like Toronto.

“Ripping up our roads like this will make people less safe, make traffic worse, and put lives at risk. Full stop. I challenge the Premier to talk to people who have lost loved ones on our roads and hear their stories. It might be hard for the Province to do two things at once but, as leaders we have to — tackle congestion AND keep people safe at the same time!” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.

“As I’ve said before – the congestion in this city is partially the result of the province’s failure to deliver transit projects on time and has led to long construction delays and years of road closures. Stay in your lane, open the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT and fix the chaos at Metrolinx,” she added.

Local residents like Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher will be at the rally to defend the bike lanes.

The rally comes at a critical time when advocates are concerned about potential setbacks to cycling infrastructure that they argue is essential for community safety and mobility. Participants will rally under the banner “Leave our lanes alone!” to express their commitment to preserving and expanding bike lanes across the province.

Toronto bike lane

As part of the rally, participants will also take part in a group ride through downtown Toronto, showcasing the importance of safe cycling infrastructure. Organizers hope to send a strong message to the Ontario government about the need for continued investment in bike lanes and other cycling-friendly initiatives.

And it’s not just cyclists, municipalities across the province are decrying Ford’s blatant overreach. A move clearly designed to appeal to suburban voters who don’t even live in the city.

“Bicycle lanes are an essential element of urban transportation planning and road safety. Requiring provincial approval would be a significant overreach into municipal jurisdiction,” wrote the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, in a statement. “Based on local knowledge and community input, municipalities develop transportation plans that balance traffic flow with planning priorities like active transportation, multimodal transportation and environmental and health protection. AMO is not aware of any consultation with municipalities regarding bicycle lanes or of the evidence the province considered in its decision.”

Although Ford and his ultra-conservative cohorts use already disproven anti-bike tropes such as the impact on local business, an association of bona fide businesses along Bloor Street, one of the city’s original and busiest bike lanes issued a statement saying how the bike lanes are actually a boon to their businesses.

“Are we building highways or are we building main streets?” wrote Brian Burchell, general manager of the Bloor Annex
BIA, in a press release. “Because highways don’t encourage main street economic activity.”

Inbox: Group rep’ing merchants in the Bloor-Annex corridor tell @fordnation that bike lanes help businesses: “Are we building highways or are we building main streets? Because highways don’t encourage main street economic activity.” pic.twitter.com/fAMYJNtpCw

— David Rider (@dmrider) October 23, 2024

At a community meeting, the deputy fire chief of Toronto Fire Services went on record to say that the installation of bike lanes on Bloor not only didn’t negatively impact emergency vehicle responses times, but they actually improved. Thus dispelling another bafflegab talking point made by those in power.

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop responded by explaining that according to the data, emergency response times have actually improved since the Bloor bike lanes were installed

6/ pic.twitter.com/Sm03eZm2F4

— Cycle Toronto (@CycleToronto) October 17, 2024

Bike lanes, according to study after study, come with a myriad of benefits not just for local cyclists but for the city and region at large. And, most importantly, they have been show to reduce traffic congestion. You know, the whole ‘one less car’ thing.

What might be causing an increase in traffic congestion in the city of Toronto, and I say might in a very sarcastic way, are the following: construction everywhere, suburban sprawl development that forces people into cars, and, most importantly, this very government’s inability to finish off a number of massive rapid transit projects.

For those Ontario residents interested in commenting on the plan do so here before Nov. 20.

In short, bike lane bashing is a sad, flimsy, pathetic excuse for poor planning by Doug Ford and his suburb-loving, SUV-driving government. It is like the most misguided and bag-of-hammers dumb virtue signalling on the planet. It will do nothing to ease congestion, and more Toronto residents will die as a result. Their blood will be on the hands of Doug Ford.