Ford Government Rejected Toronto’s Proposals to Restore Traffic Lanes & Keep Bike Lanes

Removing bike lanes makes congestion and safety worse

Doug Ford’s government is officially taking bids to remove 19 km of bike lanes from Toronto’s streets, Sept. 1

LETTER: Bike lanes and clean air measures protect children's health

Why is the premier removing bike lanes, ordering workers back to the office, rather than introducing measures to reduce air pollution, asks letter writer

Ford Government Rejected Toronto’s Proposals to Restore Traffic Lanes & Keep Bike Lanes

Two sources confirmed that Premier Doug Ford’s government walked away from several Toronto proposals and compromises that would have restored traffic lanes while keeping bike lanes reports the Toronto Star. Premier Doug Ford’s government walked away from several Toronto proposals that would have restored traffic lanes while keeping bike lanes. © Documents show that the city proposed reinstating a lane of traffic on a 1.5-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street West in Etobicoke, between Resurrection Road and Royal York Road, including proposals for the rest of Bloor Street, as well as Yonge Street and University Avenue, that would have kept the bike lanes it’s unclear why the province rejected the city’s proposed changes to the cycling corridors and issued a request for proposals (RFP) asking contractors to bid on the removal or reconfiguration of more than 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes along the city’s main arterial streets, including Bloor, Yonge and University. The province has asked contractors for design and costing options for both the full removal of bike lanes — and keeping the bike lanes while adding back a lane of traffic - including the “feasibility of alternative bike routes on municipal roads at a conceptual level” with a priority on north-south alternatives to the bike lanes on Yonge Street and Avenue Road. The closing date for contractors to submit a bid is Dec. 2, with a planned award date of Dec. 17 and an “estimated completion date” of December 2028. Read the full report here.