Toronto bike lanes getting kicked to the curb on Tuesday; protests planned by cycling advocacy groups

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The province of Ontario is forging ahead on Tuesday with its promise to dismantle sections of bike lanes in Toronto.

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“Our government was given a clear and direct mandate by the people of Ontario to fight gridlock, including by restoring motor vehicle lanes that are needed to keep drivers moving,” Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, said in a release. “We’re keeping our promise. Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we’re getting people and goods moving again and giving commuters back more of their time.” 

The ministry says the work will occur on a 1.2-kilometre section of Bloor St. between Clissold and Royal York Rds. Expect the majority of the work to be completed at night to minimize the impact on traffic in the area. 

One Etobicoke business owner on Bloor St. agrees with the reduction in bicycle lanes.  

“I would like to thank the Ford Government for taking the time to listen to the community and responding to our concerns,” said Sam Pappas, the owner of the Crooked Cue at 3056 Bloor St. W., just west of Royal York Rd. “The removal of the bike lanes on Bloor Street will restore access and beauty that was lost. As a business owner and a long-time resident, I am grateful that we will get back to a system that works for the majority.” 

During Thursday’s mayoral debate, both Mayor Olivia Chow and mayoral hopeful Brad Bradford both responded to the planned action by the province.

“That is trampling on local democracy, the right of Torontonians through their municipal government to have a say over the municipal affairs of this city,” Chow said. “Whether it is bike lanes, speed cameras, Island airport, every element we need to have our say. The city belongs to all of us Torontonians through the municipal government.”

Bradford agreed with the province.

“And that’s why we’re talking about the section in Etobicoke, part of Bloor from Resurrection Road to the South Kingsway, 38,490 cars per day and 197 bikes, so you allocated 50% of the space to half a percentage of road users and that doesn’t work,” he said. 

Bradford originally voted in favour of the Bloor St. bike lane expansion as a city councillor. 

Planned protest

The Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists Facebook page says there is a planned demonstration on Tuesday night. The advocates are meeting at the Bloor Green P Lot for Tom Riley Park 5 p.m. onwards.  

“A bunch of cyclists, about 1,000, maybe a lot more, will show up to the scene, they will just take over the bike lane,” one of the advocacy group’s leaders, Geoffrey Bercarich, told CityNews. “There’s also a really harsh policy that was put in place where if anybody tries to disrupt the deconstruction of the bike lane they will face extra hard criminal charges. I don’t think anybody’s going down that route.”  

The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) says the removal of the bike lanes will strike a fair balance for all forms of traffic on Bloor St.

“Well-planned infrastructure is about creating transportation networks that serve everyone,” said Nadia Todorova, executive director, Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario. The province’s efforts to restore vehicle capacity, while maintaining bike lanes where possible, strike an important balance between mobility, safety, and accessibility.” 

Cycle Toronto challenged Ontario’s Bill 212 (Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act), arguing that “the legislated removal of 19 km of protected bike lanes in Toronto along Bloor, Yonge, and University Streets was an arbitrary and reckless violation of Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, namely the right to life and security of the person in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.”  

A lower court initially blocked the province in July of last year, but the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned that decision in August of 2026. 

ganderson@postmedia.com

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