'Not a good use of taxpayers' dollar': Toronto mayor calls out province's plan to remove bike lanes

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is slamming the province's plan to unilaterally remove bike lanes along some of the city's major streets, calling it "arbitrary” while warning that it could ultimately make congestion worse.

The Doug Ford government tabled a bill last week that would force municipalities to ask for permission from the province first to install bike lanes when it would lead to the removal of a lane of vehicle traffic. On Thursday, the government added a new regulation to that proposed legislation which would allow it to remove sections of bike lanes along Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue and restore them as lanes for vehicle traffic.

"We have to pass the legislation and it is our intention to move as quickly as possible," Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria told reporters on Friday morning.

"Look, Bloor, Yonge and University are some of the most travelled-upon streets, not just in Toronto, but in all of North America, so as a province, when we look at the city of Toronto, it's productivity and getting people to and from work, we need to improve that."

Speaking to reporters at an unrelated news conference on Friday, Chow expressed her opposition to the regulation and that the city is willing to negotiate and collaborate with the province.

"Ripping up our roads are going to be costly, make congestion worse and make it less safe for cyclists and drivers. The province's plan is arbitrary and not based on any evidence. It's not a good use of taxpayers' dollar," Chow told reporters at an unrelated news conference.

With respect to the bike lanes along the targeted streets in the province's proposal, Chow says they have undergone at least three to four years of study.

"Different councillors, a different mayor, different council, before the last municipal election, since the last municipal election, and the by-election have all said this is the way to go. So the evidence, obviously, is there.”

Toronto significantly expanded its bike lane infrastructure in recent years and currently has a plan to provide 100 kilometres of either new or upgraded bikeways by 2027. The city's long-term plan also looks to add 500 kilometres of new bike lanes along major corridors by 2041 – a goal that has almost been met halfway.

The Association of Municipalities has accused the Ford government of a "significant overreach" of power for its bike lane legislation.

On Friday, Chow noted planning bike lanes falls under a municipality's purview and not the province’s. Municipalities themselves, however, are effectively creatures of the province.

"If they really want to assist the City of Toronto, dealing with congestion, for example, can grant the approval of what the police and the city council have called for, which is to allow us to use webcam to stop those illegal blocking the box folks, so that we can charge them," Chow said.

"That will make a big difference, because there are any number of people that irresponsibly stop at no stopping sign, blocking the entire traffic. They've blocked the box and no one can go anywhere, it's completely paralyzed the entire intersection and nothing can move. Those are frustrating things."

With files from CTV News Toronto's Siobhan Morris and The Canadian Press