"Toronto could see more than 20 kilometres of new bike lanes installed in a proposal that manages to get around the provincial government's attempts to clamp down on them. Car lanes won't need to be sacrificed if the bikeways are approved. Instead, city staff propose to narrow them down. Mayor Olivia Chow said the plan is not a loophole for provincial legislation at an unrelated news conference earlier this week. It's just a better design, she said."
"Ontario's Bill 212 along with the recently-passed Bill 60 both restrict municipalities from building bike lanes that impede traffic lanes for cars. When asked if Toronto found a way to circumvent provincial rules at the same news conference as Chow, Ontario's Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria was supportive of the city's strategy. "If there is a way in which you can have both a vehicle lane and a bike lane on the same street, then that is OK," he said."
"With an estimated price tag of more than $30 million, the proposed lanes are designed to connect existing bike routes located mostly outside the downtown core. It marks the city's most ambitious attempt to build new bike lanes since provincial restrictions kicked in. In 2024, a total of 14.5 kilometres of bike lanes were approved, and in 2023, 17.9 kilometres were approved, according to the city."
Toronto plans more than 20 kilometres of new bike lanes that preserve car lanes by narrowing vehicle lanes rather than removing them, enabling both functions on the same street. The measure is framed as a design solution compatible with Ontario's Bill 212 and Bill 60, which restrict bike lanes that impede car traffic. The proposal connects existing routes mostly outside the downtown core and carries an estimated cost exceeding $30 million. Recent approvals totaled 14.5 km in 2024 and 17.9 km in 2023; the 20.5 km proposal is significant, though advocates warn approved projects can stall.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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