‘I feel less safe’: Cycling lawyer warns Toronto bike lane removals could cause ‘devastating injuries’

Ontario is moving to restore vehicle lanes on several major Toronto streets, but a cycling lawyer and advocate says removing protected infrastructure could put cyclists at greater risk of serious injury.

On Tuesday, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced the province will move “immediately” to restore motor vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West, starting east of a 600-metre section near Clissold Road where a vehicle lane was restored in December 2025.

The province has also issued a request for proposals (RFP) to study options for restoring motor vehicle lanes that were previously removed for bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, University Avenue, Queen’s Park, Queen’s Park Crescent and Avenue Road.

The move follows a recent Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that found decisions about the design of public roadways are policy matters for the elected legislature. The decision overturned an earlier ruling by Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas, who had found the province’s bike lane legislation violated Charter rights.

“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,” Sarkaria said in Tuesday’s announcement. “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.”

Cycling lawyer says protected lanes prevent serious injuries

But cycling lawyer and advocate David Shellnut says removing protected cycling infrastructure could put Toronto cyclists at greater risk of serious injury.

Shellnut, who is also a cyclist, said he regularly takes his daughter to daycare on the back of his bike using Toronto’s protected bike lanes. He said cycling is the quickest and most efficient way for them to make the trip, but that could change if the lanes are removed.

“I feel less safe,” he said. “This is really upsetting. This is my community, this is my safety, this is my kid’s safety that a provincial government is interfering in.”

Shellnut said he has represented clients who were seriously injured in collisions with motor vehicles, which he believes could have been prevented with safer cycling infrastructure.

“It doesn’t happen where there are safe bike lanes,” he said. “You don’t get collisions where someone has a brain bleed or a fractured clavicle. Separated safe infrastructure prevents that.”

The province says its RFP will include options to retain or reconfigure bike lanes “where they make sense” and do not worsen gridlock.

Shellnut, however, argues that the government has not done enough research or consultation to support that approach.

“They have not done any of the community consultation. These are just words. This is just a smokescreen to distract voters and try and justify a politically motivated attack on people’s safety,” he said.

Bike lane removals could mean more cars on the road, advocate says

The province has argued that restoring vehicle lanes is necessary to address gridlock. The government cited a report from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis that estimates congestion costs Ontario $56 billion a year.

Shellnut argues that removing bike lanes could ultimately put more cars on Toronto’s roads if people who currently cycle choose to drive instead because they no longer feel safe riding.

He also pointed to evidence presented during the legal battle over the province’s bike lane legislation, arguing that the government’s own reporting did not show that removing the lanes would meaningfully solve congestion.

“To ignore the evidence, to ignore community requests for safe infrastructure, and pull out bike lanes that have been demonstrated to be effective is just a real shame,” he said.

For Toronto cyclists, Shellnut says the stakes are much higher than a debate over traffic flow, and can lead to devastating injuries.