What to know
- Cyclist advocates rallied on Bloor Street Tuesday evening, delaying the province’s planned bike lane removal after dozens of protesters blocked crews from getting through.
- Construction crews hired by ATS Traffic were forced to leave for the night around 8 p.m., postponing the removal.
- Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria responded to the delay on X, insisting the bike lanes would still be removed.
- Dave Shellnutt, founding partner of Biking Lawyer LLP, announced another rally for Wednesday at Tom Riley Park near Bloor Street West and Islington Avenue.
Tension with Toronto’s bike lanes continues, as cyclist advocates rallied Tuesday on Bloor Street, effectively delaying the province’s removal plans. Now, they plan to do it again.
In early September, the province announced its plans to remove bike lanes across the city, beginning with Bloor Street on Oct. 13.
This came soon after the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a Supreme Court decision that prevented the province from removing bike lanes on portions of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue.
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While Oct. 13’s construction was supposed to move forward as planned, ATS Traffic, which was tasked with closing off the Bloor Street lane, was met around 8 p.m. with dozens and dozens of cyclists and advocates, blocking their way.
Soon, crews were forced to leave for the night, further delaying the removal.
Prabmeet Sarkaria, the Minister of Transportation, did not seem worried following the delay.
“Make no mistake: these bike lanes are coming out,” he wrote on X Tuesday at 9:46 p.m.
Now Toronto has reached out to the Ministry of Transportation but has not heard back by publication.
Meanwhile, Dave Shellnutt, the founding partner of Biking Lawyer LLP, Lawyers for Injured Cyclists, announced another rally for Wednesday evening at Tom Riley Park near Bloor St. W and Islington Ave.
Round 2: Save Our Bike Lanes
by u/DaveShellnutt in torontobiking
