Ontarians are weighing in after a provincial court ruled that the Ford government’s plans to remove existing bike lanes on three busy Toronto streets are unconstitutional.
On Wednesday afternoon, Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas said that the provincial government’s call to tear out bike lanes installed by the City of Toronto violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and removing the lanes would make roads less safe.
“In this case, the evidence is clear that restoring lanes of motor vehicle traffic by removing the bike lanes, or reconfiguring them so that they are no longer physically separated from cars, will lead to more accidents, injuries and deaths,” Schabas wrote in his ruling.
The ruling follows a case brought forward by Cycle Toronto, and biking advocates Eva Stanger-Ross and Narada Kiondo, after the Ford Government enacted Bill 212, which called for the removal of existing bike lanes on Bloor St., University Ave. and Yonge St., in downtown Toronto.
While arguing for the removal, Ford said that cutting out the bike lanes would help ease Toronto’s infamous gridlock, something that many, now including Schabas, have called untrue.
“The evidence shows that restoring lanes for cars will not result in less congestion, as it will induce more people to use cars and therefore any reduction in driving time will be short-lived, if at all, and will lead to more congestion,” Schabas said in the ruling, saying this makes the law arbitrary.
Cycle Toronto calls the ruling a powerful vindication that cyclists are not the cause of traffic, saying that those on bicycles are among the most vulnerable road users, and are too often put at risk by infrastructure and policies that prioritize vehicle speed over human safety.
“The court’s decision affirms that governments cannot act in ways that knowingly increase danger without breaching fundamental Charter protections,” the organization said in a statement.
CycleToronto Executive Director Michael Longfield calls the decision a “full win.”
“We won on the facts and on the law. The court accepted our argument that the government’s
actions increased the risk of harm to Ontarians, and that doing so without justification
breaches our most basic constitutional rights.”
ONTARIANS REACTS TO RULING
Following the ruling, some people are taking aim at the province, including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who says that bike lanes keep thousands of people safe.
“Everyone should be safe as they travel to work, school and around our city. Since 2023, 78 cyclists have been killed or seriously injured in collisions on the road,” Chow said on X.
She also said that she maintains the position that the City of Toronto should be the ones making decisions about municipal infrastructure.
“Every person cycling takes another car off the road. We are also tackling the root causes of congestion by hiring 100 traffic agents, speeding up construction by increasing fees for closing lanes, and improving subways, streetcars and buses so more people take public transit.”
Chow said that Toronto’s city council has voted to formally oppose the province’s plans to override the city’s authority and remove the lanes, and the city is reviewing the court decision and the impact on its ongoing discussions with the province.
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie also shared her thoughts on the ruling.
“Surprise, surprise,” Crombie wrote on X. “Another example of Doug Ford wasting your tax dollars on losing court battles he’s entirely unprepared for.”
Meanwhile, people are weighing in about the ruling online.
“Removing bike lanes will do nothing, it will just add more cars to people that refuse to walk a few blocks,” another X user wrote.
“As a conservative voter, I actually support leaving the bike lanes alone. People should be able to enjoy biking safely,” someone else commented.
While other people disagree with the judge’s call.
“All bike lanes should be removed from the city, so traffic can flow freely,” one person wrote on X. “All bikes should be licensed and insured before entering city streets, so they can be held accountable for any accidents that occur on their behalf.”
“Notwithstanding clause NOW,” another person wrote.
“Or just shut down the legislature and hand over the keys to the judiciary. This is absolutely an absurd overreach.”
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