What to know
- Ontario has completed the removal of bike lanes along a 1.2-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street West in Etobicoke.
- Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the work will help restore vehicle lanes and ease traffic congestion.
- The removal faced backlash from cycling advocates, who organized multi-day protests to oppose the work.
- Four people were arrested during demonstrations for allegedly ignoring police instructions and blocking construction.
- The province plans to continue removing bike lanes along other stretches of Bloor Street, as well as Yonge Street and University Avenue.
Ontario has finished removing a controversial stretch of protected bike lanes on Bloor Street West after weeks of protests, arrests and a legal fight over the province’s authority to take them out.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced Friday that work is complete between Clissold Road and Royal York Road in Etobicoke.
The 1.2-kilometre project removed protected cycling infrastructure and restored vehicle lanes in both directions.
“We need to get the city moving again,” Sarkaria said in a video posted to X. “We need to ease congestion.”
The province says crews removed precast curbs, delineators, signs and bus pads before repairing and resurfacing the road. New pavement markings and signage were also installed.
Bloor Street bike lane removal followed court fight
Earlier this month, the province announced plans to remove bike lanes across major streets in Toronto, including Bloor and Yonge streets and University Avenue.
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.
The announcement came after the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a Supreme Court decision that had blocked the work, ruling that removing bike lanes could come at serious injury or death risks for bikers and violated their Charter rights to life, liberty and security.
Since getting approval, the decision was slammed by opposition politicians and advocates across the city, with many emphasizing that removing bike lanes would put cyclists at risk.
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However, the province continues to justify the work by saying removing bike lanes will help reduce traffic congestion, make drivers’ commutes faster, and support local businesses.
“We’ve been clear that bike lanes belong where they make sense, not where they make congestion worse. Today, we’re delivering on our commitment to restore road capacity on Bloor Street West and get traffic moving on one of Toronto’s busiest streets,” he said in a news release.
Protests led to four arrests
When bike lane removal started, cyclists and advocates that opposed the work led multi-day protests in the Bloor Street West area.
Demonstrators managed to block the work from continuing on its first day, forcing crews to leave the area. However, with local authority enforcement, the province was able to carry out the work, while protesters kept carrying out demonstrations against the removal.
A total of four people were arrested during protests for ignoring police officers’ instructions and forcefully blocking the work from continuing.
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More Toronto bike lane changes are coming
The 1.2-kilometre Bloor Street stretch is not the only one scheduled for bike lane removal.
While announcing the first phase of the work is completed, Sarkaria said the province will continue to remove bike lanes on other remaining stretches of Bloor Street, as well as in University Avenue, and Yonge Street.
“The work isn’t done. We will be reinstating vehicle lanes on the remainder of Bloor Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street. We were elected on a mandate to get this city moving, that is exactly what we’re going to do,” he added on X.
