Municipalities in Ontario will soon require provincial approval before swapping car lanes for bikes, Ontario’s transport minister announced Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in downtown Toronto, Prabmeet Sarkaria described the announcement as an attempt to reduce the endless gridlock experienced by drivers in the province, saying the new policy would bring oversight and management to a process he described as “out of control” in Ontario.
“Commuters in the GTA now face the longest travel times in North America, and the third-worst in the world,” he said.
“We are all wasting valuable time, more than 98 hours a year that could be spent with family and friends.”
With roads clogged with cars in endless traffic jams, Sarkaria said it’s important for Ontario’s commuters to have a choice, be it a personal vehicle, public transit or on two wheels.
“At a time when we need to be adding more lanes of traffic, we need to ask — why are so many municipalities removing them?” Sarkaria said.
“In the past five years, the City of Toronto has more than doubled the pace of bike paths being built, as part of a plan to have 500 km of lanes on major corridors by 2030.”
The proposed legislation would need approval in the Ontario legislature before becoming official policy.
Sarkaria described an “explosion” of bike lanes erected in cities and towns across the province, many built during the pandemic, when fewer cars were on the road.
“When strategically placed, bike lanes are a vital part of any city, offering residents a safe and reliable way to move around,” he said.
“But what cities should not be doing, however, is taking away lanes of traffic on our most congested roads.”
Sarkaria pointed out lanes along Cedar and Joseph Sts. in downtown kitchener, and along O’Connor St. in downtown Ottawa — all routes where additions of bike lanes took valuable real estate away from motorists who need them.
He also pointed out lanes on Bloor, Harbord and College in downtown Toronto.
More to come . . .
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