The Ford government is restoring a lane of vehicle traffic along a short stretch of Bloor Street in Toronto’s west end, with construction expected to start in late October.
However, the reconfigured half-kilometre section between Resurrection Road and Clissold Street in Etobicoke will still include bike lanes, which the province said is “consistent” with the Ontario Superior Court’s ruling that barred any bike lane removals.
The construction will take out an existing concrete median to make space for two lanes of vehicle traffic in each direction, as well as the bike lanes on both sides of the road.
The government said the work is expected to start on or soon after Oct. 20.
“The work will include new protected bicycle lanes that are consistent with the City of Toronto’s design standards, including precast barrier curbs and bollards that will separate the lane from vehicle traffic, along with a restored lane of vehicle traffic,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a statement.
In April, the courts slapped an injunction on the Ford government’s bike lane removal plan, which was later
upheld on appeal.
The province then took its legal battle a step further to the Court of Appeal, though that case hasn’t started.
“We firmly believe it is the democratically elected legislature that should be making decisions about how best to get traffic moving,” Sarkaria said on Thursday.
Thursday’s announcement is the first step in the government’s ongoing quest to restore vehicle lanes on roads with bike lanes through Bill 212. Through the course of its so-far-unsuccessful legal defence, the government has softened its language from vowing to remove bike lanes to “reconfiguring” them to allow for more vehicle traffic.
The judge who slapped down the province’s defence found that to be a “distinction without a difference.”
Bill 212 gave Sarkaria the power to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue, and required cities to get his approval before adding new ones.
Since then, the government has argued in court that changes to the bill no longer allow the minister to remove bike lanes outright. However, it has noted that he could still do so after passing a regulation.
This is a developing story. More to come.
