Ontario moving ahead with Toronto compromise on bike lanes despite appeal

Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria has announced plans to move ahead with restoring vehicle lanes on a stretch of Bloor St.

The Ontario government plans to restore lanes of vehicle traffic but keep bike lanes on a short stretch of Bloor Street West in Toronto, at a cost of $750,000.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced Thursday that the work would start on or soon after Oct. 20, despite an ongoing court case.

“The city of Toronto did not look at ways to accommodate vehicle lanes in the original planning,” he said in an interview.

“Here’s a great example of where we know that both vehicle lanes can be reinstated on both sides of the street, while also maintaining a bicycle lane. So where that can be accomplished, which is consistent with the court’s ruling, we’re going to move forward.”

An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled in July that a provincial law to remove three stretches of Toronto bike lanes is unconstitutional.

The government appealed the decision and the Court of Appeal for Ontario is set to hear the case in January, but Sarkaria said this work on Bloor Street West between Resurrection Road and Clissold Road will not remove bike lanes.

Rather, it will reconfigure the road both to include bike lanes and restore a lane of vehicle traffic that was removed when the bike lanes first went in, he said.

“While it might be a shorter portion, it’s consistent with the ruling of the court,” he said. “I’d love to do the entire stretch, but we’re continuing to work through the legal system on that.”

The bike lanes will include barrier curbs and bollards, Sarkaria said.

Premier Doug Ford has blasted the lower-court ruling on his bike lane law, calling it ridiculous and ideological. The premier has said bike lanes cause gridlock where a lane of traffic has been removed to create them, but has repeatedly said he is not against bike lanes, preferring them off arterial roads and on secondary routes.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the government’s reworking of the small stretch of Bloor is a good compromise.

“The best solution is when we work – different levels of government – co-operatively, so we can find the best solution,” she said.

Michael Longfield with Cycle Toronto, which spearheaded the court challenge, said he isn’t sure this solution would work on all stretches of road on the three streets Ford has targeted for bike lane removal but it’s welcome.

“If the province intends to keep the separated and protected nature of the bike lanes, I think it’s definitely a win for us, and it’s a win for our case,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press