Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has passed a controversial bill that would require municipalities to obtain permits to install new bike lanes on major roads. The bill could also remove some existing bike lanes. The bill passed in Queen’s Park on Monday by a vote of 66-27.
The bill would require municipalities to obtain provincial approval if they remove any vehicle traffic lanes to install bike lanes. It would also allow the province to remove bike lanes from parts of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue without consulting the City of Toronto.
“With the bike lane decision, we promised to get drivers out of traffic, and we are going to do that,” Premier Doug Ford said in a post on social media on Monday.
A recent report by city staff estimated the cost of installing bike lanes to be $27 million, while removing them and replacing them with car lanes would cost about $48 million. The province has disputed both of the city’s estimates.
Ford recently said that people in some parts of the city don’t like bike lanes and that they should only be allowed on less busy roads.
The bill also limits the scope for lawsuits against the government for removing bike lanes, particularly if a cyclist is hit or killed on the roads where the bike lanes are removed.
Cyclists have condemned the province’s decision, saying it will make cyclists’ lives less safe and will lead to more fatalities.
The bill still needs royal assent to become law.
