The Ford government has announced plans to introduce legislation that would restrict the removal of vehicular traffic lanes in favour of bike lanes in Ontario municipalities.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria made the announcement at a west-end Toronto restaurant on Bloor Street West steps away from where bike lanes were installed, sparking anger among some.
“Bike lanes are a vital part of every city, offering residents a safe and reliable way to move around. What cities should not be doing, however, is taking away lanes of traffic on our most congested roads,” Sarkaria said.
He argued the law would bring “informed decision making and oversight to process that is frankly out of control.” As of now, it only applies to future bike lane projects.
Under the proposed legislation, the authority to approve or deny plans to remove vehicular traffic lanes and install bike lanes would directly fall to the transportation minister.
Sarkaria also said municipalities that enacted these bike lane changes will be asked to submit the data used as part of the decision-making process to the Ontario transportation ministry.
More to come.