Ontario passes divisive bill to remove, block certain bike lanes

Ontario has passed a divisive piece of legislation that will prevent municipalities from adding certain new bike lanes and remove bike lanes on three main Toronto roads.

The fast-tracked bill requires municipalities to ask the province for permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.

It goes one step further and removes sections of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue bike lanes and restores them as lanes for vehicle traffic.

Premier Doug Ford has complained about some bike lanes creating gridlock, in particular a stretch of Bloor Street West that is about a 10-minute drive from his home in Toronto’s west end.

Amendments that the government added last week include indemnity clauses, such as prohibiting lawsuits as a direct or indirect result of actions taken to remove bike lanes.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles says she believes the immunity clauses were thrown into the legislation after the government heard from members of the public who said that people will be killed and injured as a result of removing protected bike lanes.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press