Cyclists discuss Bill 212 in wake of Ford re-election
Cyclists rallied together in the cold for CycleTo's "Coldest Bike Ride of the Year"
It’s a troubling road ahead for many cyclists. Pronouncements have been made from the provincial government about ripping up bike lanes as part of their bid to improve traffic congestion in Ontario.
The Ford government introduced Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024, which received royal assent on Nov. 25, 2024. The bill is an omnibus bill that includes sweeping provisions to promote the expedited construction of the controversial Highway 413 project, with a clause under the Highway Traffic Act, explicitly stating that municipalities must first confer with the provincial government before the new construction of bike lanes.
Cycling has long been a contested issue for the province’s biggest city, with pedestrians and drivers often at odds. In a 2024 article with the Toronto Star, former Toronto city councilor and Ontario Liberal Candidate, John Campbell, claims the bike lanes have gone too far, lamenting the Runnymede to Aberfoyle Crescent extension in the west end, despite voting in favour of bike lane extension when he ran Ward 4 (Etobicoke Centre) between 2014 and 2018.
Anti-Cycle activists Balance on Bloor is lobbying community members through apps like NextDoor to protest upcoming bike lanes and vote for candidates who oppose the bike lanes, while supporting businesses who have been vocally against them leaving them five-Star reviews on Yelp.
Over 40 Toronto businesses in Etobicoke have filed a lawsuit claiming that the bike lanes have resulted in traffic congestion, a stall in emergency vehicle response, and a “decline in property standards”, as reported by the Toronto Star.
However, despite the claim of bike lanes reducing EMS response, a video was posted to the subreddit r/Torontobiking by user “andyw8”, of EMS using bike lanes downtown to circumnavigate built up traffic.
As reported by CP24, a statement was made to CTV news by Jennifer Chung, commander of community safeguard services with Toronto Paramedic Services, that complaints against bike lanes regarding an increase in response times had not been made.
A 2019 study made by the City of Toronto in partnership with Nanos, 74 per cent of Torontonians own at least one bike and 44 per cent of Torontonians being utilitarian cyclists.
While cyclists may still be in the minority, there is a real appetite for bike lanes to ensure safety. In the same study, nearly seven in 10 utilitarian cyclists say separating bike traffic from car lanes would improve cycling safety.
Arctic Wolf News attended CycleTO’s annual “Coldest Bike Ride of the Year” to speak with local advocate, Robert Zaichkowski, about what’s proposed in the bill, including a controversial amendment where the province has legal protections against cyclists who sue them for the removal of the bike lanes and possible endangerment. Our interview is below: