Ford gov’t passes law to remove Ontario bike lanes, frustrate future installations

The Ford government’s arguable determination to region motorcycle lanes from large roads successful Toronto, and to frustrate the efforts of different cities to instal them going forward, has passed its 3rd speechmaking and is acceptable to go law.

On Monday afternoon, the authorities completed a sped-up legislative process to walk Bill 212 aft a shortened committee proceeding and the summation of last-minute amendments, including 1 to insulate the state from lawsuits if radical are wounded connected streets wherever motorcycle lanes person been removed.

The measure requires municipalities to question support from the provincial authorities to instal caller cycling infrastructure that removes a lane of postulation and promises to reappraisal those added successful the past 5 years.

It besides gives the state the powerfulness to region the entirety of bike lanes connected Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue successful Toronto.

“We’ll analyse the full agelong to spot which parts — yet each of it could beryllium removed,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said Thursday.

The City of Toronto has claimed removing those motorcycle lanes, which outgo astir $27 cardinal to install, could outgo arsenic overmuch arsenic $48 million. That’s a proposition the authorities has rejected.

On Monday, Premier Doug Ford appeared to bespeak the motorcycle lane changes were lone astir the province’s superior city.

“We are truly focused connected the congestion successful Toronto, it’s the worst congestion successful North America, 3rd worst successful the full world,” helium said an astatine unrelated lawsuit successful Burlington, Ont.

“We’re focusing connected 3 oregon 4 roads to get it moving, truthful we’re going to (work) collaboratively with the mayor. She believes the Bloor Street West (lanes) should not beryllium there, the erstwhile politician admits that helium made a mistake.”

Last week, the authorities besides made amendments to the instrumentality to prohibit lawsuits arsenic a nonstop oregon indirect effect of actions taken to region motorcycle lanes.

At the aforesaid time, some the premier and proscription curate began explicitly telling cyclists to thrust connected broadside streets.

“I deliberation the safer happening for a cyclist to bash would beryllium to marque a determination to spell connected streets that are safer, little measurement and that’s what we judge is the close mode to bash it, connected our secondary streets, wherever determination is overmuch little postulation volume” Sarkaria said, besides connected Thursday.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles claimed that adding the clause was an admittance from the authorities that radical could beryllium harmed erstwhile motorcycle lanes are removed.

“I deliberation it is absorbing that it was an afterthought,” she told reporters connected Monday. “They threw this into the authorities aft they started proceeding from everybody and realized, I think, that yes, radical volition astir apt dice and much radical volition beryllium injured. Without question.”

The arguable authorities makes different changes, including expediting the operation process for Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass and altering biology appraisal and expropriation rules.

It is acceptable to person Royal Assent and go instrumentality connected Monday afternoon, hardly an hr aft it passed 3rd reading.