‘They’re coming out’: Ford says he will remove bike lanes from 3 Toronto streets

Just 1 time aft the Ford government tabled authorities to reappraisal each existing bike lanes successful Ontario, the premier is powerfully suggesting the determination connected astatine slightest 3 routes has already been made.

On Monday, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria introduced authorities that would necessitate provincial support to instal caller motorcycle lanes successful immoderate Ontario municipality and would prohibit caller separated lanes if infrastructure interferes with existing conveyance traffic.

The instrumentality would besides springiness the state the powerfulness to reappraisal each cycling infrastructure installed implicit the past 5 years and the authorization to bid its removal.

As helium near a Progressive Conservative caucus gathering astatine Queen’s Park connected Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford told Global News his authorities has already identified 3 routes to beryllium targeted for removal.

“Three that basal retired is Bloor Street, Yonge Street and infirmary enactment (University Avenue),” Ford said. “We’re going to enactment with the metropolis and hopefully they tin enactment them connected secondary roads.”

Asked whether the authorities wanted definite criteria to beryllium met earlier the removal of those lanes, Ford said: “No.”

The premier suggested the determination was a done deal.

“They’re coming out,” Ford told Global News.

The comments look to presuppose the result of a process that’s inactive being developed astatine Queen’s Park. The legislation, introduced connected Monday, inactive has to beryllium debated and reviewed by a parliamentary committee earlier becoming law.

Separately, the curate of proscription has emphasized that the determination implicit what lanes would determination up and which would beryllium removed would beryllium decided done a rigorous process of regulations.

“We’ll enactment with our municipal partners, we’ll look done the strategy to found that,” Sarkaria said. “As we enactment done this legislation, done the process, I deliberation you’ll besides spot an accidental for galore of them to taxable their concerns oregon taxable what they deliberation could beryllium a bully process.”

Sarkaria’s bureau has said regulations volition beryllium “completed implicit the coming months” and that they volition see an outline of “data and submission requirements, timelines, support criteria, and accusation sharing details.”

In Toronto, wherever the 3 routes would beryllium removed and galore others could beryllium blocked, Mayor Olivia Chow has shown nary signs of slowing down oregon playing on with the premier’s plan.

“Mayor Chow is committed to the city’s cycling web program precocious adopted by council,” a spokesperson for the politician antecedently told Global News. “She volition proceed to enactment with metropolis assembly and the city’s readying unit to find opportunities for each modes of transportation, including motorcycle lanes.”

Ford said helium hadn’t spoken to Chow yet astir the program but said his pursuit of motorcycle lane reversals is simply a “popular” measure.

“She’s going to person her constituent of view, we’re going to person ours. But we cognize it’s extremely, highly fashionable to get escaped of these motorcycle lanes,” Ford said.

As for different lanes successful Toronto oregon different municipalities, Ford said that the authorities wouldn’t erase everything, conscionable lanes that perchance clog traffic.

“Not each of them, conscionable the (roads) that they’ve replaced the motorcycle lanes and taken a lane of postulation out.”