Ontario free to axe Toronto bike lanes, region’s top court rules
Win is significant for region’s premier, Doug Ford, who blames protected zones for city’s traffic ills The Ontario government is now free to rip out Toronto’s bike lanes on its busiest streets after the region’s top court ruled in favour of the province on Friday, overturning a lower court’s decision that decreed removal would violate constitutional rights. The win is significant for Ontario’s…
The Ontario government has been granted the authority to remove bike lanes from Toronto's busiest streets following a ruling by the region's top court on Friday. The decision overturns a previous court ruling that had deemed the removal of the lanes unconstitutional, violating the right to life and security of the person as enshrined in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Premier Doug Ford's government has been vocal in its opposition to Toronto's bike lanes, arguing that they contribute to traffic woes. However, the recent legislation allowing the province to dismantle the bike lanes was put on hold after a group of cycling advocacy organizations filed a legal challenge. This challenge was supported by a superior court judge in July 2025, who ruled that removing the lanes would pose a heightened risk of death or injury, thereby infringing on constitutional rights protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Friday's ruling from the Ontario court of appeal reverses this decision, stating that there is no constitutional right to bike lanes and granting the government the freedom to modify legislation as it sees fit. The court also emphasized that it cannot deem legislation unconstitutional based on predictions of policy failure. While Toronto's Mayor Olivia Chow has been actively seeking to negotiate with the province for a resolution that ensures the safety of all road users, the outcome of these negotiations remains to be seen.
The province has not yet announced its plans for the removal of the bike lanes, but an estimated C$48m (£26m) cost to taxpayers was cited in a 2024 city report. Internal briefings revealed that the province's own staff did not find bike lane removal to reduce congestion, and in fact, it might worsen the situation. Furthermore, they cautioned that such action could be perceived as an overreach of provincial government into municipal affairs.
Critics, including Cycle Toronto's Michael Longfield, describe the targeting of bike lanes by the provincial government as an egregious overreach into city affairs, dismissing the notion that eliminating bike lanes is the solution to urban congestion.
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