Province to begin removing Bloor West bike lanes on Tuesday, Chow calls move ‘outrageous’

The Ontario province plans to commence the removal of bike lanes situated along a portion of Bloor Street West in Etobicoke from Tuesday onwards. Mayor candidate Olivia Chow has labeled this action as "outrageous." Chow discovered about the planned construction on Thursday and addressed it following a debate with fellow mayoral candidate Brad Bradford.

Chow immediately pointed fingers at Bradford, who has previously supported the removal of this specific bike lane along Bloor West in Etobicoke. Chow asserted, "We had Coun. Bradford inviting (Ford) in to say ‘come and take it away.’" Chow accused Bradford of undermining local democracy and the right of Torontonians to have a say in municipal affairs.

Bradford had acknowledged his mistake in August when he was among 21 councillors who voted in favor of the bike lane. He stated that these bike lanes were ineffective, pointing out that local business owners were losing sales and are now suing the city for damages. The sales were reportedly down, traffic was increasing, and congestion was worsening.

Bradford reiterated his stance on Thursday but expressed pragmatism, admitting that some bike lanes were not functioning as intended. He pointed out that a section of Bloor Street from Resurrection Road to South Kingsway, with 38,490 cars daily and 197 bikes, warranted removal. However, he also acknowledged that numerous other bike lanes had higher usage and should remain.

In September, the province announced it would restore motor-vehicle lanes on several of Toronto's busiest routes, including Bloor Street, Yonge Street, University Avenue, Queen’s Park, Queen’s Park Crescent, and Avenue Road, after releasing a new request for proposals (RFP). The province now reveals that the complete removal will commence the following week, on Tuesday.