Doug Ford’s beef with bike lanes has been long and loud, but a recent decision by the Ontario Superior Court is putting the kibosh on the premier’s plans to remove three bike lanes on busy Toronto streets.
That decision is drawing praise from cyclists across the province, including members of Cycle Waterloo Region (CycleWR).
Janice Jim, Vice President, CycleWR told 570 NewsRadio the province failed to back its argument with hard facts.
“The province did not prove that removing a bike lane will reduce traffic congestion. He (Superior Court Justice Paul Schabas) said that it might cause more traffic congestion because of more added cars on the road. The whole point of bike lanes is to reduce the number of cars on the road,” she said.
It’s the province’s assertion that removing certain bike lanes and replacing them with motor vehicle lanes would help reduce gridlock, but the data seems to show otherwise.
The premier vowed to appeal the decision. Jim pointed out that the appeal will come at taxpayers’ expense, as did the original case.
It’s not like the bike lanes are just installed with no real thought, the advocate noted. There is careful consideration and considerable resources dedicated by municipalities when looking at installing bike lanes. A major component is public engagement.
“None of the projects are planned on the back of a napkin, as some people say. You’re not going to wake up overnight, and there’s a bike lane. There is careful planning, and for the province to come in and say they know better is completely wrong and they’re overstepping.”
Jim is a firm believer that the rift that exists between cyclists and motorists is unnecessary.
“Cyclist and transit users are making your drive easier because we’re not taking up space in a car. And also, maintenance on multi-use trails is way lower than maintenance on main roads,” she said.
Jim says for her group, bike lanes are matter of life and death. Removing bike lanes would only put cyclist at risk with no real benefit for motorists.