Some not great news for cyclists in Toronto. Actually, pretty brutal news.
Premier Doug Ford’s government can proceed with plans to remove 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes from three major Toronto streets after the province’s Court of Appeal overturned a lower court ruling Friday, as reported by the CBC.
The bike lane saga in Ontario
The lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue were targeted under legislation passed by the Ford government in 2024. The work was put on hold after Cycle Toronto and others challenged the law in court. It seemed like good news for cyclists at the time.
In July 2025, Justice Paul Schabas ruled that removing the lanes would be unconstitutional, arguing it could increase the risk of serious injury or death for people cycling and therefore engage Charter protections. “The evidence is clear that restoring a lane of motor vehicle traffic will create greater risk to cyclists and to other users of the roads,” Schabas wrote in his decision.
But then in August, Ford announced the government would appeal it. And he certainly didn’t mince words.
The premier went so far as to say it was, “the most ridiculous decision I’ve ever seen.”
He went on to say that, “You talk about the Charter; it’s trampling on the democratic rights of Ontarians that elected a government just a few months ago.”
The appeal
The appeal court disagreed with Schabas’s decision. A three-judge panel said governments are not constitutionally required to organize roads in a particular way and can remove bike lanes without violating the Charter.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria called Friday’s ruling a victory for elected governments.
Cycle Toronto’s executive director said that, “I want to be clear that bike lanes do not cause traffic congestion. Removing them will put people’s lives at risk.”
In fact, in March 2025, hundreds of pages of internal ministry documents, reports and emails revealed that Ontario officials were aware removing Toronto’s bike lanes might have little impact on congestion and could increase collisions, despite Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria saying for months that the removals were necessary to reduce traffic in the GTA.
But apparently, those documents don’t matter, or any information from folks who specialize in data.
“Legislation is not unconstitutional for failing to satisfy the preferences of experts whose advice the government was not required to accept,” was mentioned in the decision.
Meanwhile, Alberta has promised similar legislation as Ontario’s. In fact, cycling groups there have been apparently in touch with Ontario advocates for advice on how to fight the possible legislation.