Some not great news for cyclists in Toronto. Actually, pretty brutal news.<\/p>\n
Premier Doug Ford\u2019s government can proceed with plans to remove 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes from three major Toronto streets after the province\u2019s Court of Appeal overturned a lower court ruling Friday, as reported by the CBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bike lane saga in Ontario<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. \u201cThe evidence is clear that restoring a lane of motor vehicle traffic will create greater risk to cyclists and to other users of the roads,\u201d Schabas wrote in his decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n But then in August, Ford announced the government would appeal it. And he certainly didn\u2019t mince words.<\/p>\n The premier went so far as to say it was, \u201cthe most ridiculous decision I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n He went on to say that,<\/a> \u201cYou talk about the Charter; it\u2019s trampling on the democratic rights of Ontarians that elected a government just a few months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n The appeal<\/p>\n The appeal court disagreed with Schabas\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria called Friday\u2019s ruling a victory for elected governments.<\/p>\n