Ontario Premier Doug Ford is accelerating his bid to eradicate several high-capacity cycling links across Toronto’s most travelled thoroughfares. The proposed removal of lanes along the iconic Bloor, Yonge, and University corridors has sparked a fierce legal and political battle, challenging the city council’s hard-won network of protected paths.
The Political Clash: A War on the Car?
At the centre of the storm is a stark disagreement over the fundamental purpose of street infrastructure. Premier Doug Ford has framed his administration’s stance as a necessary response to chronic gridlock, declaring that the government was elected to “fight gridlock and get drivers moving again.” For Ford, the installation of cycling infrastructure—particularly on the busiest arterial roads—has been portrayed as a deliberate “war on the car,” a tactic intended to alienate motorists and undermine the private vehicle ethos deeply ingrained in Ontario’s culture.
However, the city of Toronto sees this as an attack on safety and civic pride rather than a practical solution. Under the rulebook approved by the city council, the expansion of protected lanes was viewed as a positive evolution of urban mobility. When the provincial government moves to intervene, it isn’t merely about convenience; it is a symbolic assertion of provincial supremacy over local urban planning. By invoking the power to strip cities of their permission to build certain infrastructure, the government has effectively bypassed the democratic process, rendering the council’s prior approval moot.
Engineering Realities: Why Major Roads Matter
Beyond the political posturing, the technical merits of the proposed removals are under scrutiny. Transport planners warn that Ford’s strategy ignores proven best practices found in other global capitals. Paris has successfully leveraged its massive cycling network to create a distinct, peaceful identity for the city, while London’s system has grown fivefold since 2016—surpassing the length of the entire London Underground network. These successes share a common thread: the integration of cycling directly into major arterial flows, ensuring that cyclists can access commercial hubs and transit stations without navigating through traffic jams.
Placing all cycling routes solely on minor side streets, as suggested by Ford’s model, fragments the network. It isolates cyclists from the economic engines of the city. In contrast, a mature network treats major roads as arteries connecting residential areas to the city’s heart. This allows for a seamless flow where cyclists can ride safely alongside cars on wide avenues while still having access to quieter neighbourhoods via smaller routes. The cost of removing these established, well-maintained pathways—originally costing roughly $27