Opposing Opinions on Ontario’s Bill 212

Writer: Audrey Puthoff
Editor: Natasha Hachinski

Bike lanes were implemented as a solution to help improve Ontarian’s physical health and be a form of sustainable transportation. But they are being torn down because they present major problems. On October 21, 2024, Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario and a member of the Conservative party, along with the Ministry of Transportation, proposed Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act which was approved on November November 25. It is expected to speed up the construction of infrastructure critical to building Toronto’s economy through the quicker transportation of goods and people, saving drivers’ and businesses’ time and money, and reducing congestion. A part of this bill’s plans is to remove the bike lanes on Bloor Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street. Additionally, Bill 212 will enable the provincial government to stop the planning and placement of bike lanes, determine the necessity of existing bike lanes, and require municipalities to gain their approval before building new bike lanes. While the Ford government emphasizes this plan's economic benefits and convenience, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, along with many bikers and citizens, fear that the same issues this plan is trying to solve are why this plan should not be approved.

Bill 212 is expected to be economically beneficial for Toronto, but Olivia Chow and Doug Ford have opposing opinions on this matter. Olivia Chow, Toronto’s mayor, and a member of the New Democratic Party, believes that approving this bill is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Taking out and replacing infrastructure is costly, and this project is expected to cost around $48 million in addition to the $27 million it costs for the lane for the bike lanes to be built initially. However, Doug Ford and other Conservatives believe that this proposal is necessary to decrease the economic losses Toronto is taking due to these bike lanes. Prabmeet Sarkaria, the provincial minister of transportation says that this plan will “offset the $11 billion Toronto loses annually due to traffic congestion” (Cecco). Additionally, this act’s goal is to improve Toronto’s economy by enhancing travel efficiency for people and businesses. 

Moreover, another point of disagreement is the gridlock this bill is trying to reduce. As Olivia Chow said in an interview, “Ripping up our roads will make our congestion worse” (Cecco). She believes that increased construction will worsen traffic in Toronto and that there will be minimal improvement even after the construction is completed. However, Ford strongly believes that traffic congestion can be improved by removing bike lanes from these major streets because it will enable people to get to their destinations quicker, and not slow down first responders. He agreed with Prabmeet Sarkaria who stated how, “We know that these bike lanes, which only 1.2% of people use to commute to get to work, are taking away almost 50% of the infrastructure on those streets” (McAllister). Ford added to this topic by remarking how “You can’t take 50% of the lanes up for less than one percent of people, it’s common sense. We have the most congested city in North America, if not the world and we need to fix it” (Toronto City News). These statements show both of their clear beliefs that the removal of these lanes will be better for decreasing Toronto’s traffic in the long run because it will remove the valuable space only being used by a minority of people. 

In my opinion based on personal experience, I believe that bike lanes are useful on many streets, but that Toronto’s major and most jammed streets are not the place for them. When I drive on Yonge Street, it is so congested that it takes forever just to get down the road, but when I look to my right, I see an empty bike lane that occupies a significant part of the street. I believe that in the long run, Toronto would benefit from the removal of bike lanes on major streets because of the projected improvements to economy and travel efficiency. 

Works Cited

“Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 – Building Highways Faster Act , 2024.” Environmental Registry of Ontario, ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-9265. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024. 

“Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 - Framework for Bike Lanes That Require Removal of a Traffic Lane.” Environmental Registry of Ontario, ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-9266. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024. 

Callan, Isaac, and Colin D’Mello. “Ford Wants to See Bike Lanes Put on ‘side Streets’ Instead of Main Roads.” Global News, Global News, 23 Sept. 2024, globalnews.ca/news/10770451/doug-ford-bike-lanes-comments/. 

Cecco, Leyland. “Bikes V Cars: Backlash after Ontario Premier Threatens to Tear up Cycling Lanes in Toronto.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 Nov. 2024, www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/18/ontario-toronto-bike-lanes. 

D’Mello, Colin, and Isaac Callan. “‘They’re Coming out’: Ford Says He Will Remove Bike Lanes from 3 Toronto Streets.” Global News, Global News, 23 Oct. 2024, globalnews.ca/news/10825146/toronto-bike-lane-removal-plan-doug-ford/.

“Ford’s Plan to Remove Toronto Bike Lanes Will Cost at Least $48M: City Staff Report | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 14 Nov. 2024, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/report-cost-removal-bike-lanes-toronto-1.7382626.  

Hauen, Jack. “‘We’re Not a Freeway’: Removing Bike Lanes Would Hurt Business, Toronto BIA Says.” The Trillium, 18 Nov. 2024, www.thetrillium.ca/news/municipalities-transit-and-infrastructure/were-not-a-freeway-removing-bike-lanes-would-hurt-business-toronto-bia-says-9824617#:~:text=Removing%20the%20bike%20lanes%20now,improvements%20in%20travel%20time%22%20afterward. 

Mark McAllister, John Marchesan. “Mayor Calls Ford Government’s Removal of Bike Lanes ‘arbitrary’ and Not a Good Use of Taxpayers Money.” CityNews Toronto, 2 Nov. 2024, toronto.citynews.ca/2024/11/01/mayor-ford-governments-bike-lane-removal/.