Doug Ford’s government rejected Toronto’s proposals to restore traffic lanes and keep bike lanes: sources - Toronto Star

Two sources confirm that the Ford government walked away from compromises that would have restored traffic lanes while keeping bike lanes.

A cyclist crosses Islington Avenue along Bloor Street West in Toronto. The province has asked contractors to bid on the removal or reconfiguration of more than 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes in the city.

The Ford government rejected several proposals from the city of Toronto that would have restored traffic lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue, while also maintaining protected bike lanes, according to documents obtained by the Star and sources familiar with the negotiations.

In the documents, the city proposes reinstating a lane of traffic on a 1.5-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street West in Etobicoke, between Resurrection Road and Royal York Road.

While the proposed redesign changes block-by-block, much of it would have involved adjusting the median, changing the bike lane or undertaking catch-basin construction work.

The city also drew up high-level proposals for the rest of Bloor Street, as well as Yonge Street and University Avenue, that would have kept the bike lanes. 

The documents were prepared by staff and used in discussions with the province.

On Tuesday, the province issued a request for proposals (RFP), asking contractors to bid on the removal or reconfiguration of more than 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes along the city’s main arterial streets, including Bloor, Yonge and University.

The Ford government has blamed the removal of traffic lanes in favour of protected bike lanes for the city’s congestion woes. On Tuesday, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the province would look at keeping bike lanes “where possible … but the priority is restoring that vehicle lane.”

In the full RFP, obtained by the Star, the province has asked contractors for design and costing options for both the full removal of bike lanes — and keeping the bike lanes while adding back a lane of traffic.

The RFP asks contractors to do design work that would reinstate a lane of traffic on Bloor Street (from Royal York Road to Castle Frank Road), on Yonge Street (from Hayden Street. to Millwood Road), on University Avenue (from College Street to Heenan Place), all of Queen’s Park Crescent and on Avenue Road (from Bloor to Davenport Road).

The RFP also asks contractors to study the “feasibility of alternative bike routes on municipal roads at a conceptual level” with a priority on north-south alternatives to the bike lanes on Yonge Street and Avenue Road. 

The closing date for contractors to submit a bid is Dec. 2, with a planned award date of Dec. 17 and an “estimated completion date” of December 2028.

It’s unclear why the province rejected the city’s proposed changes to the cycling corridors.

A source said the province rejected every proposal presented with a bike lane and negotiations weren’t able to reach the point of talking about in-depth, technical designs.

When asked for comment on the city’s proposed redesigns, Charlotte Carron, a spokesperson for Sarkaria, said Thursday in a statement: “We have always been clear: bike lanes should go where they make sense — not at the expense of vehicle lanes, commuters’ time or our economy.” 

Carron added, “Our RFP will restore vehicle capacity and get people moving again, while identifying opportunities to maintain or reconfigure bike lanes where possible, without making gridlock worse.”