Province to Introduce Legislation Governing Bicycle Lanes

Yesterday, the Government of Ontario announced it will introduce legislation that would require municipalities to receive approval from the province before installing new bike lanes that would result in the removal of lanes for traffic. According to the government news release, “municipalities would be required to demonstrate that the proposed bike lanes won’t have a negative impact on vehicle traffic.” 

Bicycle lanes are an essential element of urban transportation planning and road safety. Requiring provincial approval would be a significant overreach into municipal jurisdiction. Based on local knowledge and community input, municipalities develop transportation plans that balance traffic flow with planning priorities like active transportation, multimodal transportation and environmental and health protection. AMO is not aware of any consultation with municipalities regarding bicycle lanes or of the evidence the province considered in its decision. 

It is unclear how the Ministry of Transportation will be in a better position than municipalities to make decisions about local transportation matters. Rather than micromanaging bike lanes, the Ministry of Transportation could focus on accelerating its own approval processes to help support new housing.

There have been recent examples of unintended consequences when the province has tried to take over local decision-making. We urge the province to respect local decision-making when considering transportation improvements, and not repeat its mistakes of the past.