The Court of Appeal for Ontario has cleared the way for Premier Doug Ford's government to remove some of Toronto's most prominent bike lanes, handing the Premier a legal victory in a fight he has pursued for years. The province's highest court reversed a lower court decision that had blocked the removals.
In its ruling, the court stated that the province is allowed to do what it wants on Ontario's roads, regardless of expert advice. It found that the government is free to accept some, all, or none of the advice it receives when it makes its policy choices.
The appeal court also concluded that the earlier ruling had inflated the negative effects of removing the bicycle lanes. That lower court decision, handed down last summer, had blocked Ford's plan to tear the lanes out of the city's major streets.
The Premier and his transportation minister hailed the outcome as a victory for common sense. Ford has long argued that the lanes take up a lane of traffic, leaving vehicles backed up along the affected routes.
Opponents pushed back on that reasoning. They said that, consistently, the Premier and the minister had been told from the moment the legislation was first discussed that bike lanes do not cause traffic congestion, and that ripping them out will put people's lives at risk.
Despite the green light from the court, it remains unclear when the work will actually start. The province has declined to say when the removals might begin, leaving the timeline for the changes in question.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she is still trying to work with the Ontario government to find a compromise that would keep some of the bike lanes operational, even as the province presses ahead with its plans.