Olivia Chow is going to war with Doug Ford over controversial new bill

The evolution of Toronto’s bike infrastructure has been a hot and divisive topic for years, but Doug Ford’s new obsession with the city’s cycling lanes has spawned a flurry of debate, including between the premier and members of the municipal government, like Mayor Olivia Chow.

Chow, a known proponent of travelling on two wheels, is taking Ford to task about his proposed bill that would axe portions of existing cycle paths on three of the city’s streets, and also give the province final say on any new bike corridors that require the removal of a traffic lane.

This week at city council, Chow argued that the legislation fails to respect local democracies and the decision-making power of cities, asking councillors to support a motion to “express opposition to the proposed amendments to the Highway Traffic Act contained in Bill 212, which contradicts the stated purpose of the City of Toronto Act to allow the City to determine what is in the public interest of the city.”

It passed 21-4 on Thursday evening.

As part of the motion, local leadership will be asking the Province to “work collaboratively with cities to address congestion and road safety” rather than go ahead with the bill, and is even threatening legal action to fight the changes if they go through.

Staff will also be reaching out to the provincial government to affirm a united front of resistance to “any requirement of the City to provide support in the removal of City Infrastructure approved by its democratically elected City Council,” and speaking at hearings regarding the bill at Ontario Legislature.

Crucially, Chow and her team are also refusing to cover any costs associated with the new law, including any “staff time, planning, design, construction, and traffic management” that would come with ripping out the bike lanes on Yonge, University and Bloor.

A 28-page report from the city manager, cited in the motion, further details the city’s stance on the matter.

Cyclists have furiously rejected Ford’s claims that replacing mixed-traffic lanes with bike paths is one of the leading causes of the city’s famously awful congestion, saying that some of the stats the premier is using to bolster his argument are outdated and incorrect.

Meanwhile, those who have been disgruntled about the city’s recent redevelopment of streets in their neighbourhood for the sake of bike lanes are celebrating the prospect of more provincial oversight.

Some see the move as an answer to their complaints that the lanes negatively impact businesses, traffic and more, and aren’t used enough, especially in a place known for its winters, to warrant so many being built on the public’s dime.

Beyond people’s feelings about cycling infrastructure and the push for a less car-centric metropolis, there is the issue that is at the heart of Chow’s motion: how much the provincial government should be interfering with something that has thus far been within the City’s jurisdiction, especially when the Province has much more pressing things to worry about.

On the subject of T.O. gridlock specifically, many feel that Ford would be better off expediting transit projects whose construction has dragged on for years.

As Cycle Toronto tells blogTO, “There are only so many new cars on our roads we can handle. We need to provide people with alternatives to driving. Continuing to build new transit options that people can rely on is a big part of the solution, so delays to the key provincial projects like the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch LTR certainly are not helping.”