Cycling advocates gathered in Etobicoke once again Wednesday morning as construction crews lined up traffic pylons along protected bike lanes on Bloor Street West and attempted to begin the work to remove them as per the Ford government’s mandate.
The work was to begin Tuesday, but workers were blocked by protesters and their trucks were seen leaving the area as cyclists chanted, “Get home safe.”
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said on X that the work was “halted by protesters” but vowed that the Province will not be deterred.
“Make no mistake: these bike lanes are coming out. We have a clear mandate and we will deliver,” he said.
As workers began Wednesday to remove reflective strips and cement barriers separating the road from the bike lanes, one cyclist was seen stepping in front of a work truck, blocking its path. Several others joined him soon after leading to a stand off between workers and cyclists.
Other protesters were seen sitting in the bike lane and more cyclists were seen standing on the cement barriers and preventing the work from continuing.
“People are resisting, people want to have a say in the way their city is structured and how it functions,” said Theo, as he stood with fellow protesting cyclists.
“We had hundreds of people coming out [Tuesday] night and we successfully managed to get them to back off on the construction and we’re hoping to get more and more people coming out to stand up for the city… hopefully we can make [the Province] see that it’s not what the people of Toronto want.”
Addressing the issue in an unrelated press conference, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said there is no injunction preventing the removal of bike lanes and as such, obstructing the work carries a potential criminal liability.
“That is lawful work that is going to continue. We will take steps necessary to ensure lawful work can happen,” he said.
“We truly appreciate there are many different perspectives on this topic but what I’d ask everybody to also remember is to follow our officers instructions out on the street and not interfere with lawful activity and also understand that if you fail to follow our officers’ instructions or interfere with what is lawful activity, you do stand the chance of being charged criminally and being put before the courts.”
Toronto police made their presence felt at the protest with multiple police cruisers and officers on scene. One officer was seen instructing protesting cyclists to step aside.
“I know what you’re doing, I know what you have to do – although you’re going to do it on the sidewalk and you’re not going to impede the work that needs to be done,” the officer said.
Protesters were heard speaking with officers saying the workers did not have permits to start the work during the day and work was to begin later at night. Police officers told protesters that workers did have the appropriate permits and that they were to move to the sidewalk to continue any further discussions.
While some cyclists complied around 12: 30 p.m., others staged a sit-in and continued to block the work truck in defiance of police orders.
Protesters told CityNews they will hold their ground to ensure the bike lanes stay in place.
“This is something that I believe in to make sure bike lanes aren’t removed unnecessarily,” said one seated protester, undeterred by the large police presence.
“Seeing the amount of police is one thing and also seeing the amount of people here to protest [is another]… it’s safer to have bike lanes. Evidence shows that.”
Another protester added that people in Toronto are upset about the removal of safe infrastructure as well as what he called a waste of $48 million dollars of taxpayers’ money.
“We’re here to send a message that we’re not going to stand by while [the Province] drums up a culture war between motorists and cyclists based on false reporting and false data. Bike lanes save lives, they don’t contribute to congestion – the minister and the premier knows this, but they’re going ahead with this just for some political points. It’s really important for my safety, for the safety of my kid, for the safety of all these people that we don’t take that lying down,” he said.
Cycle Toronto says the fight isn’t over
Cycle Toronto is involved in an ongoing Charter challenge against the province’s bike lane legislation and are now planning to take their appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Speaking with CityNews, Executive Director Michael Longfield said Tuesday was a “huge moral victory” and they’re not backing down.
“Yes, maybe the Premier has the charter right to do this based on where we are with the legal case, but we don’t understand why he’s proceeding with ripping out the bike lanes when there is a solution that could restore the car lanes and keep the bike lanes,” he said, referring to mayor Olivia Chow’s offer to restore vehicle lanes on portions of Bloor Street West while retaining cycling infrastructure.
The proposal was rejected by the province, but Longfield feels all is not lost yet.
“[Tuesday] should have been a wake up call. We’ve seen the Premier change his mind before – I actually think that’s one of his strongest qualities as a leader – and this would be a real win-win solution on this,” he said.
More to come
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