How Toronto could build more than 20 km of new bike lanes — despite provincial restrictions

Toronto could see more than 20 kilometres of new bike lanes installed in a proposal that manages to get around the provincial government’s attempts to clamp down on them. 

Car lanes won't need to be sacrificed if the bikeways are approved. Instead, city staff propose to narrow them down.

Mayor Olivia Chow said the plan is “not a loophole” for provincial legislation at an unrelated news conference earlier this week. 

“It’s just a better design,” she said. “From day one, I said there’s a win-win solution.” 

Ontario’s Bill 212 — along with the recently-passed Bill 60 — both restrict municipalities from building bike lanes that impede traffic lanes for cars.

When asked if Toronto found a way to circumvent provincial rules at the same news conference as Chow, Ontario’s Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria was supportive of the city's strategy.

"If there is a way in which you can have both a vehicle lane and a bike lane on the same street, then that is OK," he said.

With an estimated price tag of more than $30 million, the proposed lanes are designed to connect existing bike routes located mostly outside the downtown core. It marks the city's most ambitious attempt to build new bike lanes since provincial restrictions kicked in.

In 2024, a total of 14.5 kilometres of bike lanes were approved, and in 2023, 17.9 kilometres were approved, according to the city.

The 20.5 kilometres of new bikeways is a significant amount for a single proposal, says Michael Longfield, executive director of advocacy group Cycle Toronto. It’s especially notable after the city’s previous cycling infrastructure update this summer proposed zero kilometres of new bike lanes, “which was fairly unprecedented,” he said.

Despite his enthusiasm, Longfield said, "you can't take anything for granted. We've seen projects approved by city council that end up in limbo for years afterwards because of various factors."

City staff are also proposing lower speed limits, new stop signs and traffic-control signals, and prohibiting right turns on red along the proposed bike routes.

The proposal also seeks to upgrade existing cycling infrastructure.

The largest proposed route is a six-kilometre lane on Kingston Road, stretching from Cliffside Drive to Scarborough Golf Club Road.