Toronto cyclists protest removal of downtown bike lanes

Hundreds of cyclists gathered in downtown Toronto for a protest ride following a ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal that allows the provincial government to proceed with removing 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue.

The Court of Appeal unanimously overturned a lower-court decision that had previously blocked the removal of the lanes on safety grounds. The appellate justices stated the previous judgment had improperly engaged in policy-making. Internal documents presented during the proceedings suggested that removing the lanes might not reduce congestion and could potentially increase collisions for all road users by 54 per cent.

During the rally, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow criticized the provincial government's focus on municipal infrastructure, suggesting instead that all levels of government should collaborate on broader challenges. The protest route concluded at the office of Councillor Brad Bradford, who has expressed support for removing the Bloor Street West bike lanes.