A City of Toronto staff report recommends a continuation of the Yonge Street bike lanes pilot between Bloor and Davisville, and through Rosedale. The report will be presented to Council’s Infrastructure & Environment Committee (IEC) meeting on March 29, and its decision will go to City Council on April 6.

Some residents have expressed concerns about the impact of the bike lanes. The concerns include:

• Traffic congestion (especially severe during rush hours).
• Safety issues related to delays in the passage of emergency vehicles.
• Air pollution caused by increased vehicle emissions.
• The danger imposed by speeding e-bikes using the bike lanes.
• A lack of accessible vehicle access for disabled persons, in apparent non-compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Make Your Voice Heard:

Comments to the Committee can be submitted by email to [email protected] by 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 28.

A City staff report on the lanes can be found here:

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2022.IE28.7

The report recommends as follows:

City Council authorize the continuation of the temporary ActiveTO 2021 Cycling Network Expansion Projects listed below to July 31, 2023, inclusive, in order to provide sufficient time for Transportation Services to undertake additional data collection, monitoring evaluation and report back with recommendations to Infrastructure and Environment Committee and Council prior to July 31, 2023 regarding these projects:

 

1. Bayview Avenue:  River Street to Front Street East (multi-use trail, Ward 13); and
2. Yonge Street:  Davisville Avenue to 100 m south of Bloor Street (cycle tracks, Ward 11 and 12).

Information on the consultation can be found here:

https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/infrastructure-projects/activeto-midtown-complete-street-pilot-project/

March 22, 2022 Update: City staff will present recommendations for this project to the Infrastructure & Environment Committee (IEC) meeting on March 29, 2022. A copy of the staff report is available under IEC agenda item IE 28.7. Members of the public can arrange to speak or submit comments to the Committee by contacting the Administrator at 416-392-4666 or [email protected] by 4:30 p.m. on March 28, 2022 the day before the meeting.

Online petition:

You can also express your opinion via the following online petition:

https://www.change.org/p/mayor-s-office-city-of-toronto-remove-bike-lanes-from-yonge-street

An independent group has been created in opposition to the bike lanes. Go to: https://berationalto.com/