TORONTO, October 14, 2026 – The Ontario government began removing part of the bike lanes on Bloor Street West in Etobicoke on October 13. Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford said again that day that he supports removing this section of bike lanes, but believes decisions on whether to keep or add bike lanes on other Toronto roads should be made by the City, in consultation with local residents and businesses.
The work is the first bike lane removal project being carried out by the province under legislation passed in 2024, following a related ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal in August. Last month, the province also issued a request for proposals to study the feasibility of restoring motor vehicle lanes on Yonge Street and University Avenue.
Bradford has previously pledged that, if elected mayor, he would restore motor vehicle lanes on part of Bloor Street West in Etobicoke. He said local residents and businesses have raised concerns for years about the current road design, and that the City should respond more directly to community concerns.
However, when it comes to Yonge Street, University Avenue and other sections of Bloor Street, Bradford said the province should not make one citywide decision on whether bike lanes should be removed. Instead, each street should be assessed individually.
“The future of Toronto’s streets should be decided by Toronto,” Bradford said. He said that, if elected, he would speak directly with the provincial government and seek to preserve the City’s decision-making authority over street planning while maintaining cooperation with the province.
He also emphasized that supporting the removal of some bike lanes does not mean opposing cycling. Bradford’s campaign has proposed a “Build Bike Lanes Where They Belong” plan, which would use spaces such as parks, hydro corridors and ravines to build connected multi-use trails linked with public transit.
Bradford said he wants to increase cycling and improve cyclist safety, but believes cycling infrastructure does not always need to be placed on major motor vehicle roads.
In recent years, bike lane planning on several major Toronto roads has continued to generate debate. As the province directly intervenes in changes to some roads, the discussion has expanded from traffic design to the division of road-planning authority between the City and the province.
With less than two weeks remaining before the October 26 municipal election, traffic congestion, bike lanes and coordination between the City and the province have become part of this year’s mayoral transportation debate.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
