The removal and cleanup of bike lanes along Bloor Street West in Etobicoke is now officially complete, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced Friday morning.
Speaking to CP24 Breakfast, Sarkaria defended the government’s decision to remove the lanes, arguing they contributed to congestion and made it harder for people to access local businesses.
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“We heard from residents. We heard from communities, and that’s why we moved forward on this first part of removal on Bloor Street West,” Sarkaria said.
The removal began earlier this month on Oct. 13 and was met with multiple protests and demonstrations during the first week of construction, resulting in several arrests.
Sarkaria said the province will cover the cost of the work but could not provide a final price tag.
“We’ve committed to paying for the cost of removal. We have multiple contracts that are in place right now. So once those have been completed… we will release all of those costs," he said.
Minister cites congestion, low ridership
Asked why the government pressed ahead with the removal, Sarkaria pointed to what he described as low cycling volumes and complaints from businesses and residents about worsening traffic.
“We felt that bike lanes on the busiest corridors in the province were causing congestion,” he said.
“We had video footage of, you know, maybe in some days only three or four bikes crossing through those lanes.”
Sarkaria also claimed some drivers reported their commutes had increased by as much as 20 to 30 minutes.
When asked about a report suggesting removing protected bike lanes could increase collisions, the minister maintained the province was not opposed to cycling infrastructure but believed it belonged on less congested streets.
“For us, the position we take is we’re not anti-bike lane. We don’t think that bike lanes should be on the major arteries of this province,” he explained.
“Safety is always a key priority, but running those bikes on some of the busiest streets, in our opinion, is also not the safest. And diverting to secondary routes would be preferable.”
He also said the province would work with the city to explore alternative cycling routes.
Removal follows court battle
The Ford government previously identified Bloor Street West in Etobicoke as the first location where bike lanes would be removed following an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling in August that cleared the way for the province to proceed.
The government passed legislation in 2024 allowing it to remove certain bike lanes, but a lower court ruling in 2025 blocked the plan after finding it violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The province appealed that decision, with a three-judge panel unanimously finding that “the Ontario legislature is as free to establish bicycle lanes as it is to remove them or authorize their removal.”
The decision was met with backlash from cycling advocates.
Michael Longfield, with CycleTO, previously told CP24 the organization was “outraged but not surprised” by the ruling.
Ford has repeatedly blamed bike lanes on major Toronto roads for contributing to congestion, arguing that removing them would help improve traffic flow.
Sarkaria said additional removals are expected during the next construction cycle.
“We were elected on a mandate to get the province moving, and we were very transparent about bike lanes,” he said.
With files from CP24’s Bryann Aguilar
