Tell the City You've Had Enough With Bike Lane Congestion in Toronto
We, the undersigned, summon Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto City Council to immediately prioritize a total overhaul of existing bicycle lane policies. As well as public consultation, planning, implementation and review of lanes' efficacy and effects, we advocate for the following enhancements to current policymaking:
1. Be transparent with all data collected by the city that is used to justify new bike lane installations.
2. Enact a moratorium on new bike lane installations until the decision-making process on bike lanes is made fair and equitable to all.Ill-considered bike lanes worsen congestion and safety. Statistics bear this out: Toronto is now ranked the 3rd most congested city in North America — and current proposals will only make it worse.
Our city is 7th on the list of the most congested cities in the world, ahead of New York City. (Global Traffic Score Card, 2023)
In 2022, Torontonians lost an annual average of 118 hours of productive time while waiting in traffic – almost five days per year.
Poll: Bike lanes on busy streets are failing us all. A significant proportion of Toronto residents report being negatively affected by the increase in dedicated bike lanes. The majority of residents want the City to evaluate bike lanes every 2-3 years (84%) and remove them from major roads across the city (63%). Notably, most Torontonians are happy with bike lanes existing in the city but want them to have less of an impact on their daily commutes (66%).
Emergency vehicle delays are worsened by bike lanes. This is especially the case on four-lane roads that have been reduced to two lanes following new bike lane installations. EMS vehicle response times have increased as a result of congestion on key roads mandated for their efficient passage. When an ambulance cannot rush a sick person to hospital, when a firetruck sits waiting for traffic to clear while a home burns, when police cannot respond rapidly to a crime, the safety of all our citizens is compromised.
Toronto collects leading and biased data, and this must end. As it stands, Toronto only collects bike lane usage data on days when the weather is favourable to biking. We need to collect year-round, daily bike lane usage data. Not doing so is unfair to all citizens of Toronto, cyclists included. Business owners and homeowners are also negatively affected by ill-considered bike lanes. Currently, there are NO clearly defined metrics to approve and install permanent arterial bike lanes.
Need for representation from all stakeholders. The Infrastructure and Environment Committee at City Hall (IEC) has been listening only to a small but vocal group of activists, and ignoring those who are negatively impacted by bike lane installations across Toronto. The IEC has shown it cannot make the right decisions on bike lanes across Toronto. We need an independent, action-oriented champion to break gridlock and Keep Toronto Moving.
On October 26th, 2026 Toronto will elect our next city council elect the Mayor. At this time I will support, Keep Toronto Moving's efforts for the following:
Time for action with use of Strong Mayor Powers in the City of Toronto Act. Our new Mayor should create an Anti-Congestion Office headed by a Chief Anti-Congestion Officer with the rank of Deputy City Manager. This newly appointed “Congestion Czar” will report directly to the Mayor and oversee data collection and pilot projects, conduct balanced and objective analysis, and make formal recommendations to City Council on all issues related to traffic congestion and road safety, including the placement of bike lanes. Any staff report related to road use or having the potential to affect congestion, gridlock or road safety would require the Chief Anti-Congestion Officer’s sign-off before being presented to City Council.
Removal of Dedicated Bike Lanes on Major Arterial Roads: We call on the next Council to agree to remove the dedicated bike lanes causing the most problems on major arterial roads. These would be lanes on Avenue Road (proposed), Bloor Street (downtown), Bloor Street West (Etobicoke), Danforth Avenue, Eglinton Avenue (proposed), Sheppard Avenue (proposed), University and Yonge Street.
Represent all Torontonians. Toronto’s major streets need to accommodate cyclists, vehicle drivers (personal and professional), public transit users and workers, business owners, tax payers and everyone who has been negatively impacted by poorly thought-out bike line installations.
43 Comments
Putting bike lanes on Avenue Rd when they’ve already destroyed Yonge St which is 1 km away is ridiculous. I support Keep Toronto Moving as I have to use Yonge St to my children’s school and it’s standstill traffic and the bike lanes are unused for a majority of the year
I myself am a cyclist however feel that some major roads do not need bicycle lanes. I do not believe every road needs a seperate lane for bikes especially when they take out existing parking where businesses are affected.
Bike lanes do not belong on Toronto’s major arteries. Making people fight traffic so they are so late and frustrated they stop driving, is not the solution. Some of us need to drive for work and cannot do our job without a car. Are our businesses (middle class businesses) meant to suffer until we go under? Toronto is crushing its middle class.
Bloor West bike lane is a complete disaster. July 13th 2024, at about 10am on a beautiful day, I counted 3 bike users (both ways), between Kipling and Jane. The car congestion was a mess, and the TTC buses are similarly impacted by the congestion. This installation along Bloor West is surely one of the dumbest projects of 2023/2024
Bloor Street has become a disaster with traffic backed up and idling, very few cyclists especially in winter and rainy weather. Traffic counts are not taken year round. Emergency vehicles are hindered. Can this be put to a vote whereby the local residents can express their opinion by referendum?
This bike lane footloose has gotten out of control and must be stopped.
Not necessary..they are always empty!!!
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Tell the City You've Had Enough With Bike Lane Congestion in Toronto
We, the undersigned, summon Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto City Council to immediately prioritize a total overhaul of existing bicycle lane policies. As well as public consultation, planning, implementation and review of lanes' efficacy and effects, we advocate for the following enhancements to current policymaking:
1. Be transparent with all data collected by the city that is used to justify new bike lane installations.
2. Enact a moratorium on new bike lane installations until the decision-making process on bike lanes is made fair and equitable to all.Ill-considered bike lanes worsen congestion and safety. Statistics bear this out: Toronto is now ranked the 3rd most congested city in North America — and current proposals will only make it worse.
Our city is 7th on the list of the most congested cities in the world, ahead of New York City. (Global Traffic Score Card, 2023)
In 2022, Torontonians lost an annual average of 118 hours of productive time while waiting in traffic – almost five days per year.
Poll: Bike lanes on busy streets are failing us all. A significant proportion of Toronto residents report being negatively affected by the increase in dedicated bike lanes. The majority of residents want the City to evaluate bike lanes every 2-3 years (84%) and remove them from major roads across the city (63%). Notably, most Torontonians are happy with bike lanes existing in the city but want them to have less of an impact on their daily commutes (66%).
Emergency vehicle delays are worsened by bike lanes. This is especially the case on four-lane roads that have been reduced to two lanes following new bike lane installations. EMS vehicle response times have increased as a result of congestion on key roads mandated for their efficient passage. When an ambulance cannot rush a sick person to hospital, when a firetruck sits waiting for traffic to clear while a home burns, when police cannot respond rapidly to a crime, the safety of all our citizens is compromised.
Toronto collects leading and biased data, and this must end. As it stands, Toronto only collects bike lane usage data on days when the weather is favourable to biking. We need to collect year-round, daily bike lane usage data. Not doing so is unfair to all citizens of Toronto, cyclists included. Business owners and homeowners are also negatively affected by ill-considered bike lanes. Currently, there are NO clearly defined metrics to approve and install permanent arterial bike lanes.
Need for representation from all stakeholders. The Infrastructure and Environment Committee at City Hall (IEC) has been listening only to a small but vocal group of activists, and ignoring those who are negatively impacted by bike lane installations across Toronto. The IEC has shown it cannot make the right decisions on bike lanes across Toronto. We need an independent, action-oriented champion to break gridlock and Keep Toronto Moving.
On October 26th, 2026 Toronto will elect our next city council elect the Mayor. At this time I will support, Keep Toronto Moving's efforts for the following:
Time for action with use of Strong Mayor Powers in the City of Toronto Act. Our new Mayor should create an Anti-Congestion Office headed by a Chief Anti-Congestion Officer with the rank of Deputy City Manager. This newly appointed “Congestion Czar” will report directly to the Mayor and oversee data collection and pilot projects, conduct balanced and objective analysis, and make formal recommendations to City Council on all issues related to traffic congestion and road safety, including the placement of bike lanes. Any staff report related to road use or having the potential to affect congestion, gridlock or road safety would require the Chief Anti-Congestion Officer’s sign-off before being presented to City Council.
Removal of Dedicated Bike Lanes on Major Arterial Roads: We call on the next Council to agree to remove the dedicated bike lanes causing the most problems on major arterial roads. These would be lanes on Avenue Road (proposed), Bloor Street (downtown), Bloor Street West (Etobicoke), Danforth Avenue, Eglinton Avenue (proposed), Sheppard Avenue (proposed), University and Yonge Street.
Represent all Torontonians. Toronto’s major streets need to accommodate cyclists, vehicle drivers (personal and professional), public transit users and workers, business owners, tax payers and everyone who has been negatively impacted by poorly thought-out bike line installations.
43 Comments
Spending 20 minutes to drive 1.5 km on Bloor street is absolutely nuts! I'm burning more fossil fuels than before awhile poisoning the few bikers with carbon monoxide from the line up of idling cars. We no longer carpool with other parents for my kids sports because it takes SO LONG just to come by each other's houses.
Putting bike lanes on Avenue Rd when they’ve already destroyed Yonge St which is 1 km away is ridiculous. I support Keep Toronto Moving as I have to use Yonge St to my children’s school and it’s standstill traffic and the bike lanes are unused for a majority of the year
I myself am a cyclist however feel that some major roads do not need bicycle lanes. I do not believe every road needs a seperate lane for bikes especially when they take out existing parking where businesses are affected.
Bike lanes do not belong on Toronto’s major arteries. Making people fight traffic so they are so late and frustrated they stop driving, is not the solution. Some of us need to drive for work and cannot do our job without a car. Are our businesses (middle class businesses) meant to suffer until we go under? Toronto is crushing its middle class.
Bloor West bike lane is a complete disaster. July 13th 2024, at about 10am on a beautiful day, I counted 3 bike users (both ways), between Kipling and Jane. The car congestion was a mess, and the TTC buses are similarly impacted by the congestion. This installation along Bloor West is surely one of the dumbest projects of 2023/2024
Bloor Street has become a disaster with traffic backed up and idling, very few cyclists especially in winter and rainy weather. Traffic counts are not taken year round. Emergency vehicles are hindered. Can this be put to a vote whereby the local residents can express their opinion by referendum?
This bike lane footloose has gotten out of control and must be stopped.
Not necessary..they are always empty!!!
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Spending 20 minutes to drive 1.5 km on Bloor street is absolutely nuts! I'm burning more fossil fuels than before awhile poisoning the few bikers with carbon monoxide from the line up of idling cars. We no longer carpool with other parents for my kids sports because it takes SO LONG just to come by each other's houses.