Ford government begins process of removing Bloor, Yonge and University bike lanes in Toronto

Last year, a lower court stopped the province from replacing protected bike lanes with car lanes along 19 kilometres of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue Ontario will begin restoring motor‑vehicle lanes on several of Toronto’s busiest corridors — including Bloor Street, Yonge Street, University Avenue, Queen’s Park, Queen’s Park Crescent and Avenue Road — after issuing a new request for proposals (RFP) and starting immediate work on Bloor Street West. The move follows a recent Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that upheld the province’s authority to redesign public roadways and cleared the way for the Ford government’s plan to reverse bike‑lane installations on key arterial routes.

A lower court last year stopped the province from replacing protected bike lanes with car lanes along 19 kilometres of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue, ruling it posed an unconstitutional risk to cyclist safety. At issue was a 2024 law passed by the Ford government that required municipalities to seek approval to install new bike lanes that cut into traffic. The fast-tracked law also empowered the province to remove the Yonge, University and Bloor bike lane stretches.

Cyclists ride on the designated Bloor Street bike lanes in Toronto on Oct. Work begins on Bloor Street West The Ministry of Transportation confirmed that lane restoration is already underway on Bloor Street West, beginning east of the 600‑metre stretch at Clissold Road, west of Islington Avenue, where a vehicle lane was reinstated in December 2025. That earlier project maintained a bike lane while restoring one lane for drivers.

Via a press release, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the government is acting on what he described as a “clear and direct mandate” from Ontarians. Under Premier [Doug] Ford’s leadership, we’re getting people and goods moving again and giving commuters back more of their time,” he said. Related: Brad Bradford vows to remove Bloor bike lanes he voted in favour of, admitting he ‘got it wrong’ ‘It’s a win-win’: How Toronto is planning 20km of new bike lanes without defying Ford The newly issued RFP will study and propose design options for restoring vehicle lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, University Avenue, Queen’s Park, Queen’s Park Crescent and Avenue Road.

The RFP will also identify options to retain or reconfigure bike lanes “where they make sense and do not make gridlock worse,” the province says. Ford has long complained that bike lane… The province is a step closer to tearing out bike lanes on Toronto's busiest streets after a victory at the Appeal Court earlier this month.