Ontario tables legislation that includes ban on some bike lanes across the province

Ontario has tabled its first bill as a new legislative sitting gets underway Monday, which would give the province the power to stop cities from constructing some new bike lanes.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria introduced the bill in what he says is an effort to reduce traffic gridlock.

The bill would require municipalities to ask the province for permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.

Under the proposed legislation, the authority to approve or deny plans to remove vehicular traffic lanes and install bike lanes would directly fall to the transportation minister.

Last week when announcing the proposed legislation, Sarkaria also said municipalities that enacted these bike lane changes over the past five years will be asked to submit data on commute times used as part of the decision-making process to Ontario’s transportation ministry. It’s not clear what might happen after that data is submitted.

The proposed legislation also seeks to facilitate construction 24 hours a day and accelerate property acquisitions and environmental assessments.

Last week, Sarkaria said the new bill would get highways built faster, designating Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass and the Garden City Skyway bridge as priority projects to speed up their construction.

The provincial parliament returns as a hive of activity today after a 19-week summer break.

But opposition parties say some of Premier Doug Ford’s recent remarks and announcements, such as the idea to dig a tunnel for traffic and transit under Highway 401, are evidence he is focused more on electioneering than governing.

With files from Nick Westoll, CityNews