Ford defends bill that would prevent injured cyclists from suing Ontario over bike lane removal

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is defending legislation proposed by his government that would prevent cyclists or their families from suing the province if they're injured or killed in areas where the government is forcing the removal of bike lanes.

“My heart goes out to the families, and I'm so sorry, just like I'm sorry when people get in car accidents and motorcycle accidents and so on and so forth,” Ford said when asked about the six cyclists who have already died on Toronto’s roads this year. “That's terrible. We want to keep everyone safe. I want to keep everyone safe across the roads.

“But you know who I want to keep safe, too? When the firefighters jump in their trucks and they're trying to go down University and they're jammed behind traffic, they can't get there to save lives, or they're trying to go down Bloor Street, it's absolutely backed up from here to Timbuktu or Yonge Street – that doesn't make sense at all. That's what I want to save lives for, I want to save everyone's lives.”

Last month, the province announced that it would move to prohibit the installation of new bike lanes on arterial roads and would review some existing ones. The government has since announced that it plans to force the removal of some stretches of bike lanes that were recently installed on University Avenue, Yonge Street and Bloor Street.

NDP legislators said Thursday that an 11-page amendment to Bill 212 would ban people from taking the government to court for its decision to remove bike lanes, including anyone injured or killed due to a collision between a bike and a vehicle.

Critics have said the move runs roughshod over local democracy and will make roads less safe for cyclists.

“If you remove the only barriers we have between motor vehicles, then the conflict points grow exponentially, and so will injuries and collisions,” cycling advocate David Shellnut told CTV News Toronto.

 

Ford says cost won’t be as high as city estimates

Ford said the province will cover the costs of removal, and that it won’t be as high as City of Toronto staff have estimated.

A report that went before Toronto City Council last week said that it would take at least $48 million to remove the bike lanes. 

“I get it. I know the game they're playing, they're inflating the cost,” Ford said. “It's not going to cost that much. Just watch how quickly we get those bike lanes out of there at a fraction, a fraction of the cost.”

He claimed bike lanes are costing the city “billions of dollars” in lost productivity.

Asked about the timing, Ford said he’ll be working with Mayor Olivia Chow “directly” on the removal of some Toronto bike lanes.

“By the way, I have a phenomenal relationship with Mayor Chow. She's such a really good person, nice person. We may differ sometimes on policies, but we get along very, very well, and we'll sit down,” Ford said. “And I know that she agrees the Bloor West bike lanes are coming out, and don't be shocked if she's standing beside me as we're taking them out.”

He added that, “I can speak for Etobicoke folks there – they despise these bike lanes.”

He claimed there was “zero consultation” and residents woke up to find it “rammed down our throats.”

Speaking at a separate event Friday, Chow said bike lanes are about safety, recalling the death of one young woman who died while cycling in Etobicoke.

“I keep thinking, had that road had a bike lane, what would have happened,” Chow said. “Maybe her husband won't be grieving, and there are so many examples like that. We know that six cyclists already passed away this year, which is a higher number than other years.”

The bill is expected to pass next week.