Ontario municipalities are calling upcoming legislation that would require the province’s permission to install some new bike lanes a “significant overreach” of power.
The province says the legislation aims to address gridlock, and it’s expected to have a requirement that municipalities seek provincial approval for proposed bike lanes and demonstrate they won’t negatively impact vehicle traffic.
But the Association of Municipalities of Ontario says none of its 444 members were consulted or shown evidence the province is using to justify its proposed veto power over new bike lanes that would remove a lane for traffic.
Premier Doug Ford’s government is set to table the legislation next week.
The proposed legislation also includes increasing speed limits to 110 km/h on all 400-series highways where safe, building on previous increases. Additionally, Ontario plans to launch a pothole prevention fund in 2025 to help smaller municipalities improve road conditions.
Lastly, the government is proposing to enshrine in the legislation the current freeze on knowledge and road test fees so that any future increases would require a legislative amendment. The freeze on fee increases, which was scheduled to rise roughly 4.5 per cent a year, is said to save Ontarians $72 million this decade.
Written by: K. Freeman with files from The Canadian Press
