Premier not focused on Ottawa as Ontario plans to rip up bike lanes
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he's not concerned about the bike lanes in Ottawa, as the government seeks to rip up cycling paths on major roads in Toronto and other parts of the province.
Asked if there were any cycling paths he would consider removing in Ottawa, Ford told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Bill Carroll that he felt the city's traffic moved better than in Toronto.
"In Toronto, it’s bike lanes on steroids," he said.
"We're focused on Toronto, we're focused on Yonge Street, University and Bloor streets, a few other ones. I'll work with the mayor, but when I was [in Ottawa], the traffic was moving fairly well."
The Progressive Conservative government tabled a bill last month that would require municipalities to ask the province for permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic. The government later went further, proposing a new rule that would require the city of Toronto to rip up some bike lanes and restore them for vehicle traffic.
"We just want to get traffic moving forward and we want to make sure the bike people are safe," Ford said.
Transportation minister Prabmeet Sakaria singled out Ottawa and other cities last month while announcing the legislation, saying bike lanes have expanded drastically and raised uncertainty about their impacts on traffic.
"Like for the underused bike lanes on Cedar and Joseph Streets in downtown Kitchener that are making it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through or O'Connor Street in Ottawa, where lanes were pointlessly taken away on a key artery making it unsafe for drivers and cyclists alike," he said.
There are over 100 cycling projects listed in the draft Transportation Master Plan in the city of Ottawa, including separated cycling lanes on Innes Road, Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard, Richmond Road, Maitland Avenue, Pinecrest Road and Greenbank Road, Woodroffe Avenue, Meadowlands Drive, Smyth Road, Riverside Drive, and Bank Street south.
The city is also exploring the feasibility of bike lanes on Bank Street through the Glebe, on Elgin Street, Sussex Drive and Somerset Street.
Thirteen city councillors have signed an open letter opposing the legislation. Many have called it an overreach for the province to step in to transportation decisions made by municipalities.
Community groups supporting bike lanes protested in front of the Chateau Laurier hotel on Tuesday while Ford spoke at a conference hosted by the Economic Club of Canada.
Community groups supporting bike lanes protested in front of the Chateau Laurier hotel while Ford spoke at a conference hosted by the Economic Club of Canada on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Katie Griffin/CTV News Ottawa)
"I'm here to suggest that Doug Ford has no business interfering with cities bike lanes. That would be up to municipal politicians and if the people of those cities don't like it, they can vote those politicians out. But it's not Doug Ford's business to be destroying our bike lanes or bike infrastructure," said cyclist Hans Posthuma at the protest.
Ford announced new funding for police and other public safety initiatives to aid asylum seekers and homeless residents at the conference on Tuesday.
During a "fireside chat" with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, bike lanes were not discussed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates so Trump can't have them executed
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before president-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
Toronto weather: Advisories in effect ahead of 'significant' Monday snowfall
Holiday travellers and commuters could be in for a messy drive on Monday morning as a significant round of snowfall moves into the region.
Nissan, Honda announce plans to merge, creating world's No. 3 automaker
Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger, forming the world's third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.
Green Party's Elizabeth May reflects on unprecedented week in Canadian politics
Elizabeth May says in all her years on Parliament Hill she has never seen anything like the last week in Canadian politics.
The rent-a-friend industry is booming among Canada's Chinese diaspora
Dozens of people are offering rent-a-friend services on Xiaohongshu, a social media platform also known as Little Red Book or China's Instagram, in cities including Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.
Trump suggests the U.S. should take back the Panama Canal. Could they do that?
Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States 'foolishly' ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged 'ridiculous' fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
opinion Christmas movies for people who don't like Christmas movies
The holidays can bring up a whole gamut of emotions, not just love and goodwill. So CTV film critic Richard Crouse offers up a list of Christmas movies for people who might not enjoy traditional Christmas movies.
Man handed 5th distracted driving charge for using cellphone on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
An Ottawa driver was charged for using a cellphone behind the wheel on Sunday, the fifth time he has faced distracted driving charges.
Wrongfully convicted N.B. man has mixed feelings since exoneration
Robert Mailman, 76, was exonerated on Jan. 4 of a 1983 murder for which he and his friend Walter Gillespie served lengthy prison terms.