OPPI’s position on Bill 212 and Toronto’s Bike Lanes – reiterated by our CEO

As we look ahead to our upcoming Transportation Symposium on October 22, 2026, OPPI is thinking a lot about the function and role of planners in the transportation ecosystem.

Toronto’s bike lanes have been in the news again. Following the recent (and powerful) statements made by our peers at the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, the moment felt right for me to reiterate OPPI’s position on this issue.

Background

In November 2024, OPPI responded to the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, which was conceived to “make life easier for drivers, getting them out of gridlock and where they need to go”.

Among many actions, the approved bill enacted the following:

• Removing sections of the Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue bike lanes in Toronto and return them to a lane of traffic for motor vehicles.
• Providing the Minister with the authority to establish a review process for other existing bike lanes where traffic lanes were removed, and the authority to remove those bike lanes.
• Requiring prescribed municipalities to seek provincial approval for new bike lanes that remove existing lanes of traffic for motor vehicles.

After a legal battle and constitutional challenge led by Cycle Toronto, Ontario’s Court Of Appeal ruled that the provincial government can move ahead with the removal of the identified bike lanes. A request for proposals (RFP) was issued in September 2026, and work is expected to begin in Spring 2027

OPPI’s position

OPPI opposes the removal of bike lanes in the City of Toronto or in any other municipal jurisdiction within the province of Ontario.

As Registered Professional Planners (RPPs), OPPI members work to support a variety of mobility options in Ontario communities. Planners help ensure that active transportation routes are carefully considered, researched, evaluated, and planned in collaboration with transportation engineers, elected officials, advocacy groups, and communities, and in line with local official plans and transportation master plans.

Why do bike lanes matter?

• Bike lanes improve public safety; they save lives.
• Bike lanes support inclusive and complete communities, providing people with convenient and equitable options in how they move around to access their daily needs.
• Bike lanes support economic activity and local spending.
• Bike lanes foster social interaction and community connectivity.
• Bike lanes help improve air quality and mitigate climate change impacts[RD1] .

Removal of these key Toronto routes will not reduce congestion. It will increase risk to public safety and move away from evidence-based practices.

This position was elaborated in OPPI’s submission to ERO-019-9266, submitted in November 2024 and viewable on our website here: https://ontarioplanners.ca/wp-content/uploads/OPPI-Feedback-on-Bike-Lane-Changes-ERO-019-9266-2024-11-18_1.pdf.

On a personal note

I live in Toronto on the East Danforth, and have cycled regularly across the Danforth and Bloor, and down the University bike lanes over the past few years. I have close friends who live and work on the impacted routes. Many staffers at OPPI are also active cyclists, and I’m sure many OPPI members are too.

We are worried about our safety and the safety of those we love. Bike safe out there 💙.

What OPPI is doing | what you can do

Like our peers, OPPI will closely monitor developments related to Bills 212 and 60 and continue advocating transportation planning that are based on real evidence, that prioritize safety for all road users, and that are guided by local plans.

OPPI is eager to work with the province so we can create roadways that are safe for all road users and that provide people with multiple options to get around, including walking, cycling, public transit and driving

Meanwhile, we hope you’ll join us in the following micro actions:

• Follow the work of Cycle Toronto and/or your local cycling advocacy group
• Subscribe to independent outlets like Spacing Magazine, which covers a range of cycling-related topics
• Explore cycling related zines and publications, such as Journey Lines (order a print version, or read online), Cyclista Zine, and Jonny’s Cycling Thoughts
• Participate in a local mass cycling event, such as Critical Mass

Join us on October 22 at our Transportation Symposium

We hope we’ll see you at our Transportation Symposium on October 22 in Markham, Ontario. This event is ideal for planners looking for a better understanding of and engagement with transportation related topics as active transportation, transit, Indigenous engagement for transportation, and network planning.

Guided excursions will include:

• Active transportation in Unionville
• York Region Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
• The route of the new Markham Indy, and its impacts on infrastructure

We hope to see you there!