Bikeway construction on The Esplanade draws community controversy
Some residents say construction of bikeway affecting seniors, people with disabilities
Some downtown residents say they are opposed to a bikeway on The Esplanade, but the city of Toronto says more than half of respondents it consulted four years ago said they supported the project.
The city must keep the needs of all residents in mind when it comes to its bike lane plan, said resident Sharon Danley, at a news conference Wednesday organized by the Downtown Concerned Citizens Organization.
"Bike lanes restrict road space," Danley said. "Bike lanes have turned streets into parking lots, with residents unable to shop, get their kids to events, and seriously impact emergency services and Wheel-Trans."
The province has publicly said it needs to remove some bike lanes in Toronto to clear up gridlock. But the province has also acknowledged internally that current research and data doesn't show traffic is significantly improved by taking bike lanes off streets.
At a 2024 town hall for another controversial bike lane in the city's west end, Toronto Fire leadership said its response times had not increased due to bike lanes in recent years.
Danley said in her view the bike lanes are also having an impact on seniors and people with disabilities, forcing those who take the bus to walk further than before and making Wheels-Trans pickup "unduly risky." Vehicles cannot park close enough to the curb to extend their ramps over the sidewalk due to the bikeway and people in wheelchairs are affected, she said.
"Bike lanes prioritize able-bodied young male cyclists while ignoring seniors and the disabled who can't cycle. Yet we are supposed to be an accessible city," Danley said.
An internal report prepared for the province said based on previous research, bike lanes reduce collisions between 35 and 55 per cent for all road users — not just cyclists.
And during public consultations for the bike lane on The Esplanade, the city says 74 per cent of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that the bikeway would meet the goals of the project, which were to improve safety for everyone, make walking, cycling and taking transit more attractive and maintain access to local and citywide destinations.
"You do need a network of connected bikeways to make cycling a better option for more people," said Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, a charity that says it works to make Toronto a healthier cycling city.
"When we're looking at bikes as part of a city's transportation network, you want to make sure that bike lanes are connecting to destinations," Longfield said, adding The Esplanade is an example of just that.
Bikeway being constructed as part of road work, city says
In an email on Wednesday, the city said it awarded a contract in March 2024 to build a bikeway on The Esplanade between east of Yonge Street and Market Street as part of water main, sewer and road work.
Public consultation on the project took place from October 2019 to March 2021, the city said.
The city said crews are continuing to work on The Esplanade and Mill Street Connection Project. Once completed, a two-way cycle track on The Esplanade will run from Bayview to Lower Sherbourne Street, from Lower Sherbourne Street to Lower Jarvis, and west of George Street to west of Scott Street.
The city says it will then upgrade the bikeways on The Esplanade, from west of George Street to Berkeley Street, to ensure they "more seamlessly integrate with the streetscape."
In a March 10 construction notice, the city said there will be road and sidewalk restrictions within the work zone but: "Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times."
The city said the contractor will notify residents of any temporary restrictions to their driveway access, and if a property has two entrances, one will be kept open at all times.
Street too 'vital' for bikeway construction, resident says
Margaret Samuel, a resident of the ward and a lawyer, said The Esplanade between Yonge and Jarvis streets is a "vital" secondary artery in the city, but the "economic viability" of many nearby businesses, including St. Lawrence Market, are being affected by the bikeway construction.
The City of Toronto does not classify any roads as secondary arteries. Instead, there are major arterial roads and minor arterial roads. The city's road classification list labels the Esplanade as a collector road, which is a category below minor arterial in terms of traffic volume.
Samuel questioned whether the city can proceed with the bikeway given Ontario's Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, which came into effect in 2024, says cities need provincial government approval for new bike lanes that remove a lane of traffic.
According to the city, projects with contracts awarded before the new rules kicked in can continue without restrictions.
"Because this contract was awarded before the rules took effect, the City can move forward with the Esplanade-Mill Street Connection project as approved by Toronto City Council," the city said.
"This is the kind of secondary road that in theory Bill 212 would be supporting," said Longfield, of Cycle Toronto.
"The Esplanade is technically classified as a collector. So again, if we can't put a bikeway on the collector, or on the Esplanade, which is beside a park that has lots of destinations, lots of apartments, lots of people who live there, I kind of question where can the city put bikeways?" he said.