Win is significant for region’s premier, Doug Ford, who blames protected zones for city’s traffic ills.
O governo de Ontário agora está livre para remover as ciclovias de Toronto nas ruas mais movimentadas, após o tribunal regional mais alto ter decidido a favor da província na sexta-feira, revogando a decisão de um tribunal inferior que decretou que a remoção violaria direitos constitucionais.
The win is significant for Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, and his government, who have long railed against Toronto’s bike lanes, blaming the protected zones for the city’s traffic ills.
In 2024, the Ford government passed legislation that would allow Ontario to axe Toronto’s lanes, despite the recent installation of the infrastructure by the municipality.
But the effort to tear up the lanes covering 19km (12 miles) of road was paused after cycling advocacy organisations levelled a legal challenge against the province.
Their challenge was supported in July 2025, when a superior court judge ruled removing the lanes was unconstitutional, as it would create a heightened risk of death or injury, in turn violating the right to life and security of the person.
Those rights are protected under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
A decisão de sexta-feira do tribunal de apelação de Ontário reverte essa decisão. Michael Longfield, diretor executivo do Cycle Toronto, um dos grupos que lançou o desafio legal, disse que está desapontado com a decisão.
The court of appeal judges in their decision wrote that there is no charter right to bike lanes and the government is free to change legislation on the lanes if it wishes.
They explained that courts cannot find legislation unconstitutional because experts predict the government’s policies will fail.
In reaction to the ruling, Toronto’s mayor, Olivia Chow, said she has been working with the province to negotiate a path forward “that keeps every road user safe”.
There’s hope the municipality will negotiate an alternative with the Ford government that still makes room for cyclists, said Longfield.
Ontario’s transportation minister, Prabmeet Sarkaria, said in a statement the top court’s decision is a “victory for common sense”. The government has not yet announced when or if they plan to remove the lanes.
Fundamentally, Ford targeting bike lanes is a gross overreach of the provincial government into city affairs, said Longfield. It is “frankly ridiculous”, he said, to believe the key to solving urban congestion is barring bike lanes.
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- But the effort to tear up the lanes covering 19km (12 miles) of road was paused after cycling advoc
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Informação baseada em material público de The Guardian World, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
