Some observers are pushing back on the idea that bike lanes cause traffic congestion as the Ontario government embarks on a potential shakeup for how future bikeways get the green light.
Last week, the Ontario government announced it’s seeking to pass legislation that would require municipalities to get provincial approval for new bike lanes that would take space away from vehicles.
An “explosion” of bike lanes built during the COVID-19 pandemic came when fewer people were driving and the bike corridors’ impacts were unclear, according to the province’s Ministry of Transportation.
“Too many drivers are now stuck in gridlock as a result,” the ministry added in its announcement calling for “informed decision-making and oversight” to make life “easier for drivers.”
David Simor, director of the Toronto-based Centre for Active Transportation, disagrees with the province’s diagnosis.
“If the main causes of congestion were bike lanes, then Highway 401 and the Gardiner Expressway would be the fastest flowing streets in the province,” he said.
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Cars, not bikes, cause congestion, Simor said.
“We talk about traffic flow as if traffic is analogous to rainwater, where if we just have enough sewers to capture all the water, we’ll be great … But that’s not how traffic works because the more road space we have for cars, the more people will drive [and] the worse traffic gets.”
Coun. Jeff Leiper, who represents Ottawa’s Kitchissippi ward, agreed.
“If more cyclists get in their cars and drive, then we can expect that, even in those areas where there are cycling lanes, streets are going to become more congested,” Leiper said.
The province is not prepared to undertake the research necessary for municipalities to determine whether or not to install a bike lane, he added.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have cars.”
Karl Saidla, a recent active transportation researcher for Tartu University’s Mobility Lab in Estonia who lives in Chelsea, Que., said the province’s plan is politically driven and not evidence-based.
He pointed to Sarkaria’s comment that bike lanes take up space in the winter.
“Seeing an empty bike lane doesn’t constitute evidence about whether or not bike lanes are effective,” Saidla said.
Dr. Ray Tomalty, an adjunct professor at the McGill School of Urban Planning, said it may be that bike lanes slow down traffic.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it reduces the potential for traffic fatalities and injuries, he said.
“To the extent that a bike lane might reduce traffic speeds — that’s a very short term impact,” Tomalty said, adding that the province’s plan is a “pseudo solution.”
Tomalty said that even though bike lane ridership might decline during the winter, usage will increase over time, while Simor said safety is a year-round concern.
“How can you be comfortable with more people dying in our streets in winter than we could prevent?” Simor said.
In Ottawa, 54 cyclists were seriously injured in collisions and seven people died between 2018 and 2021.
The province’s proposed legislation is expected to be tabled this week.