New legislation to restrict bike lanes introduced
Tow Zone Pilots would become permanent projects
On October 21, the Ontario government introduced the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act. If passed, the proposed legislation would require municipalities to receive approval from the province before installing new bike lanes that would result in the removal of lanes for traffic. In addition, Ontario announced plans to make roads safer and prevent accidents and damages that can occur from potholes by consulting with municipalities to develop a pothole prevention and repair fund to open in the 2025 construction season.
The province also intends to increase the speed limit to 110 km/h, where it is safe to do so, on all 400-series highways. Transport trucks would still be governed at 105 km/hr.
The legislation would also allow the province to build highways faster, including through a new Highway 413 Act that would create an accelerated environmental assessment process for the construction of Highway 413 and the extensions of Highway 410 and 427. It would also exempt certain early works on Highway 413 that are near or adjacent to existing infrastructure.
“With the worst travel times in North America, gridlock in Ontario is at a tipping point, and we need to act now,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is saving drivers money and getting traffic moving again, including by building critical new highways like Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass. With this proposed legislation, we’re also speeding up approvals on early works for Highway 413 so we can get shovels in the ground as soon as possible.”
The Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act would make the Tow Zone Pilot a permanent program. The Tow Zone Pilot is currently in place on four major highway sections in the Greater Toronto Area, where only authorized towing companies may remove vehicles. This was established in December 2021 to ensure customer protection and to clear collisions and vehicle breakdowns quickly and safely.
The proposed legislation would also create a new Building Highways Faster Act that would designate Highway 413, Bradford Bypass and Garden City Skyway bridge as priority projects and allow the province to designate other highway projects as priority to help get these projects built faster.
