Another day, another attempt to kill bike lanes

Here we go again. If you’re a regular reader of Canadian Cycling Magazine, you’ll have noticed that not everyone is a fan of bike lanes. Once again, locals are pushing to kibosh some, this time in Brampton, Ont.

A citizen petition is taking aim at bike infrastructure—this time targeting the lanes on Howden Boulevard. The petition, which calls for their “removal or relocation,” has gathered around 240 signatures, according to insauga.com.

The campaign comes as Brampton City Council weighs several options to improve cycling routes on the busy east–west corridor.

A city report presented earlier this month outlined four potential upgrades, ranging from $730,000 to $5.9 million. The preferred “Option 4” would add two-metre-wide cycle tracks at intersections, including Dixie Road and Williams Parkway, for roughly $73,000.

But a new “Option 5,” floated by Coun. Rod Power, would do the opposite—ripping out the existing bike lanes entirely. Both Power’s motion and the petition have been referred to Mayor Patrick Brown for consideration in the 2026 city budget, insauga.com reported.

The “Option 5” proposal wasn’t part of the city’s public consultation or technical assessments, which showed broad resident support for keeping some form of cycling infrastructure. Roughly 70 per cent of residents surveyed backed “Option 1,” a $2.9-million plan to build a three-metre-wide multi-use path on one side of the road.

Surprising no one, Ford government takes bike lane fight to Ontario Court of Appeal

The local debate echoes larger provincial tensions over active transportation. Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly blamed bike lanes for worsening traffic congestion. He has even tried to make municipalities seek provincial approval before removing car lanes to build them. That plan was shelved after the Ontario Superior Court ruled the province’s attempt to eliminate Toronto’s Bloor, Yonge and University Avenue bike lanes violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Ontario isn’t the only province where this sort of thing has been happening. Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta have faced similar challenges. The recent Montreal mayoral election, won by Soraya Martinez Ferrada could be detrimental to cyclists as well. In August, Martinez Ferrada said if she won she would review all of Montreal’s cycling lanes within 100 days of taking office, promising to improve safety or remove those deemed ‘hazardous.’