The Town of Aurora’s plans for bike lanes won’t be scuppered by new provincial rule changes, according to Mayor Tom Mrakas.
The provincial government announced on Oct. 15 that it will introduce legislation that will force municipalities to get provincial approval for bike lanes that reduce lanes for other forms of traffic.
The move was prompted by traffic concerns, with provincial Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkarialanes saying at a news conference that bike lanes installed during the COVID-19 pandemic were "frankly, out of control."
Aurora approved its active transportation master plan last May, outlining plans for the town to add 190 kilometres of new bike lanes, sidewalks and trails over the next 20 years, although the majority of those projects still need to come for final approval from council.
The total cost of the projects in the plan is more than $56 million over the next 20 years.
But the plans should be safe from the provincial legislation, according to Mrakas, as they do not propose any traffic lanes be removed for new bike lanes.
"The good news for Aurora is that anticipated new legislation from the Ontario government regarding bike lanes will not impact the town, as the Town of Aurora’s current active transportation plan neither requires nor proposes traffic lane removal within Aurora,” said Mrakas in an email statement.
While Aurora may not be impacted by the provincial government’s new rules, Mrakas voiced similar concerns as his Newmarket counterpart John Taylor did about the changes.
“I recognize that traffic congestion is a major issue in the province, especially in highly urbanized areas like Toronto,” Mrakas added. “However, I think a more effective approach to addressing this issue, and one that also respects local autonomy, would be the Ontario government working as partners with individual municipalities on solutions that reflect local realities, rather than one-size-fits all legislation across the province."
Currently, the town's existing cycling infrastructure totals up to 98 kilometres of various facility types, including bike lanes, trails and signed routes.
