Toronto city council voted to move forward on a plan to add new bike lanes over a car lane on Parkside Drive, even as the provincial government introduced legislation that could tear down disruptive bike lanes the traffic.

The City Council voted 19-7 Thursday to support the project in principle.

The proposed 1.9 kilometer two-way cycle lane on the west side of Parkside Drive would mean the number of car lanes would be reduced from two to three in the area. The plan is expected to cost $7.5 million, an amount that could change as the design process continues, according to the committee’s report.

The move comes after the provincial government introduced a bill that requires the city to get permission before building bike lanes over vehicle lanes and prove they won’t get in the way of traffic.

“I hope the (transportation) minister will look at the data that we’ve collected, because there’s a lot of it. And then again, let’s have a conversation about how we can make the road safer,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters Friday.

In the past decade, there have been nearly 1,500 collisions on Parkside Drive, resulting in five serious injuries and three deaths in the section where the bike lanes are proposed, according to the final report of the city’s infrastructure and environment committee studying the area.

The proposed bike lanes, which will run between Bloor Street W. and Lake Shore Boulevard W., are part of a larger plan to make the area safer. The plan also includes adding intersection safety improvements at Lake Shore Boulevard W. and Bloor Street W., new and updated bus stops and designated turn lanes at intersections.

The report notes that narrow and missing sidewalks, lack of bike lanes, speeding and aggressive driving are among the concerns the city heard from residents.

But councilors such as Stephen Holyday have raised concerns that the cycle lane could contribute to traffic congestion in the area and worsen driver behaviour.

“Throwing in bike lanes as a creative response to trying to deal with speeding, which is happening all over this city, is unsustainable,” he told the city council Thursday.

The committee’s study report said the southbound lane at the intersection of Bloor Street W. and Parkside Drive could become “a potential bottleneck,” according to early modeling forecasting how the project would affect traffic.

cone Gord Perks, who represents Parkdale-High Park, said bike lanes are important because they act as barriers between fast-moving traffic and pedestrians.

“We put in extra traffic lights, we put parking on the east side of the street, we made changes to the intersections, we added a bus stop. I’ve done all the practical steps you can do without actually reconfiguring. street,” Perks told the city council.

With the province already working to eliminate bike lanes along Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue, it’s unclear whether the proposed lane on Parkside Drive will come to fruition.

“Well, just because the prime minister maybe doesn’t mean the prime minister should,” Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie told reporters Thursday.

“I have never seen a more compelling case for bike lanes in the City of Toronto and improving safety for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.”

On Thursday, the city council voted a motion for is formally opposed Premier Doug Ford’s plans follow a report showing it would cost at least $48 million to remove the bike lanes. The council also voted in favor of a second part of the motion, saying the city would not cover the costs associated with the potential removal.

Asked about the proposed bike lane on Parkside Drive, a spokesperson for Ontario’s transportation minister said: “Our position is clear. We support a common sense approach when it comes to cycle lanes – which doesn’t include removing a lane in the busiest ones. city ​​in North America”.

Spokeswoman Dakota Brasier said in an emailed statement: “We will be reviewing the city’s plan as well as all other information from municipalities regarding bike lanes that have been installed over the past five years.