On Tuesday, the Ford government was expected to start removal of the Bloor bike lanes from Clissold to Royal York, while the firms identified with the work include Verdi Alliance Civil and ATS Traffic per a call to action I issued yesterday. I took the subway right after work on Tuesday night to witness the hundreds of cyclists who came out to protest the removals with the parking lot at Tom Riley Park being used as an organizing base.
Here’s one last view of the Bloor bike lane west of Montgomery before the removals begin.
Tom Riley Park wasn’t that crowded by the time I arrived shortly before 6 PM.
These flyers criticizing the bike lane removals were plastered around The Kingsway.
Near Islington, cyclists could be found on both sides of the street. They were basically spread out from Green Lanes to Royal York which made counting difficult.
This “Bikes Over Ford” sign was one of my favourites.
One group riding east towards Royal York.
Cycle Toronto’s Michael Longfield at Bloor and Islington. He and Jess Spieker of FFSS brought me up to speed on what could be expected. The permit was issued from 8 PM to 6 AM for at least two weeks - later changed to 24/7 work - while the aim was to line up the affected stretch with people and have them placed in between the bulldozers and bike lanes when they appear. The Ford government’s aim was to basically restore the previous four traffic lane configuration.
A few children could be seen on Bloor which may not be as common when the bike lanes disappear.
I then took a bike share to do one back and forth between Islington and Royal York.
Fellow bike blogger Jun reporting for duty. 🫡
Dave Shellnutt debriefed the group at Tom Riley Park saying construction vehicles already gathered west of Islington which another group is already covering. We were informed to stand by in case the eastern end at Royal York needed to be covered too.
Time to leave Tom Riley Park and make my way to Islington.
Several media outlets covered Tuesday's protest.
A couple of construction trucks were parked on Green Lanes west of Islington which was surrounded by the crowd. Love the “keep me safe” sign.
This was where I found ATS Traffic was one of the companies involved.
This digital sign board was a big hit at the protest with “Stop Bill 212” and other messages.
Heavy police presence was spotted on Green Lanes which was effectively shut down by the protesters.
When the police informed us the trucks would turn west away from the work zone, we cleared the path and chanted “get home safe”!
The atmosphere at Green Lanes was jubilant with lots of drivers honking in support, but it’s not over yet. It was also great to see people hand out pizza, other food, and water.
A couple of more trucks clearing the work zone. After the trucks left, many folks either dispersed or regrouped at Tom Riley Park.
Lance brought this awesome skeleton on his Brompton!
While it was great to see many of the usual suspects, I also got to catch up with Liz who went to Bishop’s with me and I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Shortly before 9 PM, I had to leave in order to take Mozzie out and get some sleep. Here’s one last look at Tom Riley Park where some continued to stay past midnight.
Even though we were successful that evening in stalling the bike lane removals, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria wrote on Twitter/X saying the removals will still go ahead.
Work to restore vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West was scheduled to begin tonight but was halted by protesters. Make no mistake: these bike lanes are coming out. We have a clear mandate and we will deliver.
— Prabmeet Sarkaria (@PrabSarkaria) October 14, 2026
This warning proved to be true the next morning with organizers calling on advocates to get to Tom Riley Park for 11 AM. Sean Marshall provided excellent coverage of that afternoon’s events in this Bluesky thread where the police presence was even heavier than on Tuesday night and one woman was arrested.
Bike lanes coming out, with
— Sean Marshall (@seanyyz.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 11:58 AM
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Lance sent me a few photos and videos from that morning. The police blocked off access to Bloor at Islington.
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| Photo credit: Lance Leroux |
Michael and Dave were among dozens of advocates staging a sit in.
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| Photo credit: Lance Leroux |
Some evidence of the excessive police presence with the crowd covering it as much of it as they can.
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| A snapshot from a video Lance Leroux recorded |
Cycle Toronto shared this Instagram clip of the barriers being removed. RIP.
Despite the start of removals, the bike community continued to resist with more protests on Wednesday evening while another arrest was made. Turned out to be Candice with the digital sign board. Another round of protests was scheduled for this morning at 6 AM.
Thanks to those of you who took part in resisting the bike lane removals this week. Even with yesterday's setbacks, it’s critical we continue to resist and document everything that happens. Eventually, Doug Ford will no longer be Premier, and the time will come to rebuild the bike lanes better than ever. Meanwhile, don’t forget to sign this form to stay in the loop and call out the contractors responsible.
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