Ontario Passes Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024

The Ontario government has passed the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act to tackle gridlock and make life easier for drivers.

ETOBICOKE – The Ontario government has passed the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act to tackle gridlock and make life easier for drivers.

With the added amendment, Bill 212 allows for the removal of the bike lanes on Bloor Street West which have significantly contributed to gridlock and created challenges for all road users in the community. It also mandates municipalities to seek provincial approval before installing bike lanes that remove lanes of traffic.  

“Let me be clear: Bill 212 is not opposed to bike lanes. Bike lanes are an essential part of urban infrastructure when implemented on the right streets. However, the bike lanes on Bloor Street West were not working for our community. As many residents and businesses directly told me, the under-utilized bike lanes created gridlock. These bike lanes also posed challenges for emergency vehicles, seniors and those with accessibility issues,” said Christine Hogarth, MPP, Etobicoke-Lakeshore. “Bill 212 will help us restore balance to our streets.”

The legislation also allows the province to build highways faster, including through a new Highway 413 Act that would create a new, accelerated environmental assessment process for the construction of Highway 413 and the extensions of Highway 410 and 427.

“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.”

The Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act would save drivers up to $72 million this decade by enshrining fee freezes for knowledge and road tests in legislation and ensuring faster and safer towing services.

Quick Facts

  • Ontario is investing $28 billion over the next 10 years to renew, build and expand roads and highways. This includes building the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413 as well as twinning the Garden City Skyway bridge.
  • Highway 413 will help reduce travel times by up to 30 minutes each way and the Bradford Bypass will help reduce travel times by up to 35 minutes each way.
  • The government’s temporary freeze on driver testing fees has already saved drivers $35 million since 2020-21.
  • The Get It Done Act, 2024, froze fees for driver’s licences and Ontario Photo Cards, saving drivers an estimated $66 million over five years.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Saurabh Kapoor
Chief of Staff
Office of Christine Hogarth, MPP, Etobicoke-Lakeshore
saurabh.kapoor@pc.ola.org
416-259-2249