8 in 10 Torontonians say City should do more for Cyclists, pedestrians
A new poll shows that the majority of Torontonians back the city’s efforts to keep building protected bike lanes, with 7 in 10 in favour. Support is consistent regardless of gender, education, and even age, but climbs to 80% among respondents under 35.
Nearly 8 in 10 respondents also agree that the City of Toronto needs to do more to protect vulnerable road users outside of cars, including pedestrians, senior citizens, school children, and people riding bikes. Support is strong regardless of how they get around the city, with 72% of regular car commuters agreeing.
The poll was conducted by EKOS and commissioned by Cycle Toronto.
It comes amidst a Charter challenge against the province of Ontario’s unprecedented attempts to remove some of Toronto’s busiest bike lanes on Yonge, University, and Bloor. Cycle Toronto, along with co-applicants Narada Kiondo, a food delivery courier, and Eva Stanger-Ross, a university student, and represented by lawyers from Ecojustice and Paliare Roland LLP, argue the arbitrary removal of protected bike lanes will put people’s lives at risk and violate cyclists’ rights to life and security of person. Back in April, the court issued an injunction against any removals until a decision in the case is rendered.
While the province claims removing bike lanes is essential to easing the city’s congestion woes, and maintains that only 1-2% of people in the city ride bike, the EKOS data tells a different story:
- 21% of respondents say they’ve ridden a bike at least once a week in recent months.
- 18% indicate they usually use bicycles or e-bikes for commuting or other transportation.
- When asked about the real causes of traffic and congestion in Toronto, 74% point to excessive construction and mismanagement, 57% say too many cars and trucks on the road, 48% cited insufficient traffic enforcement, and 46% highlighted inadequate public transit. Only 34% blamed “bike lanes or other curb-lane usage like CafeTO and parking”.
- 62% of Torontonians believe the city’s main streets should offer a balance for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists, rather than be treated as thoroughfares prioritized for cars and parking.
Michael Longfield, Cycle Toronto executive director, said:
“Toronto opponents of bike lanes try to spin a narrative of a ‘silent majority’ that hates safe infrastructure for bikes. But time and again, it’s shown that this group exists only in the minds of special interest groups and insiders who hope to weaponize bike lanes as a wedge issue in a bad-faith culture war. The real silent majority? People who support healthy streets, better mobility options, and a city that works for everyone. The province’s own experts know that arbitrarily ripping out protected bike lanes will not solve traffic congestion and will put people’s lives at risk.”
Narada Kiondo, co-applicant in the legal challenge against Bill 212, said:
“I’ve been working as a full-time bicycle courier since 2016. Protected bike lanes connect me to restaurants and to my customers, and are the only way I can do my work safely. I’ve ridden around this city enough to know there isn’t a network of secondary roads that could replace protected bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University. It feels like the province is saying my safety isn’t worth protecting.”
Brian Burchell, General Manager of Bloor Annex BIA, said:
“Bloor Street is a series of main streets filled with vibrant shops and restaurants - not a highway. In 2016, The Bloor Annex BIA partnered with the City of Toronto, The Centre for Active Transportation, and the Metcalf Foundation to study the effects of the bike lane pilot. We discovered that after the bike lanes were installed the number of monthly customers served and monthly spending increased. We also learned that only 7% of our customers were using cars to shop along Bloor Street. The Bloor Annex BIA is committed to evidence-driven city building that increases economic activity and reduces gridlock, and the data shows that bike lanes are a key part of accomplishing those goals.”
The EKOS poll, which was conducted June 19 - 27 , 2025, has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
