Mayoral candidate Brad Bradford vows to rip out Bloor Street W. bike lanes if elected
Toronto's Beaches-East York councillor pledged to remove the controversial lanes and restore vehicle traffic, reversing his 2025 vote in favour of bike infrastructure.
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Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford pledged Tuesday to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street W. from South Kingsway to Resurrection Road, reversing his previous support for cycling infrastructure.
Bradford, the councillor for Beaches-East York and Mayor Olivia Chow's main rival in the mayoral race, said the lanes are dangerous for cyclists, cause gridlock for other road users, and harm foot traffic for businesses. "Sales are down, traffic and congestion is up," he said at a news conference. "When I'm the mayor of Toronto, the bike lanes on Bloor Street W., they're coming out and the vehicle lanes are going back in."
In 2025, Bradford voted in favour of a council proposal to build more than 20 kilometres of bike lanes outside the city's downtown core. On Tuesday, he acknowledged he now views that decision as a mistake. "Then they were built and we were able to see and feel the real world feedback — and it became clear that council, including me, got this one wrong," he said.
Bradford said bike infrastructure should instead be built in urban ravine systems, on hydro corridors, and within existing parks and trails, rather than on main arterial roads. "When we build new bike lanes, they're going to be on parallel roads and residential side streets, not the main arterials — places [where] people actually want to ride their bikes without taking away vehicle lanes."
The mayoral race now features 37 candidates. Recent polling shows Chow with 47 percent support, Bradford with 40 percent, and former Conservative MP Chris Alexander in third with 10 percent.
Alexander said the city shouldn't rely on mayoral decrees to decide bike lane placement. "We need an agreed standard for bike lanes in this city — safe, separate from vehicles and pedestrians with neighbourhood buy-in," he said. He promised to establish standards within 90 days if elected.
Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, said the negative rhetoric is unhelpful. "Continuing this fantasy that three kilometres of bike lanes on Bloor are responsible for the city's traffic issues frankly isn't based on evidence," he said.
What data supports the claim that Bloor Street bike lanes are responsible for congestion or declining sales?
If ravines and hydro corridors are the answer, which specific corridors would Bradford prioritize, and when?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What did Brad Bradford pledge to do on Tuesday, August 11, 2026?
Brad Bradford pledged to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street W. from South Kingsway to Resurrection Road and restore vehicle lanes if elected mayor of Toronto.
How did Brad Bradford vote on bike lanes in 2025?
In 2025, Brad Bradford voted in favour of a council proposal to build more than 20 kilometres of bike lanes outside Toronto's downtown core.
Who are the top three candidates in Toronto's mayoral race?
Brad Bradford (Beaches-East York councillor), Mayor Olivia Chow, and former Conservative MP Chris Alexander are the top three candidates. Recent polling shows Chow with 47 percent support, Bradford with 40 percent, and Alexander with 10 percent.
Where does Brad Bradford say bike infrastructure should be built instead?
Brad Bradford says bike infrastructure should be built in urban ravine systems, on hydro corridors, within existing parks and trails, and on parallel roads and residential side streets, rather than on main arterial roads.
