TORONTO — The Ontario government has announced it will consult with municipalities to develop a potholes prevention and repair fund to open in the 2025 construction season.
The announcement is part of a broader set of proposal that will also curb the rise in bike lanes and raise the speed limits of many Ontario highways.
The potholes repair program is intended to help smaller municipalities with road maintenance and set standards to help improve road conditions and promote high-quality roadwork across the province, stated a release.
As for bike lanes, proposed legislation would require municipalities to receive approval from the province before installing new bike lanes that would result in the removal of lanes for traffic. Municipalities would be required to demonstrate that the proposed bike lanes won’t have a negative impact on vehicle traffic.
“Cities in Ontario have seen an explosion of bike lanes, including many that were installed during the pandemic when fewer vehicles were on the road and their impacts on traffic were unclear,” said Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria in a statement. “Too many drivers are now stuck in gridlock as a result, which is why our government is bringing informed decision-making and oversight to bike lanes as well as taking steps to increase speed limits safely and clean up potholes.”
These proposed changes are part of upcoming legislation that will kick off the fall sitting of the Ontario legislature on Oct. 21.
The new speed limit on all 400-series highways would be 110 kilometres per hour “where it is safe to do so,” stated the release. The government is also developing a design standard to allow vehicles to travel at speeds higher than 120 kilometres per hour on new highways.
The legislation would also enshrine the current freeze on knowledge and road test fees so that any future increases would require a legislative amendment.
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