The Mayor Rob Ford administration overpowered a last-ditch effort to save Jarvis St. bike lanes, convincing councillors to stick with a plan to spend up to $300,000 to erase the lanes this fall.

Council voted 24-19 against a Tuesday evening motion to scrap the plan that will remove the 2-year-old lanes and, against the wishes of many local residents, return the reversible centre car lane after completion of a separated bike lane on nearby Sherbourne St.

· Map: How your councillor voted

Councillors who had lobbied colleagues to save the Jarvis lanes were surprised by their decisive loss as centrist swing votes, including councillors Ana Bailão and Josh Colle, refused to rally to their side.

Before the vote, John Mende, the city’s acting general manager of transportation services, told council the number of cyclists on Jarvis tripled after the bike lanes were introduced in 2010.

North Rosedale and Moore Park residents complained bike lanes clogged their commutes. But their rush-hour trips were extended on average by only two minutes each way, Mende said.

Before the debate, the mayor seemed to cast doubt on that figure.

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, chair of the public works committee, said: “I am delighted we’ve got all the pieces in place to move forward with the Sherbourne St. cycle path.”

He acknowledged Ford wanted assurances the Jarvis lanes will be erased before supporting the $43-million, five-year bikeway plan that includes the separated lanes — Toronto’s first — from Bloor St. to King St.

Minnan-Wong and Ford’s staff lobbied councillors right up to the vote. To solidify support, he successfully proposed that the $280,000 to $300,000 removal cost come from the general transportation budget, not the bike lanes budget.

Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East) predicted many Jarvis cyclists will switch to Sherbourne.

Chris Drew, a tech entrepreneur who cycles daily down Jarvis, said after watching the debate he will continue with or without a bike lane.

“Like drivers, I need to use the most direct route possible,” he said, predicting: “Jarvis St. for everyone is going to be more dangerous.”

Sherbourne construction from Bloor to King Sts. will be done by mid-November. Around that time, the Jarvis wiring work will begin.

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Ford will face a tougher test of his often-shaky grip on council Wednesday afternoon when he tries to halt the surprise ban on plastic bags approved when he intended only to scrap the mandatory fee retailers charged for them.

“It’s going to be tight,” Ford said Tuesday of the looming vote.