Mayor John Tory opposes removing two vehicle lanes on a six-lane stretch of north Yonge St. as part of a plan to build separated bike lanes and wider sidewalks, despite city staff and the local councillor saying that’s the best way to improve the area.

Tory’s continued opposition to the “Transform Yonge” plan, after city staff looked at alternatives, is frustrating Councillor John Filion, Ward 23 Willowdale.

“Downtown North York should be more than a sea of highrises with six lanes of highway running down the middle,” said Filion, who will make his case to the public works committee Friday. “This area has been neglected for far too long. The city needs to invest in creating a beautiful (main street) that connects the buildings and the people who live in them.”

The $51.1-million plan would see Yonge from Sheppard Ave. to just north of Finch Ave. get: separated bike lanes on both sides; wider boulevards; better pedestrian crossings; and a landscaped centre median. To make room for cyclists and more sidewalk, one vehicle lane in each direction would be removed between Sheppard and the Yonge intersection with Hendon Ave. on one side and Bishop Ave. on the other.

Last February, a majority of council members including Tory voted to pause the project. Amid concerns over increased gridlock, city staff were asked to explore the option of keeping all vehicle lanes and putting the bike lanes on one of two neighbouring streets, Beecroft Rd. or Doris Ave.

In a new report, city staff say that, of those two alternatives, Beecroft makes the most sense but the original “Transform Yonge” plan, with bike lanes on Yonge, is superior and the Beecroft option would add $20 million to the cost.

“The overarching goals of the ‘REimagining Yonge’ project are to provide consistency and vibrancy to the public realm in keeping with the economic importance of North York Centre, address state-of-good repair and safety issues along the corridor, provide cycling infrastructure connectivity, improve pedestrian amenities, and facilitate efficient traffic movement through better utilization of the surrounding road network,” the report states.

“While the (alternatives are) a viable option for addressing the study objectives, ‘Transform Yonge,’ identified during the Stage 1 phase of study, is being recommended as the overall preliminary preferred alternative as it better supports the objectives of the study . . . and can be implemented at a lower cost with less disruption to the North York Centre.”

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On CP24 Monday, Tory said he supports remaking north Yonge but wants the bike lanes on Beecroft. Ignoring the report’s main finding, he focused on public consultation notes in the appendix saying some residents are concerned about the potential traffic impacts of losing two vehicle lanes.

“I got elected to make traffic congestion much better, not worse,” he said during a regular appearance on “The Mayor” show.

The report predicts lane reductions would have “minimal” impacts on local travel times, noting most congestion is south of Sheppard where Yonge is already four lanes.

Leaving six vehicle lanes to the north, staff say, would restrict the city’s ability to widen sidewalks to make the strip more vibrant and safer for pedestrians.

The report notes that, between January 2010 and December 2017, that stretch of Yonge saw 78 collisions involving pedestrians and five involving cyclists. Eight of them were seriously injured or killed.

When Tory was asked Tuesday to elaborate on his opposition to “Transform Yonge,” his spokesman Don Peat emailed the Star: “Mayor Tory supports updating and improving Yonge St. in North York.

“But he does have concerns about eliminating two lanes of traffic in the Yonge and Sheppard area. He believes bike lanes running on neighbouring streets, along with public realm improvements to Yonge, would be a win-win for the area that wouldn’t increase congestion.”

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Filion acknowledged some people are opposed. Residents from the 905-belt driving the entire strip would be slowed the most, he said.

“It’s fair to say there are a large number of people who don’t think it’s a good idea but, based on 20 meetings I’ve participated in, there is a larger group that think it’s not only a good idea but an idea that is absolutely necessary for the future of the area.”

City council will have final say over the project, likely at the end of January.