Protected bike lanes would replace two lanes of vehicle traffic on a remade stretch of north Yonge St. if Jennifer Keesmaat becomes mayor of Toronto.

Straining to be heard over traffic beside Yonge on Tuesday, the city’s former chief planner said if elected on Oct. 22 she will rally council behind a city staff plan to turn the six-lane, condo-lined corridor between Finch and Sheppard Aves. into a vibrant pedestrian and cyclist destination.

Enclosed bike lanes would make everyone safer and bring cyclists to Willowdale shops without impeding traffic, she said.

“This could be a beautiful pedestrian promenade with wider sidewalks, with safe crossings, with beautiful landscaped medians — but we have to have the vision in order to deliver on that potential,” Keesmaat told reporters.

Mayor John Tory, seeking re-election, opposes replacing vehicle lanes with bike lanes on Yonge St., citing concerns from some residents about increased gridlock and the potential impact of lost street parking on Yonge St. businesses.

He wants to put the bike lanes on nearby Beecroft Rd., a residential street, and beautify Yonge St. sidewalks as much as possible with room from a narrowed roadway. Staff say moving the bike lanes would cost taxpayers an extra $20 million, but Tory says there are ways to reduce the extra cost.

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Keesmaat said Tory’s Yonge St. “compromise,” and his rejection of a staff recommendation to replace the elevated east Gardiner Expressway with a ground-level boulevard, are examples of old car-centric thinking prioritizing the needs of passing motorists over those of local residents.

Tory campaign spokesperson Keerthana Kamalavasan said later: “Yonge St. needs to be replaced and sidewalks need to be improved, but we have to do it sensibly. The mayor’s plan improves all modes of transportation and transit in the area without negatively impacting any of the other.

“This is nothing new — Ms. Keesmaat has always been in favour of eliminating car lanes. What the mayor won’t do is eliminate lanes of traffic on one of the most congested stretches of roadway in the entire city.”

After studying traffic patterns, city transportation staff said the $51.1-million “Transform Yonge” plan with Yonge bike lanes best achieves goals of creating a “vibrant urban environment” with benefits for pedestrians and cyclists, with “minimal” delays of less than two minutes for motorists.

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During debate at city council in March, however, a TTC representative warned that moving to four vehicle lanes — as Yonge St. is south and north of the Finch-Sheppard corridor — could cause “bunching” of buses and significant delays for transit users. A subway also runs under the corridor.

When it appeared the plan with bike lanes on Yonge would be rejected, despite strong support for it from local Willowdale Councillor John Filion, Councillor Joe Cressy proposed the project be put on hold until after the municipal election.

That motion passed 20-15 with Tory’s support.

David Rider is the Star’s City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering Toronto politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider

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