Mayoral candidate John Tory is backing off a promise to cancel a redesign of Eglinton Ave. after public outcry over his opposition to the community-backed project.

Tory’s team now says that, despite concerns about lane reductions aggravating traffic congestion, he never planned to cancel the $150 million Eglinton Connects project, as a press release stated last month when he launched his fighting-gridlock transit strategy.

Eglinton Connects is part of the ongoing project that will see light rail running along Eglinton, 10 kilometres of the route underground, by 2020.

City council voted unanimously this week to approve recommendations for wider sidewalks and 11 kilometres of protected bike lanes, to replace soon-obsolete bus lanes along the route of the under-construction Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

Spokesperson Amanda Galbraith told the Star the earlier release was improperly worded. It was later changed to say “not proceeding” with the plan — how Tory phrased it in his statement to media — with a caveat.

Galbraith said Tory is “supportive” of the project but has “serious reservations” he wants to see addressed.

“John will not support Eglinton Connects until a clear and fiscally responsible funding plan has been outlined,” she said in an email. “Anything that will add to congestion, like reducing traffic lanes along Eglinton, is a non-starter. Torontonians need a mayor with a plan to fight to reduce traffic and congestion, not add to it.”

Tory has promised to release his transit strategy at the end of the month.

Campaign rival Olivia Chow and local groups have criticized Tory for not supporting a plan that has community backing.

“Tory says making a more people-friendly street is bad because there won’t be as much room for cars,” said a release Wednesday from Chow’s campaign. “What he neglects to factor into his position is the Crosstown will run under Eglinton — meaning there will be fewer buses.”

Tory’s contention that the plan reduces traffic to three lanes is not correct, his critics say.

Cycle Toronto, a pro-biking advocacy group, noted the new plan proposes four car lanes, two in each direction, between Black Creek Dr. and Avenue Rd. and between Mount Pleasant Rd. and Brentcliffe Rd., with curb lane parking except during rush hours.

Only between Avenue Rd. and Mount Pleasant Rd. — a 1.5 kilometre stretch — does the proposal call for just three lanes of vehicle traffic.

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Eglinton Ave. currently has between two and four lanes for general traffic during peak hours, according to a city study.

“The Eglinton Connects project will fight congestion by increasing the people-moving capacity of the avenue,” Cycle Toronto’s statement said.

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