CityLab Daily
Also today: The dark new era of urban destruction, and Riyadh’s metro partially opens to ease congestion.

A new bill targeting Toronto’s protected bike lanes for removal is stoking tensions between the city and its suburbs. Passed in November by the Ontario government amid public frustration over traffic congestion, the controversial legislation allows the province to rip out municipal bike lanes — particularly three recently built ones that sit along major arteries. It also cuts red tape around the construction of a new highway. 

Conservative lawmakers have long blamed bikeways for Toronto’s traffic tie-ups, which have been ranked as among the worst in North America, and many suburbanites who commute by car have argued that adding a driving lane would relieve gridlock. Transportation advocates, however, raise concerns about the safety repercussions, Curtis Heinzl reports. Today on CityLab: In Traffic-Weary Toronto, a Battle Breaks Out Over Bike Lanes

— Linda Poon

More on CityLab

As Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban Destruction
At the 12th edition of UN-Habitat’s World Urban Forum in Cairo, delegates grappled with the toll of conflict-driven devastation in Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine. 

Riyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic Jams
Three lines, including one to the main airport, started operations on Sunday.

The Billion-Dollar Railways Driving Biden’s Last Overseas Trip
On his visit to Angola, the president will stress US support for infrastructure aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region.

What we’re reading

  • Death of cyclist in Paris lays bare divide in mayor’s war against cars (New York Times)
  • The great grocery squeeze (Atlantic)
  • When the prophetic city fails (Texas Observer)
  • As federal aid shrinks, communities try new ways to tackle child poverty on their own (NPR)
  • I used a self-driving taxi for a week. Things got weird (Slate)

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