The Bloor Street Flip-Flop: Bradford's Costly Campaign Gamble

OPINION: There is nothing more transparent than a politician discovering a 'bad take' only when they are trailing in the polls.

Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford has entered a new phase of his campaign, one defined by the promise to dismantle infrastructure the city has already spent millions installing. As CBC Toronto first reported, Bradford held a news conference on Tuesday where he committed to removing the bike lanes on Bloor Street W. between South Kingsway and Resurrection Road, promising that vehicle lanes will return if he wins the mayoralty.

According to CBC Toronto, Bradford’s reasoning is that these lanes cause gridlock, endanger cyclists, and hurt local business foot traffic. He claims that "sales are down, traffic and congestion is up." To replace them, he suggests moving bike lanes to residential side streets, parallel roads, hydro corridors, the urban ravine system, and existing parks and trails.

What makes this pivot particularly galling is that Bradford isn't just criticizing a policy—he's criticizing his own voting record. Speaking to CBC Toronto, Bradford acknowledged that he was among the councillors who supported a 2025 plan to install over 20 kilometres of bike lanes in areas outside the downtown core. He admitted the plan seemed like a "great idea on paper," but now claims that "council, including me, got this one wrong."

This is a desperate game of vote-courting. Recent polling cited by CBC Toronto shows Bradford trailing current mayor Olivia Chow, who holds 47 per cent support compared to Bradford's 40 per cent, with former Conservative MP Chris Alexander at 10 per cent. By promising to undo his own previous work, Bradford is attempting to pivot toward a base that views bike lanes as a nuisance, regardless of the waste of taxpayer funds involved in the reversal.

Mayor Chow's office has already called out the absurdity of this position. Braman Thillainathan, speaking for the mayor's office in an email to CBC Toronto, noted that Bradford "wants to spend millions of tax dollars reversing a decision he championed and voted for repeatedly."

Even those who disagree with the current bike lane placement are skeptical of Bradford's "decree" style of leadership. Chris Alexander told CBC Toronto that the mayor should not have the final say on bike lane placement and called for an agreed-upon standard and community buy-in to avoid a "hodge-podge of flawed decisions."

Meanwhile, the actual impact of these lanes is being contested. Michael Longfield, who serves as executive director of Cycle Toronto, told CBC Toronto that it is a "fantasy" not supported by evidence to claim that three kilometres of bike lanes on Bloor Street W. are the cause of the city's traffic.

Bradford's commitment to tear up the road is less about urban planning and more about political survival. It is a gamble that suggests he is more interested in the mayor's office than in the consistency of the city's infrastructure.