I am a Toronto resident and…

I am a Toronto resident and year-round cyclist in this city. The legislation as part of Bill 212 that will allow the province to dictate where and if a bike lane can be installed or removed in any Ontario municipality should be immediately removed from this bill. I find it highly offensive that this Government values mere seconds of time saved by motorists over my life and safety and the tens of thousands of cyclists and delivery workers that use these lanes every day. Cycling is far more efficient in terms of time, money and overall health and enjoyment over driving in the city. It is the poorly planned construction / hoarding and selfish moves of drivers blocking intersections, parking and stopping in bike lanes which is causing delays and gridlock, not bike lanes. The reason you don't see bikes backed up in congestion is because they can get around traffic and move far more quickly and efficiently. If all those cyclists were to be driving, congestion will be far worse. Bike lanes are part of the solution to unlocking congestion, not the problem.

It is highly insulting that this government would waste my tax payer money removing infrastructure that my local representatives and council through democratic processes approved and built through evidence-backed data. How will you also justify causing even more construction and delays if the lanes are removed when they just reopened these routes recently built?

I cycle Bloor St, University Ave and Yonge street weekly and I DO NOT SEE GRIDLOCK on any of those roads at any time of day, only local back-ups due to the Ontario line or other construction closures. University Ave has the width to accommodate the bike lanes and still maintain at least 2-3 active lanes of traffic. Also, on Bloor and Yong streets, even if the traffic lanes were to be reinstalled, you would have parking in the curb lanes during the day and only one lane of traffic in each direction - same as the case is now with the bike lanes. The bike lanes on all these routes are not causing gridlock, they are helping to streamline traffic and ensure that everyone knows where they should be on the road. Bill 212 would reinstate chaos and carnage on the roads, and we have seen enough people killed by drivers to know better.

I urge this Government to immediately stop this insulting bike lane legislation and municipal over-reach and stay out of the issue that municipalities are far more equipped to manage. You want to deal with congestion, finish the transit projects that are years overdue to give people more options on how to get places without having to drive!