I am concerned that Bill 212…

I am concerned that Bill 212 will increase gridlock, lead to unnecessary infrastructure, and waste the tax dollars of hard working people in Ontario. Decades of science has shown that building more highways induces demand for highways rather than improving travel times.

A summary from the City Observatory describes how increasing road capacity "generates a proportional increase in traffic, with the effect that congestion and travel times quickly return to (or worsen from) pre-expansion levels". Given how bad the congestion already is and the many other priorities for tax dollars, Ontario cannot afford to expand highways.

In addition, removing existing cycle tracks and lanes seems reckless - both for public safety and responsible spending of public dollars. For example, after cycle tracks were installed in Toronto, there was a 38% reduction in collisions along tracks and 35% reduction in the streets around them. This benefit to Ontarians doesn't even account for the health benefits of actively moving and the congestion and cost benefits of saving car trips.

I hope the Ontario government will focus on improvements to the transport infrastructure that will be more responsible use of tax payer dollars and help everyone who's on the road. There are innovations such as congestion charges, dedicated public transit lanes, and regional rail that are used widely in other countries but completely missing in Ontario.

There are many other sources to point to the same issues:
1. A report commissioned by the UK government: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c0e5848e5274a0bf3cbe124…
2. A research study on transport and energy policy: 1. Lee S. Transport policies, induced traffic and their influence on vehicle emissions in developed and developing countries. Energy Policy. 2018 Oct 1;121:264–74.
3. Ling R, Rothman L, Cloutier MS, Macarthur C, Howard A. Cyclist-motor vehicle collisions before and after implementation of cycle tracks in Toronto, Canada. Accid Anal Prev. 2020 Feb;135:105360.
4. https://cityobservatory.org/the-fundamental-global-law-of-road-congesti…