I am very appreciative that…

I am very appreciative that finally decisions are being made to consider both automobiles and bicycles needs. It is irresponsible to choose and build bicycle lanes specifically along Bloor St. in Etobicoke without considering the impact to traffic.

I travel from Mississauga along Bloor St whenever l need to see my Doctor located in the area of Bloor West Village. A car drive prior to the installation of bike lanes from Mississauga (Bloor St and Dixie Rd. ) along Bloor St. to Etobicoke (Bloor St and Jane St.) would take me on average 20 to 30 minutes. After the bike lanes were installed in Etobicoke the drive now taken anywhere from 45 to 75 minutes depending on the time of day.

The frustrating part of the situation is as l have had to sit in traffic l have observed a maximum range of between 4 to 6 bicycles traveling between Islington Ave and Jane St. along Bloor St. especially in the fall and winter months.

Unfortunately l too have seen other results of this poorly conceived plan to have bike lanes along Bloor St. in Etobicoke. Along with gridlock l have observed side streets with vehicles speeding trying to avoid the traffic.
Similiarly, I have seen drivers not being able to enter onto Bloor St. from side streets since only one lane is available. I have also observed elderly people as well as people requiring mobility devices needing to be let our at an intersection so that they can try and get to the sidewalk and access the businesses along Bloor St. while avoiding speeding bicyclists.

I can only imagine how impossible it would be for an emergency vehicle to try and pass the traffic congestion along Bloor St.

As l mentioned, l live in Mississauga where the City is trying to put in bike lanes along Bloor St. I am not against bike lanes but l am against an engineering design where both the needs of automobiles and bicyclist are not considered. If bike lanes can be added safely to existing lanes of traffic without the removal of existing car lanes then this would be a "win- win" scenario.

Unfortunately, when l have attended meetings in Mississauga regarding the bike lanes citizens have asked for the studies and data to support bike lanes and none have been provided.

Answers from Mississauga politicians have been " the public wants them ( bike lanes)". Since to the best of my understanding there has been no data ( bicycle traffic report ) made available to support bike lanes l suspect that either the data does not exist, was poorly collected or does not support having bike lanes.

In addition, different designs for the Mississauga Bloor St bike lanes where presented by the City where lanes of traffic where not reduced but bike lanes were added. This option was rejected in favor of reduced lanes. I suspect that the design option to reduce lanes in order to construct bike lanes was the easiest and therefore most economical option not the best option.

In addition, there has been a big push for densification in order to provide much needed housing in Ontario however when you want to add thousands of new housing units ( as being considered in the area of Bloor St. In Mississauga) the infrastructure needs of the City have to be considered. Housing densification and development approvals cannot be an afterthought after the road traffic lanes have been reduced.

How does one make smart decisions that support both automobile and bicycle needs when there is a lack of data, lack of transparency and a lack of understanding by local politicians.

Political decisions and engineering traffic design decisions should not be made to favour bicycle riders needs at the expense of automobile traffic needs. Emergency vehicle access needs also have to be considered.

Future housing development / densification decisions also need to consider the transportation needs of various stakeholders.

Existing bike lanes along major (primary) roads should be removed in areas where they are not supported by data and when there will be additional traffic congestion and/ or safety concerns.

Similarly, new bike lanes should not be created along major(primary) roads.

Smart political and engineering decisions should be made to incorporate bike lanes along secondary roads where traffic congestion would be minimal.

I thank Doug Ford and the Provincial government for having the fortitude to stand up and listen to the people of Ontario.

PLEASE FIX THE TRAFFIC CONGESTION PROBLEM!

LET'S FIND A " WIN- WIN"
SOLUTION TO TRAFFIC CONGESTION!

Thank you