I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my opposition to Bill 212. Removing bike lanes and prohibiting the creation of new ones is a completely wrong-headed approach to safety and urban mobility. Bill 212 is clearly not an evidence-based approach to congestion because it goes against all of the evidence. Bike lanes are good for safety and good for business. More lanes for cars do not reduce congestion; increasing transportation options does.

I have been cycling in Toronto for decades and I have seen an unprecedented surge in the use of bicycles and micro-mobility devices in the last five years. Many bike lanes are congested! Wayne Gretzky has been quoted as saying, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” That is what we need to do to tackle congestion. People are adopting bicycles and micro-mobility devices as their preferred mode of transportation at a rapidly increasing rate. We need to prepare our streets for that.

A much bigger problem for our streets, sidewalks and bicycle lanes is that a large portion of the micro-mobility devices are completely illegal for use on public property. Electric Scooters and unicycles are everywhere, but they are not legal on streets, sidewalks, recreational trails, or bike lanes. Even the current e-bike legislation doesn’t adequately account for the diversity that currently exists. We urgently need legislation to clarify what is allowed, where it’s allowed, and how fast it can go. People want to use these devices. We need to ensure that they are safe and that they have a safe place to use them.