Bill 212's shortsightedness…

Bill 212's shortsightedness is matched only by it's ignorance to the factors that truly effect traffic congestion. Tearing out bike lanes which allow for mobility in a dense urban environment without the use of a car will only serve to reinforce the necessity of car ownership, serve to increase the mode share of cars, lead to increased deaths of vulnerable road users, and ultimately increase the amount of traffic in a city. Furthermore, using bikes as a wedge issue to drive through a bill that includes the ability to build a new highway through protected Greenbelt land without requiring an environmental assessment of the damage that will be caused is callous and cynical. If this government had any real interest in reducing traffic congestion, they would be focusing on improving transit frequency, connectivity, and reliability throughout the province, and on supporting alternatives to driving within cities, as the only way to reduce traffic congestion is to reduce the number of trips made by car.