I strongly oppose this bill…

I strongly oppose this bill for the following reasons:

1. Cost of implementation and burden on the government. This bill would increase bureaucracy and red tape by requiring public servants to administer, thus increasing costs to taxpayers. In addition, removing existing bike lanes would be a further cost to taxpayers at a time when we should be focusing precious tax dollars on things like health care (which is sorely underfunded in this province) and infrastructure that would actually reduce traffic, like transit projects.

2. Safety. Removing existing separated bike lanes would increase the number of cyclist deaths. They have been proven to reduce fatalities so this is only going to cause more unnecessary deaths. At least 5 cyclists in Toronto have died this year, a number that has increased from last year and will only continue increasing if we move forward with this bill.

3. Essential infrastructure. As a cyclist, I use bike lanes every day in the same way that, as a driver, I use roads and as a pedestrian, I use sidewalks. No one would ever suggest removing roads or sidewalks as these are considered essential for mobility, so why are we considering removing bike lanes? What makes them less essential?

4. Predictability. Dedicated bike lanes provide predictability and structure for all road users. It does not make sense having slow moving vehicles like bikes sharing road space with cars that move much faster. As a driver, it makes things simpler knowing that I won’t need to interact with a cyclist on a busy street.

5. Not a provincial responsibility. Local governments know their communities best and should be empowered to make decisions that best fit their communities in consultation with their residents.