This bill is shortsighted…

This bill is shortsighted and will not solve the problems it claims to solve. Regarding giving the province more powers over bike lanes, it very much appears to be a personal vendetta of Doug Ford against the City of Toronto in wanting to remove existing bicycle lanes along Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue. Bicycle usage is rapidly increasing in cities across Canada as a viable alternative to driving a motor vehicle for commuting to work, running errands, and generally getting around town. Usage has dramatically increased in Toronto in particular - consider the fact the the number of bike share trips has increased roughly tenfold in the last 10 years from 600k annual trips to 6 million (and I myself ride almost every day!). Bike lanes are necessary to separate bicycles from motor vehicles, as they are really a separate class of vehicles that should not mix with motor vehicles. Without bike lanes, people riding bicycles will have no choice but to ride on the road in front of cars and trucks, which is not only more dangerous, but will increase gridlock as more users clog the streets (since there would not longer be a bike lane for the bicycles to ride in). Doug Ford himself rode a bicycle in Toronto along with Jagmeet Singh, and stated that he felt safer riding in the bike lanes than on the road, and that it was important to reduce cyclist deaths in the province.

Furthermore, the proposal to accelerate the development of highway 413 is also shortsighted and will have negative impacts. Numerous studies have been conducted multiple times that this new megahighway will, in the long term, not save drivers a meaningful amount of time in their commutes. A better solution would involve opening up the highway 407 ETR (which is in debt to the government of Ontario) to transport trucks. This would actually help reduce congestion on the 401 as larger vehicles could use a completely separate highway to travel east/west in the GTA while passenger vehicles can continue using the 401. Additionally, it is also known that simply creating more highways will create induced demand, encouraging more people to drive rather than take other forms of transportation. The only effective way of reducing traffic is to offer viable alternatives to driving to get more drivers off of the road. Which means to invest in higher quality, more frequent, and more options for public transportation. Finally, the ecological impacts of building the megahighway are also severe. The proposed route takes highway 413 through some of Ontario and Canada's best and most productive farmland. Canada as a whole has less than 5% of its territory as arable land. Why are we destroying some of out most productive farmland for a false promise of more convenience for drivers? With the climate crisis in full swing, we need to invest in resiliency, and this includes investing in local, sustainable agriculture - not reducing it.