Premier Ford, I am writing…

Premier Ford,

I am writing to express my opposition to Bill 212. Over the past several weeks, there have been many letters and statements from associations and organizations such as the Ontario Traffic Council, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, which include myriad reasons as to why Bill 212 is short-sighted, regressive and undermines municipalities' efforts in making their communities safer for vulnerable road users.

These letters include data and statistics that have been collected and interpreted by engineers, physicians, researchers and professionals who are far more experienced than I am, so I will avoid reiterating their statements and instead focus on a topic that I am more familiar with, which is the consultation process involved in planning and designing bike lanes (I will present my experience from a Toronto perspective).

Despite popular belief, bike lanes are not installed as a hasty decision by planners or engineers who are "influenced by advocacy groups." There is a detailed and lengthy consultation process that involves project teams meeting with local councillors, stakeholders, institutions, business improvement area staff, police, EMS and fire services, and municipal services staff to refine bike lane designs and ensure they meet the very individual and specific needs of communities; this occurs at least one year prior to installation. Then, the designs are presented to the public for their review and comments before they are further revised and presented to Council for approval.

The consultation process can sometimes last years because there are many perspectives and nuances to consider when designing a street for all modes of travel, ages and abilities. Project staff spend time and effort building relationships with stakeholders by holding in-person meetings, conducting site visits, and spending hours responding to emails and calls. Often, the final bike lane design appears very different from the City's original proposal, but it is the result of careful consideration and refinement according to communities' specific needs.

I am concerned that if Bill 212 is passed, this consultation process will be diminished (as it would be unfair and unrealistic to expect provincial staff to conduct consultation to the same degree as municipal staff), and municipalities will miss opportunities to install cycling infrastructure that would improve their communities, or would be forced to use bike lanes that are not suitable according to the speeds and motor vehicle traffic on their streets.

Please keep bike lane planning as the responsibility of the municipalities, who have the resources, expertise, and experience to design infrastructure that addresses the needs of the residents they serve.