My name is Victor, I live in…

My name is Victor, I live in downtown Toronto on College Street near Bathurst.

I am strongly opposed to Bill 212 and am voicing that opposition here with evidence.

I am a driver and also a cyclist. As a driver, I have no issues with bike lanes. As a cyclist, these lanes keep me safe, reduce my emissions, and allow me to access local businesses quickly and efficiently. I've lived in Toronto for most of my life and my experience in this city shows me that cycling is by far the most efficient way to move through Toronto, year round.

Removing bike lanes will not reduce automobile traffic and will certainly lead to more collisions on our streets.

There is plenty of evidence that demonstrates that more cycling infrastructure keeps people safe and moves more people through the city. Cycling infrastructure leads to more cycling adoption. Putting more cyclists into cars is not going to help traffic congestion.

The Bloor Street Bike Lane Pilot Project in Toronto resulted in a significant increase in cycling volumes. Before the installation of the bike lanes, the average daily cyclist count was approximately 3,300. After the implementation, this number rose to about 4,900 cyclists per day, marking a 49% increase.

The installation of bike lanes on Bloor Street has led to increased customer visits and spending, with businesses reporting a rise in the number of customers served and visitors arriving by foot or bicycle spending more than those arriving by car according to this TCAT study: https://www.tcat.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Bloor-Economic-Impact-St…

Furthermore, the Bloor Street bike lanes did not reduce the number of traffic lanes for cars! The amount of lanes remain the same in Toronto.

Bike lanes keep Torontonians safe, move more people, reduce emissions, stimulate economic activity, and encourage exercise.

Beyond bike lanes, I am opposed to Bill 212 for the following reasons:

First, I’m deeply frustrated about what this bill will do to the environment. It speeds up the approval process for projects like Highway 413, but in doing so, it skips important steps to protect nature. Cutting corners like this could lead to significant damage to our wetlands, farmland, and citizens. We need to protect our natural spaces, not destroy them for the sake of more highways that don’t necessarily solve traffic problems.

Second, the bill takes control away from cities when it comes to modifying their roads. This is ridiculous red-tape and a huge overstep by the provincial government. It's also counter to the conservative premise of "small government."

Third, this bill will cost us money—lots of it. Toronto estimates it could cost taxpayers around $75 million just to follow the rules in this bill. That’s money that could be better spent on public transit, community projects, or improving existing infrastructure instead of jumping through unnecessary hoops.

Finally, Bill 212 could hurt public health. By discouraging cities from building bike lanes, it forces more people into cars, adding to traffic, increasing pollution, and taking away opportunities for people to stay active. We need fewer cars on the road, not more. Encouraging cycling is one way to do that, but this bill stands in the way.

In the end, this bill does so much more harm than good. It claims to reduce gridlock and save us time, but it sacrifices our environment, increases our costs, and limits healthier and more efficient transportation options. I can’t stand by while such short-sighted decisions are made at the expense of our future.