This is an irresponsible…

This is an irresponsible Bill that will not improve gridlock across Ontario, especially in Toronto. Our over reliance on cars, and designing cities that only work for cars, makes gridlock worse. There is no way out of congestion by planning for more cars. The phrase “if you build it they will come” applies for both bike lanes and vehicular lanes. This bill will not mean that the existing amount of cars on the street will get more space- this will just result in more people having to drive and the road will end up with the same (if not more!) congestion that was there and sparked this Bill. If your goal is to reduce gridlock, we need to make transportation planning choices that encourage a more even mode split, and promoting safe and separated bike lanes is one way to do so. I cycle around Toronto, but not when there is no bike lane. When you take them out (or make them difficult to build) you take away a plausible mode choice for me. And that will put me in my car with the rest of us that “interested but unsure” about cycling to get around.

Also- the amount of fatalities and serious injuries caused by collisions between cyclists and vehicles is unignorable. As our provincial government, you should be concerned with the safety of your constituents, yet that will be deprioritized through the passing of this Bill. It is terrible to think this government cares more about the commute time of someone in a car than the life of someone on a bike. Even for those who don’t bicycle- bikelanes make walking around safer- especially at intersections- where drivers may be more attune and aware than in roadways without a bikelane. In addition, the environmental impacts of Highway 413 would be detrimental to ALL Ontarians.

This bill is, at its core, a fundamental misunderstanding of transportation planning and will result in worse cities and towns for everyone if passed.

The future of our Province is not in catering to the car- we’ve had nearly 70 years of that- and we need to be more progressive (and think outside of the car) to actually make better transportation!