I am nearly 85 years of age…

I am nearly 85 years of age and still use my bicycle for recreation and for errands. I am very disappointed that the Ontario government is prioritizing the polluting private automobile over other cleaner and much more efficient means of transportation such as walking, cycling and public transit. I have read that the reasons for this are that large corporations such as the automobile and fossil fuel and highway construction companies want Ontarians to continue to purchase cars and gasoline and drive more requiring even more expensive road building. This situation is completely unsustainable and is driving us into the climate disaster we are already experiencing. We are being told by Bill 60 that cars will always take priority over more healthy and less polluting means of travel. Other counties such as Switzerland have prioritized rail over the car and highways and they do not suffer the gridlock that we do here. Why are we going in this unsustainable direction when safe, low polluting means of transportation are available? One of the awful positions in Bill 60 is the discouragement of dedicated Bus lanes in favor of allowing private cars on streets/roads in our cities . This is an onslaught on low income people who must use buses. Buses carry more people than many cars and decrease car induced gridlock. So why are dedicated bus lanes being banned? This item must not go forward.

Some more Key points:

-It strips cities of local authority and decision-making, even when projects are supported by evidence and local residents.
-It will worsen traffic congestion, not reduce it. The government’s own experts have consistently said that bike lanes are not a cause of gridlock.
- It will make roads more dangerous. Protected bike lanes prevent serious injuries and deaths for people biking, walking, and driving.
- It threatens other uses of road space that communities rely on, including transit priority, safe crossings, patios, curbside access, and school streets.
-It undermines climate goals and public health by locking cities into car-dependent street designs.