This legislation, with…

This legislation, with respect to bicycle lanes, is completely misguided and devoid of an evidentiary basis. Every single study shows: (1) bicycle lanes reduce congestion (not increase it); (2) bicycle lanes increase safety for all road users; and (3) bicycle lanes increase business activity where they are installed. The legislation is targeted at reducing congestion, but this legislation will have the complete opposite effect.

Personally, I live in Toronto (around St. Clair) and I cycle, walk, and I drive. I own a car and drive ~12,000 km/yr. In recent years, due to the increase in bicycle lanes, I have chosen to cycle most places as opposed to drive. I am one less car on the road due to the increase in cycling infrastructure. My main routes used are Bloor, University, and Harbord. If the bicycle lanes are removed or if the expansion plan in Toronto is disrupted, I, and many other cyclists, will instead drive. Alternatively, we will cycle in the middle of the traffic lane that is remaining, blocking all of the traffic (as is our right under the HTA given the narrow roads that make it unsafe to pass without separated lanes). This will significantly increase congestion beyond what it currently is. As you are aware, over 10,000 cyclists use the Bloor bike lanes every day. Over 6 million trips are made on Toronto's bike share alone, and as we know, 90% of people use their own bikes to bike around the city, so there are likely ~60 million cycle trips a year in the city of Toronto alone. Each of those trips account for at least some cars off of the road. Removing bike lanes will either (a) reduce demand for cycling and increase demand for driving, thereby significantly increasing traffic; or (b) require cyclists to take the whole lane (as opposed to the bike lane that was there) which will effectively reduce all of the main roads to a speed limit of 15-20 km/hr. If your goal is to reduce congestion, this will not do it. You must invest in transit, more bicycle infrastructure, and reduce demands for car use within the urban centres. I have no issue with driving (I am a driver myself!) but it should be reserved for necessities within urban centres (picking up groceries/large items, going long distances, etc.) it should not be the default mode of transportation. Indeed, as our population increases, without expropriating all of our houses, there will never be more traffic lanes on our roads. As more and more people move to the region, without alternatives, congestion will get worse and worse no matter what you do. The only solution is to increase alternatives (transit and cycling and walking), not give our limited space to the most inefficient means of getting around (cars). I implore you to speak to experts, as opposed to having a visceral reaction to something that is clearly more ideological than it is evidence-based.

The government says it wants "common sense" and evidence-based decision making. I implore you to read the significant studies the city did prior to installing the lanes, and to read all the traffic engineering studies done on this topic. The government is misguided and must not move forward with this legislation.

Another issue is the undemocratic nature of this legislation. As you are aware, Toronto specifically had an election where this was a major topic. The candidates who ran on anti-bike lane policies received the least amount of votes. The people of Toronto have voted on this issue, and to use the provincial powers to encroach on traditionally municipal issues (albeit, I understand that municipal powers are not protected by the Charter), is nonetheless undemocratic. Provinces have always respected municipal powers as an unwritten principle of law. This encroachment is undemocratic.

I hope you will reconsider.