In the Government’s proposal…

In the Government’s proposal, it claims its new bike lane regulations would “fight gridlock and get drivers where they need to go faster.” In fact, studies from around the world as well as from here in Canada and Ontario have shown repeatedly that adding bike lanes – even when they remove vehicle lanes – leads to equal or reduced traffic congestion as people feel safer biking to their destinations instead of travelling by car. This leaves more room for the remaining drivers, delivery trucks etc to get around, reducing their travel times. Conversely, adding vehicle lanes almost always creates more congestion, as it invites more people to consider driving instead of using other modes of transportation such as public transit or active transportation. (There may be initial reductions in congestion when vehicle lanes are added but they are wiped out and often exceeded after a few years). Based on the abundant and accepted science on this matter, I urge you to reconsider this proposal and instead embrace building more bike lanes in order to ease congestion, reduce environmental impacts such as fossil fuel and air pollution, and improve overall population health through better air quality and improved access to active transportation facilities.

In the preamble to this proposal, the Government claims it “recognizes the need to build priority highways faster as our province grows in order to get people and goods out of gridlock and save drivers and businesses time and money.” In fact, for similar reasons stated above, building more or wider highways is not the most efficient or cost-effective way to move people and goods around the province. Investments in public and active transit such as commuter rail, LRT, bus-only transitways, high-speed rail and bike infrastructure generally cost less than investments in building or widening major highways and roads. Yet these public and active infrastructure investments can vastly improve gridlock on our existing roads and highways while also helping the province hit its carbon emissions targets, reduce other forms of air pollution, improve public health and ultimately lessen the burden on our struggling healthcare system through improved overall health. This is exceptional bang for your tax buck! With this in mind, I urge the Government to take a more science-backed look at its strategy for “reducing gridlock, saving you time,” as so far the policy seems to simply “maintain the status quo yet cost you more tax dollars.”

Finally, the Government proposes that as part of this new regulation municipalities “would be required to seek provincial approval to allow for the implementation of new bicycle lanes (“bike lanes”) that require the removal of an existing lane of traffic.” This is yet another example of this Government’s systematic undoing of municipal autonomy as it seeks to impose its political platform across the province. Many municipalities in this province are led by councils elected on progressive platforms, which include support for increased bike lanes, better public transit options, reduced reliance on private vehicles and commitment to mitigating the impacts of climate change. Voters have elected these councils to implement their vision, and are asking councils to move forward with these positive changes in their communities. The Government’s attempt to interfere with local municipal decision-making is political overreach at best and undemocratic at worst. This particular proposal on bike lanes villainizes both municipal planners and cyclists, and appears to be a dog-whistle policy aimed at that most unpleasant minority of drivers who think it’s funny to honk at cyclists, throw their take-out cups at them or squeeze them off the road.

Reducing gridlock is a worthy goal and can have many trickle-down benefits, including reduced carbon emissions, improved air quality, improved population health and more equitable transit connectivity. However, the Government’s current approach of adding and widening highways and restricting the construction of bike lanes will miss the opportunity to take advantage of these trickle-down benefits, ultimately costing Ontarians in the form of poorer public health, future infrastructure deficits and irreparable environmental damage. I urge the Government to reconsider its approach to focus more on active and public transit options in order to maximize our tax dollars and build a better Ontario for all.