Hi Minister, Revoke Bill 212…

Hi Minister,

Revoke Bill 212. It is a huge overstep by the provincial government to interfere with municipal governing of bike lanes. These roads come under the jurisdiction of municipal governments.

I refuse to vote for the Conservative Party in the next election because of this huge breach of democracy.

The bill is allegedly intended to reduce traffic congestion by reviewing and removing bike lanes, however this is not backed by data; in fact the data shows the exact opposite: introducing bike lanes has a huge benefit to the community, increases safety for all road users, and increases speed for short term trips.

As a Toronto citizen I will focus on my city, however evidence shows that bike lanes provide the following benefits:

EMS vehicles are not delayed by bike lanes in getting folks to emergency rooms as confirmed by the City of Toronto’s EMS leads.

There is not a petition of 50,000 people against the bike lanes on Bloor. It’s more like 13,000 who’ve signed over several years now and Cycle Toronto’s petition in support of bike lanes is approaching that number in just weeks.

Bike lanes are good for business! They boost sales in areas they are installed, attract higher spending clientele, can increase property values, and even attract talented work forces.

Bike lanes do not increase congestion, they move people around more efficiently, create safer driving routes (less collisions, less congestion), and get people out of single occupancy motor vehicle, which actually are the cause of congestion.

Side streets are not the answer. Unconnected segments of bike lanes that force cyclists to take circuitous routes on various side streets will not encourage people to get out of their cars and onto bikes.

If you care about congestion, revoke bill 212. This bill is a dog whistle to your voter base who for inexplicable reasons have decided bike lanes are the root of all evil, and this bill is deplorable.