Comment
I do not support this bill at all. I understand the intent is to improve traffic. However, bike lanes did not cause traffic. Traffic is caused by single occupant cars. As the city keeps growing, we can't just encourage everyone and their mother to drive a car. I understand that bike lanes aren't meant to solve traffic but they give people a reliable option to not be forced to drive.
I get it too. Not everyone can bike and that's fine. Not everyone wants to take public transit and that's fine. But a city should not be built so everyone and their mother has to drive a car. When a city is built for cars and it encourages people to drive, traffic worsens.
A car takes up a lot more space than a bike. It's not even close. Cars are spatially inefficient. It's not a problem when there's low density. However, when there's a lot of population density in places like Toronto, we need to encourage people to use other modes of transportation. That's why the concept of Induced Demand comes into play. By building more roads, you encourage more people to drive. By building fewer roads but improving other modes of transportation, you encourage people to use other modes of transportation.
There is no short term solution traffic. Building bike lanes is a pro-active solution. If we don't build now, nobody will be moving an inch in their cars. We should be building for the future. Traffic might be bad at first because it takes time for people to adjust lifestyles but as more people make the switch, there are fewer total cars.
Submitted October 23, 2024 10:27 AM
Comment on
Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 - Framework for bike lanes that require removal of a traffic lane.
ERO number
019-9266
Comment ID
102728
Commenting on behalf of
Comment status