Hello, As a resident of…

Hello,

As a resident of Richmond Hill and a parent of young children, I'm writing to express my deep disappointment, frustration, and disgust with this legislation. This is a clear example of backwards, wrongheaded urban planning, and I'm very worried that it will take most of my life for future urban renewal projects to undo the damage that this will cause.

I live in a beautiful neighbourhood, but the lack of bicycle infrastructure negatively impacts my life and the lives of my children on a daily basis. Despite being in easy cycling distance of wonderful parks, community centres, and other amenities, we find ourselves getting in the car for every trip that isn't in easy walking distance because of the lack of safe bicycle routes for us to use. Taking my children on the roads on their bicycles just isn't realistic with the high volume and speed of traffic that we encounter on our roads daily.

This means that almost every time I need to take my children to a local activity, we're using a car and contributing further to traffic congestion. I would much prefer to use our bicycles and avoid using the car as much as possible, doing my part to reduce traffic on our roads. I've spoken to other parents that have the same concerns, and I'm sure that there are hundreds of families all around us that want the same thing. In short, we want MORE bicycle infrastructure, not less!

This legislation may be trying to address the genuine issues of gridlock and road safety, but it's clear that the effect will be the exact opposite. By taking away people's ability to use other types of transportation such as bicycles, this government will force more people into cars and more cars onto the road. It will increase congestion and gridlock, promote road rage, and ultimately create less livable (and more dangerous) cities. Your constituents will not thank you for this, but will remember you as the architects of urban and suburban blight.

It's not too late to reverse this dangerous and shortsighted legislation. If enacted, this bill will end up damaging our communities in ways that may take the rest of my generation to undo. Simply by stopping this bill, you can promote the health and vibrancy of Ontario communities and push us further towards urban and suburban communities that we're happier to live in.

Please make the right choice.