Bill 212 is overreaching and…

Bill 212 is overreaching and ineffective. Removing bike lanes is moving Ontario backwards, and the bill includes anti-labour action.

First, bike lanes save lives. We have rigorous standards for how a car should be protected in the event of a collision, where are cyclists are less worthy of safety? In Toronto alone, 6 people died so far this year for choosing to take a convenient, healthy, carbon free method of transportation - because their safety was deemed unimportant by their government.

Second, bike lanes actually reduce traffic congestion (see link 1). Every person taking a bicycle is one person not taking their car. It has been proved countless times, in countless places. More people ride bicycles when there is safe infrastructure, and this reduces the number of car trips, reducing traffic.

Removing the bike lanes would increase traffic congestion. To improve traffic, instead consider removing/moving on-street parking, actually completing provincial transit projects, implementing congestion pricing, fining developers whose construction blocks streets for long periods, increasing budget for fining drivers stopping/blocking where they shouldn't.

Additionally, someone riding a bike past a business are more likely (and able) to see and stop in to that business. Bike lanes actually increase the number of incident customers at nearby businesses. When you see an appealing cafe on Bloor, quickly locking up the bike and going in for a coffee is faster than parking.

And of course bicycles do not emit CO2 or require electricity to get people where they are going. A green, net zero Ontario (with better local air quality!) depends on more people safely taking their bicycle instead of their car.

Finally, Bill 212 includes some anti-labour action designed to overstep concerns by involved engineers about the Highway 413 project. (Link 2).

In conclusion, the time and resources spent on this Bill could be much better spent. This is an overreach of municipal affairs, and will worsen safety, congestion and pollution on our city streets.