I am not in favour of this…

I am not in favour of this bill as proposed. It is unfounded in research that bike lanes cause congestion. A report authored by WSP found that bicycle lanes reduce travel time on average more than they contribute to it. More lanes for driving only temporarily cut down on traffic before more drivers are incentivized to use them.

In addition to this report, there are more residents of Ontario that do not drive than do. Young people, elderly and those who cannot or do not wish to drive make up the majority of the population. It is incongruent with this bill to limit municipalities from implementing their cycling master plans that create safer means of travels for everyone. Cyclists will always exist, making it more dangerous to cycle limits the ability for a majority of the population to get to school, work and appointments independently. Removing safe bike lanes will cause more accidents and as a result more major slow-downs.

Municipalities across Ontario have invested significant resources into Transportation and Cycling Master Plans that meet the needs of their communities. It is within municipal jurisdiction to plan for road infrastructure that includes cycling infrastructure. The Province is overstepping by introducing this bill. In addition, adding red tape to municipalities is a great hypocrisy of previous bills, namely the Cutting Red Tape bill.

Finally, this proposal undermines efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There is no path forward for a low-emissions future without appropriate and safe cycling infrastructure. Congestion is a problem that is not solved by adding more lanes. Climate change is not solved by more cars on the road. It is proven that safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure encourages less people to drive, addressing the true root cause of congestion.