Getting rid of bike lanes…

Getting rid of bike lanes would mean taking a large step back in terms of sustainable transportation and climate goals. In order to imagine a future for Canada, we need to start imagining the ways we can change our cities to help them support a wide variety of people with different needs. The most simple step is keeping bike lanes, allowing people of all ages to use a safe alternative to driving that promotes their health and wellbeing and reduces the amount of cars on the roads. It would also be a great neglect not to mention that in removing bike lanes you are putting the vulnerable people in our community at risk yet again. Cyclists are not all commuters. For some Hamiltonians this is the only efficient transportation system they have, and I would wager that many of the people using bike lanes are the houseless individuals in our communities. Please choose not to put more people at risk. Bike lanes will not get rid of bikes, you will instead increase the amount of accidents and deaths in collisions between cyclists and cars. This is personal to me. My dad and my partner are cyclists, using bike lanes multiple times a day, and both have been hit before. No matter how much extra time you save for motorists, remember that you will be choosing to put real people’s lives at risk. These are people that I love who will now be vulnerable to yet another life altering crash. I beg that you think about the bigger picture: what do you want Hamilton to look like? to feel like? I want it to look welcoming, open to explore in different and active ways. I want it to feel safe for vulnerable road users. I don’t want to feel afraid that at any point I may lose my dad and partner.