As a constituent of Simcoe…

As a constituent of Simcoe-Grey, I strongly oppose this legislation. As a resident of Wasaga Beach, I often rely on a bicycle for transportation, and lately I have noticed many of my neighbours doing the same. With electric bikes getting better and better, I often see people, including retirees and children, commuting along Beachwood Road, or zipping from town to town along the train trail. I also bring my bike into Toronto when visiting my aging parents, where I enjoy getting exercise and fresh air while running errands for them.

Every one of these people, in choosing to ride a bike, is taking a car off the road and reducing traffic. Studies and data bear this out: adding lanes to roads makes traffic worse in the long run, while bicycle lanes bring business to their communities while reducing congestion. Bike lanes also make the streets safer, not only for cyclists, but also for pedestrians and children.

This may seem like an urban issue, but with increasing numbers of cyclists in towns like Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, this legislation threatens to hold us back too. I look forward to a future in Simcoe county with even more bike infrastructure, where families can bike from town to town more safely and without fear of fast-moving cars. Adding more red tape will only make this sort of future more difficult to achieve.