I oppose this proposal…

I oppose this proposal because it is anti democratic, reduces local input into decisions that change our neighborhoods, make our roads less safe, waste tax payer dollars and increase greenhouse gases.

It is anti democratic and wasteful because it will override decisions made by our elected municipal government and rip out infrastructure already paid for by the municipality. Bloor street is not a highway, it’s not simply for crossing the city, it is a vibrant neighborhood where people live. It’s also an area where we shop and play, and the business improvement area in the annex supports the bike lanes because they improved business in the area.

Biking has to be a part of a multi modal transportation network. We all need to be able to choose the best mode of transportation for a given trip- including walking, transit, bikes, and yes, cars too. By adding bike lanes, more Ontarians feel safe to ride. People won’t start riding if they aren’t safe. Side streets are not the place for bikes- we need a network that lets us get efficiently from point a to point b. Side streets are harder to navigate and are mazes of one ways.

If you really want to increase lanes for traffic, consider instead removing street parking. Streets should be for people to get around not for storing unmoving vehicles.