The proposed legislation is…

The proposed legislation is misguided, unlikely to "solve" congestion in urban centers, and most importantly, fuels the car vs bike culture war and endangers cyclists both in terms of physical infrastructure and attitudes from drivers. As someone who commutes by all forms of transit, including car, bicycle, and rail, I believe I have a right to travel safely by whatever means I choose. In recent years it has been good to see my tax dollars at work creating equitable, diverse means of wayfinding around the city, after nearly a century of car-centric infrastructure development and policy making. Removing these lanes won’t solve congestion when literally millions keep sprawling further and further out of the core and have no option but to drive downtown due to our impoverished transit systems. I’m not going to demonize anyone who chooses to live in a suburban or exurban community, given the costs and some people’s desire for a parcel of land, but urban sprawl absolutely worsens congestion. There needs to be a multifaceted effort to tackle congestion, including congestion taxes for downtowns, massive enhancement and expansion of suburban rail, and densification within the cores of cities and along major mass transit routes. This proposal takes Ontario backwards, when urban centers all around the world are moving toward more mixed use and dedicated infrastructure for ALL road users, rather than only car-driving suburbanites.