I would like to voice my…

I would like to voice my opposition to the proposed bill. As a vulnerable road user—a cyclist and pedestrian—the changes this bill proposes will make the streets of Toronto—large and small—more difficult and more dangerous for me. I do not own a car or drive. Cycling, walking, and public transit are my primary modes of transportation for leisure, shopping, and commuting. Improved cycling infrastructure such as the bike lanes on Bloor Street have directly improved my quality of life, my mobility, and my safety. In my immediate neighbourhood, the recently adopted Wallace Emerson Neighbourhood Streets Plan—developed to address the appalling safety issues in our community—includes proposals for critical interventions at dangerous road intersections on arterial roads in the plan area to address the needs of vulnerable road users such as seniors, school children, and people walking and cycling. It's a complex plan supported by extensive research and community consultation, and this bill would negatively impact this plans important work, remove the agency of the plan's authors and the community it serves, and all without any concern for the negative outcomes of this decision: diminished quality of life for vulnerable road users, their mobility, and a continued or even increased risk of injury and death for all. We need more bike lanes and complete streets infrastructure—not less—and municipalities should have jurisdiction over what infrastructure is best for their community, not the provincial government. Thank you.