By removing bike lanes, you…

By removing bike lanes, you are encouraging people who currently bike to drive, since it will no longer be safe to bike. This increases the amount of cars on the road, adding to congestion. Notably, a car takes up much more space than a bike, meaning these people will take up significantly more space on the road. Additionally, anyone who continues to bike is at greater risk of death or serious injury from being hit by a car. As a result of missing bike lanes, some bikers may be tempted to start biking on sidewalks for their own safety, in turn putting pedestrians at risk of injury.

Moreover, many people choose not to drive in certain areas due to the existing congestion, myself included. Turning a bike lane into a car lane will encourage these people to start driving, filling up the new lane in no time. As a result, replacing a bike lane with a car lane will not reduce the congestion, it will simply lead to a larger number of cars on the road. The danger of congestion stems from the fact that drivers need to remain aware of a large number of vehicles in order to drive safely. It seems evident to me that having more cars on the road will lead to more collisions. Collisions are bad, not only due to the deaths and injuries they cause, but also because they are often the root cause of delays and further congestion on the road.