This proposal is a stunt…

This proposal is a stunt intended to scapegoat cyclists for a traffic congestion crisis that is the fruit of decades of short-sighted planning policy. It flies knowingly and brazenly in the face of academic research and proven best practices in congestion reduction and street design. It will cost millions, worsen traffic, and create a bureaucratic bottleneck that will slow infrastructure planning and street design projects to an even more glacial pace than Ontario is already suffering. It represents another instance of drastic provincial overreach into municipal affairs. It also dangerously brands cyclists as the adversaries of motorists - something that may inspire a minority of reckless and irresponsible motorists to put vulnerable road users' lives in danger.

City streets and highways cannot indefinitely accommodate an endlessly increasing volume of private car traffic. This is a battle we have been losing constantly since the mid-twentieth century, at staggering public expense. The only proven way to reduce congestion is to get cars off the road by providing safe and effective alternate transportation. Bicycle lanes are by a huge stretch the cheapest and most efficient infrastructure by which to provide this alternative. Even if we set all of this aside, legislators should seriously ask themselves: will cars really move faster in lanes shared with cyclists?

If the government was serious about desiring a reduction in "gridlock", it would: 1) commit to a massive expansion of our public transport infrastructure so that people do not have to sit in car traffic to get around; 2) encourage medium-density, transit-oriented, publicly-funded infill development to allow more people to affordably live closer to their jobs rather than face a long commute; 3) support a congestion reduction cordon around major cities to replicate the success of London (UK), Stockholm, and Milan in reducing unnecessary car traffic; 4) remove street parking on major thoroughfares.