Over-ruling the rights of…

Over-ruling the rights of cities to build bike lanes is an offensive over-reach of provincial power. Demanding cities rip out existing bike lanes is doubly offensive. Who is paying for the cost of tearing out this infrastructure?

The more people we can get onto public transit, and on alternate modes of transport like cycling and even walking, the fewer cars we will have on the road. It is bizarre to see there is nothing in a bill dedicated to 'reducing gridlock' about increasing transit funding, or assessing new bus or train routes, or even expediting the completion of existing transit projects like the Eglinton Crosstown or the Hurontario LRT. And it is strange to see no consideration of whether street parking on arterial roads is itself a greater waste of road space than even a dedicated and built-out bicycle lane.

The more construction projects we have dragged out over months and even years, the faster we can regain existing road capacity to get traffic moving. But environmental assessments for any construction in the province or elsewhere is crucial, and need to be completed before any shovel goes into the ground. Shortcutting the study process is a terrible idea.

While I am a driver and appreciate discussion about freeing up road space, I also have to acknowledge that the problem is the traffic itself, not the road space. Get me off the road with a bike lane, or an LRT, and I won't be part of the problem.

Overall this bill repesents incredibly backwards thinking on the government's part. Build better, build properly. Study, consult, plan, and THEN build. And stop thinking of the car as the one hammer that can be used to drive in this particular nail.