This is spiteful, Draconian…

This is spiteful, Draconian legislation that will set back road safety and lead to more needless cyclists' deaths and destruction of families, in favour of private motorists with an axe to grind.

There are numerous studies from all over the world that bike lanes do not cause congestion. In fact, the opposite is true. Increasing the number of lanes for motorists only increases congestion, by inducing demand. The more traffic lanes that are put in, the more driving appeals to people who may not otherwise have chosen to use cars, thereby putting more vehicles on the roads. This is what increases congestion. For a short period of time after putting in a new lane for motorists, there may be slight improvement, but within 1-3 years, traffic will be worse than ever before. This has proven true on our 400 series highways as well, as new lanes are added, more motorists clog up the roadways.

Research shows that adding dedicated bike lanes to roadways slows down speeding motorists and increases safety for pedestrians. It reduces emissions, increases quality of life, and increases economic activity for local businesses. These are wins all the way around.

This government's introduction of Bill 212 is an unprecedented jurisdictional overreach that will put many Ontarian's lives needlessly at risk. There is no call for this. It is a cheap ploy for votes from specific communities of people ahead of a pending call for an early election. This cannot be allowed to stand. I have watched too many people die on their bicycles on our streets due to traffic violence and bad road design.

I am a motorist AND an all-year cycling commuter with a 9-year old son who also rides his bike on our streets. Please don't kill us with this legislation.