This bill is not based on…

This bill is not based on any evidence, proper metrics, or recorded statistics of any kind.

As a lifelong Ontarian, I expect a few things from the Progressive Conservative party, that I believe the Premier and Transportation Minister would agree with:

- A careful eye on government budget.
- A lack of red-tape overreach.
- Respecting the jurisdiction of municipalities and municipal infrastructure planning.
- Bills and actions based on facts, not anecdotes.

Bill 212 flies in the face of all four of those tenets. I would beseech the Ford government to reconsider this wasteful, overreaching, ineffective bill.

And to address what I assume will be the rebuttal to my points ("Congestion in Toronto needs to be addressed"), I agree. Congestion on the streets of Toronto and the province as a whole needs to be addressed.

This bill WILL NOT REDUCE CONGESTION. PERIOD.

I understand that a significant number of Ontarians and PC party supporters live in areas in which drivers need ample road space as that is the major method of transportation. In suburban towns and cities, bike lanes on major streets may not be the right solution.

In Toronto, more than 50% of commuters DO NOT DRIVE to work and back home. They walk, they cycle, they use transit.

If the Ford government is keen to reduce congestion in Toronto, ripping out bike lanes on Bloor, University, and Yonge (all three on top of subway lines) is foolhardy and misguided. Instead, efforts to support transit with funding (including working with Metrolinx to get the much-delayed Eglinton LRT line opened) and cutting down on construction congestion (something this bill will make worse) would actually make a difference.

Bike lanes on Toronto REDUCE congestion when used properly. Please refer to the many exhaustive studies to show how the three lanes mentioned make the areas safer for cyclists and do not increase overall congestion. I should also note that the insistence that the University bike lanes are causing issues for first responders is entirely false and not backed up by any hospital or emergency service provider.

Please do not tie up Toronto with more red tape, more construction, and more provincial overreach. Please let us keep the bike lanes that make the streets safer and allow for more people to move through the city more safely.

I am a driver.
I am a cyclist.
I am a voting, tax-paying Ontarian and passionate resident of Toronto.

I do not want to die on my bike one day because this bill forced a foolish decision on my city.

And make no mistake. Removing bike lanes will get more cyclists injured and killed. It will turn some drivers into murderers, who would otherwise be safely separated from bike traffic. That is a fact.

I would invite Premier Ford and Minister Sarkaria to join me on their own bicycles to experience, first-hand, the realities of a cycling commute in this city. I know the Premier is passionate about connecting with citizens directly and I think this would be a fantastic opportunity for him to show how commited he is to the bike lane debate. I am happy to be contacted at any time if the Premier and/or Minister are interested in learning about the realities of what their bill will affect.

Thank you for your time.