ERO number: 019-9266 Bill…

ERO number: 019-9266
Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024

As a resident downtown, living by Blue Jays Way and Front Street, I am fully supportive of the Province passing Bill 212 in order to reduce congestion! Bravo Premier Ford for taking one of the needed steps to reel in contorted city policies which have caused an increase in traffic congestion downtown.

I frequently witness the ridiculous non-moving lineup of cars up and down Blue Jays Way stretching from Front Street to Queen street during rush hour and event days regularly ever since 2 lanes of traffic were removed. All across the city, one can count on one hand the number of bikers that use the bike lanes while cars sit stalled in congestion burning valuable energy.

Toronto seems to be missing a department of transportation which helps the city to optimize all modes of transport, but instead installed a department of bike lanes or transit only lanes.

For perspective, it is ridiculous to see the city congestion worse today, compared to pre-pandemic shutdown when every working person had to be in the office 5 days a week! There is no clearer example of failed policies than to have worse congestion when there is comparatively less car traffic downtown today due to work from home policies.

The city leadership showed their dishonest hand by reducing lanes during the covid shutdown instead of taking the opportunity of low traffic period to improve road infrastructure! Was our city leadership expecting business in the city to decrease from their own destructive policies?!

Bicycles are allowed to ride on roads to begin with. The city only needs to do an education campaign or post road signs telling drivers and bikers to share the road!!

If the city admits that traffic congestion costs us $11B in lost productivity, the leadership is incompetent or guilty of maladministration!!

Decision making at city hall is clearly not data driven, and mostly activist driven. Please return sanity to city planning!

Thank you