I have been a Toronto…

I have been a Toronto resident my whole life. I have lived from east to west. I love this city and I love how these bike lanes are connecting others and myself with the people I know and places I go. They make things more convenient and faster for me in countless situations, and critically they make getting around safer for everyone. I have felt empowered to explore the city so much more because of the freedom the bike lanes have given me, and I say that as a person who can drive and has a car. Those who are unable to afford a car, who have immigrated from other places and don't yet have a license, or who are not yet old enough to drive are in an even worse position than I if this bill is passed and followed through on.

I don't believe, based on innumerable observations and using the streets in Toronto as every manner of transit-goer, that removing the bike lanes will make anything better for anyone. Quite the opposite, they will put more cars on the roads and slow the flow of traffic by removing places to stop and load, and mix in bicycle traffic with cars making everything more dangerous and much less efficient. There is no way to "reduce gridlock" in this city without making alternative forms of transit more convenient for people of all ages and demographics to use, and one of those incredibly important ways is bicycle infrastructure. This bill would regress us in an enormous way after years and years of building us up to be a more livable and sustainable city. I am saddened that the provincial government sees fit to override a city with their own elected leadership and their own vision, one created by the people that use the streets every single day. Please reconsider this bill as the effects for me and countless others will be dire, while benefiting essentially no one.