Bill 212 is gross over-reach…

Bill 212 is gross over-reach on the part of the Province. While legislativey entitled, decisions on these matters should be the exclusive purview of the citizens in the municipalities in question who have a vested interest and intimated knowledge of the costs and benefits of these lanes. For years I commuted to and from work in downtown Toronto using the safety of bike paths through the Don Valley and bike lanes on major roads. With the subsequent expansion on major roadways that provide direct access to destinations, I use them even more, as do many Torontonians. The root causes of congestion on arterial roadways is not bike lanes, but: (1) peak hour demand for commuting which affects all roadways, not just those with bike lanes; (2) construction which causes constant lane closures, particularly on major arterial roads regardless of whether any work is underway or not; (3) myriad other car related instances such as those making left turns, delivery vehicles stopped in live lanes of traffic, people dropping off or picking up others, errand drivers putting on four way hazard lights so they can drop off/pick up items. I use the Bloor Street and University Avenue bike lanes and feel relatively safe in doing so (notwithstanding that I was almost hit twice by TTC buses while riding in Woodbine Avenue bike lanes on a to-work commute because the bus strayed over the solid lines). Why is congestion such an issue in Toronto: (1) Mike Harris sold the taxpayer funded Highway 407 to reduce debt and boost his credibility- a short sighted move that makes the 401 a parking lot for most of the work day; (2) underfunding of infrastructure on the Gardiner Expressway which Mike Harris downloaded onto the City of Toronto to balance his budget while making the City of Toronto fiscally responsible for a roadway used by thousands of people and businesses domiciled beyond its borders; (3) the Ontario Line construction which has crippled vehicular and public transit movement in downtown Toronto through the massive closure of numerous primary roadways; (4) failure of the Provincial government to deliver projects on time and on budget - I often sit in congested traffic on Eglinton Avenue East and watch empty Eglinton LRT trains roll by, while TTC buses add to traffic congestion on the Eglinton roadway, especially when there are no pullouts for them to drop off and pick up. Bike lanes are an easy wedge issue for the Province to choose when many of the City of Toronto traffic woes have been inflicted on the City by poor, short-sighted Provincial decision making. HANDS OFF TORONTO BIKE LANES - THESE DECISIONS BELONG TO TORONTONIANS, NOT A PREMIER WHO WAS REJECTED BY TORONTONIANS FOR HIS LACK OF VISION.