Hi, I support bike lanes. …

Hi, I support bike lanes.

We know from evidence that bike lanes help to:
- reduce gridlock
- reduce greenhouse gases
- gets more people to move through the same amount of space
- supports local businesses
- encourages active living while promoting health and wellbeing

Bike lanes are not just a matter of convenience; they are vital for many residents who rely on affordable transportation options. Children, teens, older adults, people that have disabilities, and or can’t afford or want a vehicle that makes up a large part of our population also need to get around. Motor vehicles are only one option to get around and it takes up a lot of space compared to how many people it's transporting.There is a need for equitable, accessible alternatives like cycling infrastructure.

Traffic congestion is self-perpetuating. More cars on the road lead to more traffic. Expanding bike lanes offers an opportunity to break this cycle by encouraging more people to use alternative modes of transport, thereby reducing overall congestion and improving the flow of traffic for everyone. Increasing the number of cars on the road will lead to more pollution, injuries and deaths. The World Health Organization – Global Status Report Road Safety 2023, shows that the leading cause of death to those aged 5 - 29 are road injuries.

Investing in safe, accessible bike infrastructure is essential for the health, safety, and well-being of our communities, as well as for addressing the city’s pressing environmental and transportation challenges.

Do not add red tape to building bike lanes as this will slow down vital infrastructure that will save lives. I use bike lanes every day and consider them essential infrastructure like sidewalks. We need to think about guaranteeing safety and providing options for vulnerable road users instead of maximizing the number of cars on the road. When I drive, I rather cyclists be out of my way and in their own bike lane for everyone's safety. Bike lanes support transit investments by making it easier to get to transit stations.

These actions are not only distractions from the real needs of our city but also betray a lack of vision and leadership when it comes to addressing urban challenges. Bike lanes are a practical, immediate step that can provide tangible benefits for city residents, but we need all levels of government working together to make them a reality.

There are best practices that municipalities are learning from and trying to achieve, why are we wasting resources going backwards? They will 100% compromise cyclists' and pedestrians' safety until safe infrastructure is put in place.

It is status quo bias to think it’s unfair to take away space from cars when we fail to provide infrastructure to other types of mobility modes.

I support safe bike infrastructure! Do not remove the current ones. It has taken decades to get what we have and it will take longer to build out our full network to see the benefits.