I hesitated as to whether to…

I hesitated as to whether to provide comment to this proposed law. I have never provided comment to anything like this in the past, but this proposal makes me so angry that I felt I had to say something. Unfortunately, the proposal to remove bike lanes strikes me as a 100% political move by our Premier, who is trying to create a wedge issue before an early election. Kory Teneycke pretty much confirmed this on the Curse of Politics. A summary of my points against this proposed legislation is below:

- The focus should be on getting people around, not just getting cars around. This will remove freedom from people to choose their preferred mode of transportation and get to their destination safely. It favours people who are wealthy enough to own a personal vehicle.
- Decisions around bike lanes should be made by local governments based on study, data and a longterm vision for getting people around. It is fair for the Ontario Government to ask the City of Toronto to study whether or not the bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge and University are having the desired impact. The Ontario Government should work with the City of Toronto to determine if there are other solutions that could work. Poor decisions are made when a higher level of Government over-rules the local Government making decisions without the data and longterm vision.
- This decision makes of mockery of our local democracy. There are more ridings in the City of Toronto that voted Liberal or NDP than Conservative, and the City voted for a mayor who supports active transport.
- This decision will lead to more deaths and serious injuries. Drivers (and bike riders) will continue to make errors that lead to injuries and deaths, and without separated bike lanes, bicycle rides are at an increased risk. While driving a bike on a side street is definitely preferred, this is not always possible. Side streets often end at a major street, side streets often do not have traffic lights at major streets and many destinations are on major streets such as Bloor, Yonge and University.
- Many studies show that an increase in the number of roads/lanes for vehicles does not rude traffic due to induced demand.
- World Class cities all over the World have chosen more bike lanes, not less. New York, Montreal, Amsterdam and many more but our bicycle network to shame. We should learn from these Cities if we want Toronto to become a true world class city.