Safe and comfortable cycling…

Safe and comfortable cycling infrastructure is vital for increasing cycling across Canada. Protecting the health and safety of our communities, while also reducing congestion and air pollution, requires that we do as much as we can to encourage cycling. It is an objective fact that more car lanes do not reduce traffic congestion – induced demand is observed all over the world – more car lanes initially ease gridlock, but quickly lead to even more, as people switch to driving instead of taking public transit. If the provincial government is serious about reducing gridlock, they should be making investments in construction and development of transit projects, as well as more comprehensive cycling/ active transportation networks. Bicycles take up far less space than a single occupancy vehicle, therefore making much more room for those who need to drive. Local businesses benefit more from areas with bike lanes, as it is much easier (and free) to find bike parking in, for example, a downtown environment than it is to find car parking. Cycling is also a healthy option for those that can do so, investing in safe cycling infrastructure will encourage more people to cycle regularly, leading to better health outcomes for the province.

On top of all of the benefits, the province is seriously overreaching in municipal governments with the proposed Bill 212. This suggests the provincial government does not trust municipalities and is happy to overstep boundaries to erode the local democratic process. Bike lanes are built following extensive planning processes, research, and community input. There are already several checks to go through before one gets built, adding in another layer of approval at the provincial layer is an extreme misuse of taxpayers’ money as well as the provincial governments’ time. Not to mention the cost of taking out existing bike lanes – for a government that claims to be fiscally responsible, this is completely nonsensical. Aside from the issue of bike lanes, I contest the exemption of the Environmental Assessment Act for the Highway 413 Act. The building of highway 413 cannot and should not be done without conducting the appropriate environmental assessments. I am so fed up with short-sighted and selfish plans, and plead with the provincial government to think beyond the next election cycle and focus on the legacy they want to leave behind for Ontarians in 50, 100 years and beyond. Thank you to whoever reads this, I hope it makes a difference.