I have been a cyclist in…

I have been a cyclist in Toronto for almost twenty years. I became a cyclist because I couldn't afford any other option: back then, a used bike might cost me $200, which was less than 2 months of a metropass, and it would give me many more months of commuting. So be sure that decisions that affect cyclists are affecting some of the poorest people in this province, who have no other means of traveling around the city.

I imagine there will be several comments about cyclist safety, and maybe spouting statistics about the effects of removing bike lanes on traffic, but I want to focus on a different, practical aspect of removing bike lanes. Removing bike lanes does not remove bicycles from traffic. Removing bike lanes *adds* bicycles back into road traffic, and bicycles, for the most part, are *slow*. Taking bicycles out of bike lanes and putting them onto roadways--even roadways that might now have an extra lane of traffic--slows cars down. Most cyclists are going far, far slower than the speed limit, and it can be hard for cars to pass safely. Sometimes they have to wait, or they have to switch lanes--and good luck during gridlock! With bike lanes, there is no issue of passing: bicycles are literally in a separate lane, and cars can fly right by!