I am extremely disappointed…

I am extremely disappointed to see this proposal from the Province. It is not based on an objective data that I can see, and is contrary to the results of the published literature. Inside city limits, the effects of vehicle volume, traffic lights, turning vehicles, etc, far outweigh the possible time savings that result from the return of a lane of traffic in a small number of places.

In addition, the presence of bike lanes facilitates a switch to cycling, where it is feasible. By getting more people to cycle in urban settings, the overall impact on traffic is positive. If there are hundreds to thousands of trips by bike on a bike lane, the effect on traffic of returning those people to their cars will be worse than in allocating space for bike lanes.

In my experience as a driver, most delays are as a result of traffic lights and the resulting backup of vehicles, or due to drivers' skill / knowledge, such as how to merge around construction or parked cars.
Having more bikes mixing with traffic will in fact slow down drivers, since cars will often need to slow down so they can wait for a safe opportunity to pass a cyclist. Having bikes and cars separated in 2 lanes improves the predictability of traffic and can help speed people to their destinations.

Finally, Ontario is at a point of crisis for the health care system. Facilitating more active transportation has benefits for improving the health and fitness of Ontarians, which could help reduce the overall burden of chronic disease. Good quality, separated bike lanes also improve the safety of cyclists, which would also mean fewer acute injuries as a result of just trying to get to work or school.

I urge the government to reconsider this proposal. Removing this infrastructure will be a costly mistake in terms of money and quality of life for Ontarians.