The proposed removal of bike…

The proposed removal of bike lanes on behalf of more car lanes will not ease the congestion. However, the bike lanes have the potential to relieve congestion by effectively reducing the number of cars.

Toronto is seeing a small cycling population due to a very limited cycling infrastructure. Measuring the effectiveness of bicycle lanes when the city has a few disconnected bicycle lanes is a totally unreasonable approach. For cycling to be an attractive alternative to driving, a continuous addition of safer bicycle lanes and a cohesive cycling network is required.

The effectiveness of bicycle lanes in easing traffic congestion can be seen in New York City. The city has been implementing bicycle lanes for nearly two decades. According to their report, the addition of the bicycle lanes reduced the vehicle travel time, demonstrating the positive effects of the bicycle lanes on traffic management. In addition, the bicycle lanes resulted in a decreased number of pedestrian/cyclist crashes and an increased retail sales along the streets with the protected bicycle lanes.

Furthermore, the removal of the bicycle lane contradicts the proposal's purpose of relieving traffic congestion. Lewis-Mogridge Position and other related studies have proved that more car lanes will only induce more car traffic.

Hence, a wider implementation of the bicycle lanes is the key to solving traffic congestion.