I am a transportation…

I am a transportation professional and I have experience in this domain.

As if the initial arbitrary rule to prevent bike lanes from being built under all circumstances without any consideration of the area's transportation context wasn't bad enough, now they are proposing to remove key bike lanes that are heavily used, functional, and safe?

I understand bike lanes are not always appropriate - it depends on the transportation context of the area. Maybe some municipalities took bike lanes too far but this not the case in downtown Toronto.

It is totally against best transportation practices to think that adding an additional vehicular lane of traffic will drastically improve congestion on urban roads.

In most cases one additional vehicle lane could be added and that will not improve vehicular traffic and will induce more vehicular demand and increase congestion. It will also create less safe conditions where high volumes of cyclists mix with vehicular traffic.

Removing bike lanes on urban streets that are suited for them (like Bloor) would undo years of progress.

The costs:
- undoing years of planning and construction time/$
- new construction for the removal bike lanes and addition of vehicle lanes that will rip up major downtown roads for years
- lost productivity because this will increase congestion on urban roads
- the cost of injury (or worse) to cyclists because removing bike lanes is much less safe.

Bike lanes on urban roads can be hugely beneficial because there is never enough capacity to expand vehicular traffic lanes to solve traffic congestion.

Dedicating portions of the road for cyclists/pedestrians/transit provides more benefit because this moves more people in less physical space.

Cost-benefit analysis: what is the cost of adding another vehicular traffic lane and what is the benefit? The short answer: the cost is high and the benefit is low, the benefit pails in comparison to adding bike lanes or pedestrian or transit facilities.

The province fails to see this as a complex issue and instead treats it as black-and-white, illustrated by their all or nothing approached to bike lanes. This is a shame.

Strongly oppose.