I have read the proposed…

I have read the proposed Bill 212 and want to comment on three issues: bicycle safety, traffic gridlock, and municipal jurisdiction.

Safety: I am 76, a retiree, and regularly ride my bike in mid-town Toronto to do errands, buy groceries, visit friends, attend medical appointments, etc. The introduction of bike lanes along Yonge St, from Davisville down into the downtown area, made my bike rides FAR safer than in the past, just as the Sherbourne St bike lanes had done previously. I make a point of using the bike lanes on Yonge, Bloor and University Avenue, rather than secondary streets without bike lanes, as they are far safer.

Gridlock: We need to provide the public with efficient transit to avoid traffic congestion, not invite more car traffic by removing bike lanes. That the GTA has crippling, costly traffic congestion is not caused by bike use, but by the lack of adequate public transit. Regular massive traffic jams on major arteries such as the DVP's traffic are not the result of bike lanes!

Municipal jurisdiction: The province of Ontario has no business dictating bike lane planning to the city of Toronto. This is a totally unwarranted interference in the municipality's planning and management of road infrastructure.