Toronto has many problems…

Toronto has many problems. Too many bike lanes is certainly not one of them.

There is an abundance of data that shows that the only measures that can curb congestion in urban areas is to provide safe and efficient alternatives to car use such as public transportation or cycling.

Instead, the focus on more car traffic endangers the most vulnerable road users, pedestrians and cyclists. The transportation minister's argument are essentially non-sense, and he must be aware of this.

Argument 1. Not everyone can ride a bike.
This is true. But not everyone can drive a car. But they do it anyway because they don't have an alternative. And endanger others in the process. I encourage you to cross any of the busier Toronto intersections on foot during rush hour, or just stand and watch and see how dangerous it is with constant near misses.

Argument 2. Only X% of people bike. This is because it is incredibly unsafe to cycle in Toronto. I used to cycle my daughter to school when there was a safe bike lane. This has been closed for highway construction. The distance remains the same, but I would now have to cross the 401 on the Don Mills bridge, which is just not safe on a narrow pedestrian strip next to 3 lanes of traffic at 60-70kmh. So now I have to drive and add to congestion.

The decisions you make now will shape how transport will look 30 years from now. 30 years ago we didn't know that focusing on car use is a non-viable strategy. Now we know. It is time to start moving towards sustainable, safe, efficient and evidence based solutions. Not populistic election projects.

I'm happy for bike lanes to be on smaller streets, but then do go ahead and build them. Many European cities went down that way over the last years and their safety and quality of life has increased dramatically as a result. There is no reason this can't work here, it just needs to start somewhere.