I find this proposal…

I find this proposal extremely heavy-handed and short-sighted. The "just one more lane" philosophy has been disastrous for urban centres for decades, and ripping out bike lanes and making more people take more cars on the road will *increase* gridlock, not decrease it. I live in South Etobicoke, and I frequently take the Bloor bike lane (along with its connecting streets) to access my job in downtown. It's healthier, cheaper, and is one less car on the road. Bikes aren't just used for commuting to work, but also to grab groceries, access transit stations faster than biking or waiting for a bus, or for children to get to and from school.

This sort of backwards thinking is why Toronto is still decades behind for having a robust light rail/subway system. Transit and bikes are far more efficient than one person per car. Clearly ripping out existing bike infrastructure to "add one more lane" is a counter-intuitive measure. Just look at how the 401 is backed up, and that has 18 lanes!

Without the existing infrastructure we have for cyclists, I would personally feel much more endangered while trying to live my life. Bike lanes and routes help alleviate that. And, if we had an even more extensive system of bike lanes and multi-use paths, maybe others would feel safe enough to try riding too. There are multiple studies showing how people are more likely to bike when the infrastructure is there, and I think we should focus on facts.

I beg the premier to look up what induced demand is and how it works, and to also not put his woes of driving to downtown on the rest of the populace. If he's so worried about his own commute, maybe he should learn how to take transit, or, better yet, build a bike lane to North Etobicoke and actually try it himself.