It’s essential to highlight…

It’s essential to highlight the importance of protecting and expanding cycling infrastructure to prevent road deaths and support urban transit goals. Cyclist fatalities in Ontario are currently at their highest since 2021, underscoring an urgent need for improved cycling infrastructure rather than its reduction.

Bill 212 references that only 1.2% of commuters in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) use bicycles, which does not reflect downtown Toronto’s high rates of cycle commuting. In downtown neighborhoods, around 44% of residents cycle regularly for work, shopping, and meeting friends. BikeShare Toronto usage has increased substantially, with annual trips rising from 665,000 in 2015 to over 6 million in 2024, further emphasizing the strong demand for cycling options.

Evidence from various global studies demonstrates that well-designed bike lanes contribute significantly to reducing vehicle congestion rather than increasing it. For example, research has shown that bike lanes help streamline urban traffic flow by encouraging more people to use bicycles, thereby reducing the number of cars on the road. Cities with established bike lanes, such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen, have achieved both safer streets for cyclists and reduced road congestion for vehicles. In Toronto, bike lanes on Bloor Street have been particularly effective in increasing safety and accessibility without detrimentally impacting traffic flow.

Additionally, Bill 212 appears to overstep provincial jurisdiction by potentially mandating the removal of key bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University without substantiating data on its benefits. While the bill requests municipalities to report on vehicle travel times, it proposes the removal of bike lanes on major Toronto streets without supporting data to justify this action. This approach disregards the positive impacts of bike lanes on both safety and congestion reduction. Toronto has invested significantly in cycling infrastructure to support sustainable and safe transit, and this bill threatens to undermine these efforts.

Protecting Toronto’s cycling infrastructure is crucial to ensuring safer streets, reducing congestion, and supporting a growing demand for sustainable transit alternatives. This decision should be informed by local commuting data and evidence-based research on urban transit, rather than broad policies that lack local context.