We need to stick to the…

We need to stick to the right vision for the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario.

Do we want a livable, healthy city and province with a high quality of life and excellent air quality?

I oppose this bill to give extra rights to the Minister of Transport to single handedly determine which bike lanes to approve or remove. This is a municipal matter and these decisions should be made by the people closest to the matter. Building bike lanes now in the suburbs of the city will encourage more bike riders as it is cheaper and healthier. Riders will start to rider more because they will feel safe from motor traffic. Downtown is where it is needed the most, not more lanes for cars and trucks. Delivery trucks that part illegally are causing problems by cutting off the bike lanes and blocking vehicle lanes. If the Ministry would like to make a difference, please work with businesses that do rely on deliveries, by perhaps incentivizing deliveries during off hours and spreading out the density of traffic by encouraging users of Public transit and bikes.

The presence of bike lanes supports that vision. Given population growth, Toronto is densifying. In my own neighbourhood of Riverdale a 49 story condo building is being built at the corner of Pape and Danforth. There will be thousands of new residents moving in.

We need multiple options for commuting. Bike lanes provide an economical, healthy, environmentally-sound and safe way to commute. The province needs to be investing in more bike lanes, not removing bike lines. The answer to gridlock is to get more cars off the road and more bikes onto the road and to enhance the public transit system. Bike lanes and public transit is where the province should be investing. In addition, municipal governments know their local needs best. It is an overreach for the province to try to take control over where bike lines should and should not be.

I strongly oppose the proposed Bill 212 for these reasons and others. The Province would be more successful in addressing gridlock by investing in public transit and in bike lanes.

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I am a longtime resident of Toronto. I get around the city by many means: bike, public transit, foot and car. I do not think the proposed legislation is sound for many reasons.

1. Municipalities know their needs best so decisions regarding bike lanes should remain a municipal government responsibility not a provincial one.

2. Bike lanes provide a safer way for residents to get around the city by bike/e-bike/e-scooter/hover board and roller blade resulting in fewer cars on the road.

3. Bike lanes save lives and minimize accidents. Their removal would result in more serious injuries and deaths.

4. Studies show that bike lanes do not contribute to gridlock even when a car lane has had to be removed to allow for the creation of a bike lane. This is evidence-based.

5. Bike lanes allow residents to travel without getting in a car thereby reducing carbon emissions from cars. Bike lanes contribute to better air quality.

6. Bike lanes provide a healthy alternative and improve users’ health and the city’s livability.

If the intent is to reduce gridlock then the answer lies in investing in public transit and more bike lanes. I oppose the proposed legislation. Thank you for the opportunity to submit my comments which I hope have an impact.