The suggestions that Bill…

The suggestions that Bill 212 proposes are completely in opposition to its stated aims. Bike lanes, when they provide a comprehensive network for commuters to use, are far more effective at getting people where they need to be. I am someone who has used bike lanes when I've lived in downtown Toronto on Yonge, Bloor, and University, and would love the addition of more bike lanes. The following specifically concerns me about Bill 212:

- The bill neglects the fact that bike lanes are able to more efficiently move large numbers of people. Bikes take up physically less space than cars, and most commuter cars only have one person in them. Thus, if the goal is moving large numbers of people at once, a bike lane is more effective than a car lane.
- The bill is a gross overreach of provincial power. By requiring approval for past and future bike lanes, the bill introduces extreme levels of bureaucracy and unjustified overreach into decisions that ought to be left up to municipalities. Let the people who actually live there make the decisions about what's best for the community.
- The bill holds an incomplete network of bike lanes to the same standard as a complete road network. If roads weren't connected to one another, no one would use them. Since currently the bike lanes in downtown Toronto aren't connected to one another, cyclists are taking a risk every time they bike. The real solution is to create a more extensive network of bike lanes across Toronto such that cyclists can safely reach their destination.
- Removing the bike lanes on Yonge, Bloor, and University won't stop people from biking, it will just make it more dangerous for those who do cycle. We will always have food delivery cyclists and other commuters, and more of those people will get injured or even killed from vehicle collisions if the bike lanes are removed. Bill 212 actively disregards the safety of Ontarians.