If the government were…

If the government were actually serious about addressing traffic flow, it would encourage higher density residential development, invest heavily in public transit infrastructure and increase subsidies for public transit to internationally comparable levels, allow for congestion pricing and road tolls, and encourage development of a better cycling system to support people who leave their cars at home. Getting rid of bike lanes will divert funding from uses that might actually help, will do nothing about traffic congestion and will put cyclists literally at risk for their lives. Getting rid of bike lanes won’t get cyclists off the road, it will just force them to mix with traffic. The result will be slower traffic and more dead cyclists. I ride my bike every day when weather permits, exclusively on streets with bike lanes. I will stop riding if bike lanes are removed. Side streets are not the answer. In Toronto, there are no viable side street routes, either east-west or north-south. And riding a bike on side streets is more dangerous than using a bike lane and still competes with car traffic. I also ride a tandem tricycle with my adult disabled son, a form of recreation for him that is possible only because of protected bike lanes. At the very least, force the government to get some actual facts. “Don’t confuse me with facts” policy that offers the mirage of faster commuting and puts road users that don’t drive cars at risk for their lives is simply not good enough.