Proposed Bill 212 focus on…

Proposed Bill 212 focus on removing bike lanes and requiring municipalities to get provincial approval to install new bike lanes. This unequivocally, wastes tax payers money, increases red tape and bureaucracy, and will negatively affect public health and safety.

Across the province, municipalities are working to improve the quality of their communities. This has and will continue to involve the development of complete streets. A key aspect of which is improving safe and efficient travel for all forms of mobility. Dedicated and protected lanes for micro mobility users play an important role in this goal. By arbitrarily restricting and removing bike lanes, it will endanger vulnerable road users. This year in Toronto and across the province more broadly, over the past few years, we have seen increasing injuries and fatalities for all road users. Yet, to address this concerning trend, the proposed solutions are to restrict safe street design and to prioritize the most dangerous form of transportation. This will leave all other road users at a heightened risk of danger. As it is written, Bill 212 will actively contribute to endangering our streets.

In addition to making Ontarians less safe, this bill will force road users to get back into their cars, more cars means increased traffic congestion. The goal of reducing congestion should be to support all forms of transportation and ensure that all members of the community have safe and convenient mobility options. It should be up to an individual, not the government, if someone deems a car, transit, or micro mobility to be the best method of transportation for their situation. The government’s role should be to ensure that each person’s chosen form of transportation is safe, regardless of transportation method. Instead, proposed Bill 212 reaffirms that there is only care for the car and everyone else is a second class citizen.

Moreover, the bill's provisions to override municipal by-laws and expedite infrastructure projects will undermine local governance and community input. This top-down approach will result in decisions that do not reflect the needs and preferences of local residents, further alienating communities from the decision-making process. A notable consequence of this bill will be the further erosion of environmental standards.

It is not “common sense” to put people and the planet at further risk. It is clear that proposed Bill 212 is a bill that is not supported by data-driven rationale. It is imperative for this bill and the government to have accurate and recent data to support their claims. To date, this is clearly not the case. As a consequence of this negligence, the government is increasing red tape and bureaucracy, eroding democratic best practices, and putting the lives of Ontarians at greater risk.