I would like to express my…

I would like to express my firm opposition to Bill 212, as well as my disappointment with the many (seemingly deliberately) misleading justifications for this bill made by the Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria and Premier Doug Ford.

My opposition is based on several key concerns.

Firstly, there is no substantial evidence to support the claim that bike lanes are a leading cause of congestion in Toronto. Instead, congestion is fundamentally caused by traffic volumes that are over the capacity of the road infrastructure. As we see in Toronto, congestion is rife on roads with no bike lanes. Indeed, the broader bill points to congestion on 400-series highways, which are not related to bike lanes.

Moreover, Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria and Premier Doug Ford consistently use misleading figures to justify the bill, and in doing so, neglect the importance and high-use of the bike lanes they are explicitly targeting in the city. They both routinely repeat a figure that only 1.2% of people bike. They never indicate where they get this figure and whether they are referring to all of Ontario or in Toronto. It seems most likely this is an outdated figure for the entire CMA around Toronto. This figure is not relevant if they are openly advocating removing bike lanes in Toronto, as 2021 Census figures as well as studies by the City of Toronto show that the bike lanes they explicitly mention are well-used. For example, during rush hour, cyclists make up 37% of road users on Bloor in the Annex, and 10% of residents along the University Ave bike lane commute to work by bike.

By removing existing bike lanes, the government is not only putting cyclists at risk but also halting the progress we have made in building a safe and accessible cycling network in our city. Studies have shown that bicycle infrastructure can improve overall traffic conditions by providing alternative modes of transportation, as well as improve public health, and contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Removing bike lanes would be a counterproductive step backwards and would be indicative of inept transportation policy.

Furthermore, the language used by the transportation minister and premier is not only dismissive but also fosters an atmosphere of animosity towards cyclists—a demographic that contributes positively to our transportation ecosystem. This dismissive attitude is unacceptable, especially when our streets are already overly hostile and dangerous for those who choose to bike for transportation.

Finally, as a procedural matter, this bill also represents a serious overstep of provincial authority over municipal affairs. Cities should have the right to determine what transportation policies are best for their citizens, especially when it is years of planning ineptitude at the provincial level that has led to the unsustainable and dysfunctional transportation situation across the Greater Toronto Area. Over half of cars on Toronto streets originate outside the city; a situation caused by outdated urban planning contributing to sprawl and the dismal investment in regional transit. Toronto residents are already suffering with their streets over capacity with cars as a result of the province's failures, and this bill would only exacerbate this issue.

In light of these points, I urge you to reconsider this bill and eliminate the sections concerning the removal of bike lanes. Any competent, evidence-based, and forward-looking transportation policy would, instead of increasing the already excessive number of car trips in the GTA, direct massive amounts of funding in transit, push for better urban planning, especially density, and support the growth of active transportation, including the development of robust cycling networks in Toronto.

Thank you for considering my concerns.