The removal of bike lanes…

The removal of bike lanes along University, Bloor, and Yonge street will affect a large number of Torontonians, a group of which is students who commute by bike to the University of Toronto. I am a student from the University of Toronto who rides Toronto Bike share on University and Bloor daily to get to class, soccer practice, or the library.

There will only be bikers if the bike lane infrastructure in the city is safe and well-connected, which is what dedicated bike lanes provide. It is an ignorant thing to say that there are few bikers so there is no reason to invest in bike lanes. Over 50% of people in Toronto say they would like to travel by bike more. We should be investing in infrastructure which incentivizes people to bike more. Toronto Bike share members have increased to their highest numbers in the past couple of years.

Building more bike lanes can incentivize drivers to opt for biking instead, removing traffic from lanes and reducing congestion. A larger number of bikers reduces carbon emissions and is more economical and sustainable than driving. I, along with many bikers, use biking coupled with public transit, which is also better for the environment and decreases the number of people driving cars. Removing bike lanes will not improve congestion on the roads and the proposal and policy will have many negative effects on Torontonians, specifically students in the city.