The province's proposed…

The province's proposed legislation to remove bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge and University Avenue is short-sighted and smacks of political interference.

Decisions regarding infrastructure at the municipal level should be left to municipalities. The Ford government's interference will not help reduce congestion but will actually make it worse.

Research has shown that bike lanes and cycling infrastructure reduce congestion because they remove motor vehicles off the road. It's simple, the people who are riding bikes are not driving cars or using ride-sharing services such as Uber or Lyft.

More importantly, bike lanes and cycling infrastructure makes our roads safer for everyone. This includes cyclists, drivers, pedestrians and people with other mobility devices.

We have learned that more people are riding than ever before because they feel safer. More women are riding. More children are riding. More seniors are riding. And more people with mobility issues can use the bike lanes to get around.

Let's not go backwards.

For a government concerned about saving money for Ontarians, removing the bike lanes will cost more than the cost of putting them in. Where is the logic in this? Removing cycling infrastructure on Bloor, Yonge and University Avenue will be a colossal waste of taxpayers' money.

Let's keep our streets safe and think about people's lives. One death due to a lack of safe cycling infrastructure is one too many.

Let's think longterm and let's consider the safety of our mother's, our children, our grandparents and our students.

Let's not play politics with people's lives.

Let's keep the bike lanes.

Thank you.