I am writing to strongly…

I am writing to strongly oppose the updated Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024. The decision to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue in Toronto is a costly, short-sighted move that jeopardizes public safety, undermines urban sustainability, and wastes public funds.

As someone who rides a bike daily, I know firsthand how essential these lanes are for safe and efficient commuting. Removing them will not alleviate congestion as claimed but will instead reverse years of progress, endanger lives, and increase chaos on Toronto’s busiest streets. Toronto city staff have estimated that dismantling these bike lanes will cost $48 million, including the loss of the $27 million already invested in their construction. This wasteful expenditure comes with months of construction closures, severely disrupting traffic during the removal process, while providing negligible improvements in travel times for drivers once completed.

The safety benefits of these bike lanes are undeniable. After their installation, conflicts between vehicles and people riding bikes decreased by 61% on Bloor Street alone. These lanes have transformed our streets into safer spaces for everyone, not just those on bikes, by calming traffic and reducing accidents. Forcing people back into unprotected traffic lanes will undo these gains and increase the risk of serious injuries and fatalities. Claims that emergency vehicles are delayed by bike lanes are also unfounded. Toronto’s deputy fire chief confirmed that response times have not been negatively impacted by bike lanes on University Avenue, directly countering misinformation used to justify this bill.

The economic and environmental consequences of removing bike lanes are equally troubling. Local businesses along bike lane routes have reported increased sales due to greater foot and bike traffic. Tearing out this infrastructure will harm small businesses, while also setting back Toronto’s environmental goals by encouraging more car use, which increases congestion, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The motivations behind this legislation are deeply concerning. The influence of politically connected groups like Balance on Bloor, whose claims about bike lanes have repeatedly been contradicted by hard data, undermines the integrity of this process. Ridership on these bike lanes has surged since their installation, with increases as high as 650% on Bloor Street and 603% on Yonge Street. These numbers reflect a growing demand for safe, reliable cycling infrastructure, not a failure of their implementation.

Exempting this plan from the Environmental Assessment Act is a troubling precedent that disregards the environmental and social impacts of removing infrastructure designed to support active, low-emission transportation. Municipalities like Toronto have spent years studying and implementing these bike lanes to meet the needs of their residents. This provincial overreach undermines local governance and disregards the voices of those who rely on these lanes daily.

I urge the Ontario government to reconsider this misguided amendment to Bill 212. Rather than dismantling essential infrastructure, the province should focus on expanding bike lanes and fostering safer, greener cities for everyone. Removing these lanes would be a step backward for public safety, sustainability, and urban livability.

Thank you for considering my comments.