Dear Premier Ford & Minister…

Dear Premier Ford & Minister Sharkaria,

With no supporting facts, your government has put legislation before the House at Queen’s Park that would require municipalities to seek provincial approval for future bike lanes that replace vehicular lanes, on the grounds that this would ease traffic congestion.

Journalists have fact-checked the Premier’s remarks and there is ample evidence that disproves bike lanes are the cause of traffic congestion.

Given the lack of detail, we ask that the following be considered;

• The safety of all road users, including cyclists, is a paramount concern and a fundamental responsibility of both provincial and municipal governments.

• The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario (“OCC”) conducted the Cycling Death review, which was the most comprehensive review into the causes of cycling deaths in Ontario. The findings of the review included recommendations which targeted improved cycling infrastructure, education, legislation
and enforcement. Of note within the review was the adoption of “Complete Streets”, which
emphasizes the planning, designing, building, operating, and maintaining streets that enable safe
access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities.

• Municipal governments have the local knowledge and contextual understanding necessary to effectively address specific community transportation needs, including the development and maintenance of safe cycling infrastructure within their community. Locally, municipalities and regions have transportation plans in place which recognize the need to support and construct safe cycling infrastructure within our communities, including future bike lanes, as an integral part of improving the safety of vulnerable road users, which is now being jeopardized by this proposed legislation.

• In recent polling conducted by CTV News / NANOS Research, Canadians were asked about their level of support regarding the construction of bike lanes even if building those lanes meant reducing traffic lanes for cars. The response received “Canadians are more likely to be OK with the construction of bike lanes even if it causes a loss of traffic lanes for cars.”

• CAA recent polling further supports bike lanes with the following findings: “The poll asked Canadians what type of infrastructure would lead them to cycle more often? Lanes separated by barriers led the list, with 40% of Canadians saying it would move them to cycle more.”

• Premier Ford once expressed on a televised bike ride in 2017, that vulnerable road users are at risk without protected infrastructure and that we must ensure their safety.

As such, it cannot be stated enough; bike lanes do not cause traffic congestion, single occupancy motor vehicle trips on our roadways are causing traffic congestion. Should this bike lane legislation move forward, the opportunity to prioritize safety for all road users is being lost, and worse, more preventable life altering injuries and fatalities will happen.

In closing, the citizens request is simple; we urge you to not introduce restrictive bike lane legislation. Not just because this infrastructure saves life and helps lower traffic congestion, but because it is an incredible provincial over-reach. THE MONEY AND RESOURCES spent to enact this bill would be ludicrous and it is not the business of the province what the lower-tier offices do with the roads that are within their responsibility.

Thank you for your consideration on this important matter. Lives are worth more than this transparent pandering.