As a resident of Etobicoke…

As a resident of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, I feel betrayed by my MPP Christine Hogarth and Premier Doug Ford. Bill 212 is a regressive plan to double-down on car-centric planning, something that directly contradict's the Province's own climate and planning goals. I am a resident who used to drive to work everyday to the Bloor and Sherbourne area. Since the extension of the Bloor Street protected bike lanes I now feel safe enough to commute by cycling or a combination of cycling and subway. That is one less car on Bloor Street or the Gardiner, every day. I fear this government has not contemplated the implications of removing life-saving infrastructure that ultimately removes cars from the road. Having cars and bicycles share road space has proven to be a deadly combination. Six cyclists have lost their lives this year in Toronto as a result of driver's actions. This bill signals that the life of a cyclist is worth less than travel times for cars. Decades of research has shown that we cannot continue to add car lanes to address congestion. Induced demand is a concept this Government has shown to either not comprehend, or be willfully ignorant of. As our city densifies, automobiles become the least efficient mode of transport, both in terms of capacity and how much space they occupy. This Government should instead focus on delivering the long-stalled transit lines currently under construction in Toronto. Ripping out recently built infrastructure should go against every Progressive Conservative political instinct, as it is fiscally belligerent and nonsensical. I fear this Government no longer possesses such instincts, and instead is fuelling a wedge issue with an upcoming election in mind.