Bill 212 will not reduce…

Bill 212 will not reduce gridlock or save time, and increases danger to all road users.

I am a driver, cyclist and pedestrian. I am greatly concerned that this bill has been drafted according to misinformation and special interests of a small group of people who have misrepresented the facts of Toronto's gridlock.

1. Toronto's gridlock is not caused by bikelanes
The Globe and Mail recently highlighted the actual bottleneck areas in the city, which were all tied to highways, not surface streets.

2. Bike lanes actually improve response times for emergency vehicles
Toronto's fire chief and various studies have spoken about how emergency response times have been improved with the presence of bike lanes.

Further, the bike lanes on University Ave were requested by hospital staff to support their staff in getting to work safely.

3. Bike lanes take up too much space
With approximately 5600km of roads in Toronto, Toronto has 215.5km of cycle tracks and bike lanes - less than 4% of streets. Further, on those streets, the bike lanes typically occupy ~25% of any given street, leaving only 1% of actual road space given to cyclists. The proportion is especially notable as even with the increases of the last few years, less than 1% of road space in the City is dedicated to bike lanes.

Cycling infrastructure gives options to people so that they can get around the city safely without taking the car. The city has been built up around major thoroughfares, which are frequented by many because they efficiently connect the different parts of the city, are the locations of many local and small businesses, and feature many of Toronto's notable attractions.

I have ridden bikes in Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Kitchener. It is obvious in each city the difference in safety that bike lanes make, and the increase in use that safe cycling infrastructure enables. Ultimately, this bill will remove safety infrastructure and delay or stop its implementation, which means it is a bill that endangers the lives on Ontarians.

I frequently ride my bike up the Yonge St bike lanes, and I often have thought about the fact that bike lanes could have helped to prevent or lessen the deaths of the Younge Street van attack in 2018. Bike lanes protect cyclists, but they also protect pedestrians.

I urge you to withdraw this bill and allow municipalities to continue making decisions for themselves.