Thank you for taking my…

Thank you for taking my feedback into consideration. I am a Registered Professional Planner working in Ontario who has experience in Toronto and the broader GTHA region, as well as a resident of Toronto who is immediately impacted by this Bill and the proposal/potential to remove bike lanes on Bloor Street (I live on Bloor Street West). A such my feedback reflects both some professional opinions and my own frustrations as an individual and local resident of Toronto.

The main culprits of congestion are CARS, and to get to the root of the issue the Province needs to develop policies and invest in strategies that get people out of cars and using other means of transportation. There are simply too many cars. This Bill’s focus on highways and demonizing bike lanes is counterintuitive to the intent of the Bill in reducing gridlock and saving people time. Bike lanes are part of the SOLUTION and I urge the Province to treat them as such and instead seek ways of encouraging them and reducing barriers to their implementation. PUBLIC TRANSIT is a critical piece to the solution as well, instead of focusing on getting drivers (who are usually one per vehicle) anywhere faster, the focus should be on people. Ontario needs vastly improved regional transit and local transit and cycling networks to support them. I urge the government to explore how they can move along critical transit infrastructure projects as a priority over removing bike lanes and promoting highway construction which will only encourage more car ownership and use. In no way does this Bill do this, and as such will not solve for congestion in any sustainable way. Better transit also means less congestion in urban areas like mine from drivers commuting in from the outer suburbs.

As a Bloor West resident in Toronto, I rely on the incredible bike lanes on Bloor and other streets to keep me safe (and they are enjoyable too). I am a regular user of the Bike Share system and I am also an occasional driver and our bike lanes keep everyone safer. I have been hit by cars in the past on streets without bike lanes and this is not uncommon, if you take time to talk with anyone who bikes in this city, you will understand how common it is and this experience makes new cyclists hesitant to adopt it. I often am told by friends, families, or communities I consult for work that they will not bike anywhere without a bike lane. Along Bloor we have shops, daycares (I see daily parents are biking with their kids to daycare and school in my neighbourhood on Bloor), homes, parks, schools, and more that benefit from having a safe bike lane separated from car traffic. Bike lanes are imperative to giving people other options aside from driving to get around. With this in mind, I don’t feel the proposed Bill has Ontarian’s interests in mind (especially those in Toronto where the broader region is trying to access), only cars and drivers.

Aside from the physical safety risk this Bill poses, it places the burden of car congestion and other health impacts (like air quality from vehicle exhaust and general quality of life) onto urban communities. I pay a high cost to live in Toronto, in a walkable and bikeable neighbourhood, close to my daily needs so I don’t rely on a car and can make sustainable lifestyle choices. I understand that cars will always be a part of our transportation system and there will always be congestion, in fact congestion is an important factor in shifting people’s behaviours (which is a GOOD THING, yes I said it, congestion can be a good thing sometimes). The broader region is still very much car-oriented and dependent and many choose to commute into Toronto neighbourhoods like mine often because there is no viable alternative with public transit. This Bill sends the message that the Provincial Government does not care about urban communities and our quality of life and rather cares more about their car driving constituents. I urge the Province to rethink their approach to solving congestion and working with suburban municipalities to become less car-oriented and encourage fairness in sharing the burden of change that is NECESSARY to move our region and province forward to becoming more sustainable and climate resilient.

As someone working in land development and pushing to build more homes faster, adding another level of bureaucracy to oversee development with bike lanes is completely nonsensical and counter to the Province’s alleged commitment to removing red tape (accelerating public transit projects would be far more effective). Bike lanes are also an essential infrastructure, as with sewers, electrical, etc., especially in a City like Toronto that is actively minimizing parking for new development (doing their part to reduce the number of cars on streets contributing to congestion). We need infrastructure like bike lanes to discourage car ownership in urban areas, period. This Bill does not acknowledge this, and therefore puts the convenience of drivers at the expense of the safety and quality of life of those moving into areas planning to not rely on a car, and will be expecting to walk and cycle with some expectation of safety.

I urge the Province to listen more to the experts in the field and data that demonstrates the value of bike lanes and improved public transit, and why catering to car dependency is NOT a good idea.

Finally, I want to concur with the City of Toronto’s recent statement to the Province titled “Respecting Local Democracy and Cities” dated November 13, 2024 (which I have attached here). The Province’s proposal regarding bike lanes is a clear overreach and in my opinion undermines the principles of our democracy. Toronto voted in a pro-cycling mayor, and the Province’s proposal is an attempt to override what power voters have in local politics. At a time when trust and belief in the political system is at a low, this is not a good thing.

Thank you.