Cycling has been my primary…

Cycling has been my primary mode of transportation for over twenty years. I also drive in the city, and walk. The Bloor and Danforth bike lanes are part of my daily commute and they are always well-used by cyclists. I rely on bike lanes to get home safely to my family, just like thousands of other people in Toronto. Toronto's bike lanes have been put in place through careful planning and consultation over many years. There has been ample opportunity for the public to be part of the planning process, and the democratically-elected Toronto City Council voted to put the infrastructure in place. Bike lanes are about public safety, not cars versus bikes. The Provincial Government's sudden anti-bike lane stance is anti-democratic and infuriating.

Bill 212 shows that the Ontario Government under Doug Ford is more concerned about a few minutes of time for motorists than it is about the safety and lives of people like me. It's a punch in the gut.

Regarding bike lanes, Doug Ford said in 2017 "We have to do everything we can to make sure there’s never a death in the city. One death is way too many when it comes to bicycle riders. We have to make sure that they’re safe. And I felt so much safer when it was separated" (TVO "Political Blind Date" S1E2). Ripping out infrastructure is the opposite of this.

Six cyclists have been needlessly killed on Toronto's roads in 2024. Five of these collisions occurred where there was no protected lane, or where the lane was illegally blocked. Removing critical cycling infrastructure will result in further injuries or worse. And for what? Is anyone’s time worth sacrificing someone else’s life? If the Ontario Government proceeds with this blatant jurisdictional overreach, any injuries or deaths where bike lanes previously existed will be due to the negligent actions of those involved in pushing through this horrible legislation. It would be inexcusable.

The aggressive pushing through of Highway 413 is just as bad. It is unnecessary. It will not solve traffic congestion (experts in the field say it would only increase traffic through induced demand). It would lead the the extinction of species. It would pollute our water, reduce our ability to feed ourselves, and contribute to flooding. It would be tens of billions of tax payer dollars spent on saving a few people seconds. Common sense should be enough to quash this legislation. Given the lack of common sense displayed in Bill 212, please consider this a reminder to do the right and responsible thing and stop trying to destroy Ontario.