The First Unitarian…

The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa (First U) is a member of the Canadian Unitarian Congress. Foundational to First U are our eight religious principles. Our seventh religious principle calls for “Respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are all a part”. Flowing from the principle, First U has an energetic environmental action group, which takes a keen interest in developments in the public realm that relate to the environment.

The environmental action group has brought the proposed “Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 - Framework for bike lanes that require removal of a traffic lane" to the attention of the congregation and its leadership. The congregation is concerned about the following aspects of this proposed legislation:

1. That it will increase greenhouse gas emissions through increased use of passenger automobiles over other forms of transportation. This is highly regrettable in the context of the climate crisis which is considered by climate scientists to be an existential threat to human survival.

2. That since active transportation and public transportation tend to support each other, that this move will work against public transportation. We note that our campus will soon be served by Ottawa’s expanding LRT.

3. That this will compromise the personal safety of cyclists. Here in Ottawa, we note a spate of accidents with cyclists since the end of the summer which has included two fatalities.

4. That the title of the proposed legislation purports to be an action to reduce gridlock is devoid of any apparent evidence. We note the increasing popularity of cycling and its increasing use for local goods distribution.

Our recommendation therefore is that this proposed legislation be dropped. We thank Ontario’s public officials for this opportunity to comment."

Sincerely, First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa
Note: Please publish our comment.