I am a Toronto resident who…

I am a Toronto resident who relies on bike lanes, including the Bloor street bike lane, on a daily basis to commute by bike with my young children to their daycare and then to my workplace to the downtown core. Commuting by bike all year round is my only viable option to cover the one-way 10-kilometer distance from my home in the west end, to the daycare (and eventually the school) of my children, and then to my work (it is another 10 kilometers to do the reverse commute in the evening from my workplace, to the daycare and then home). My family cannot afford a car due to the high cost of car insurance in Ontario, of parking (at home and at work), and of car maintenance in addition to the up-front cost of purchasing a used car. The 10-kilometer one way distance of my daily commute would take between 1 hour 10 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes by public transit by having to take a bus, then walk over 1 kilometer with my young children to their daycare, then walk nearly 1 kilometer to another bus to the subway station, take the subway for 7 stops and finally walk another 500 meters to my workplace. I can cover this distance in less than 40 minutes by bike. This proposed bill aimed at removing bike lanes in Toronto is a clear threat to the safety of my children, my safety, and my capacity to go to work. As a hard-working Toronto resident and Ontarian, I strongly opposed this ill-conceived proposed bill that is meant to make Toronto streets less safe and accessible for residents.