I am a cyclist who…

I am a cyclist who frequently uses the bikes lanes on University Avenue and Bloor Street. I am a former driver ( I no longer have a car, by choice) who, for over 30 years, has driven through the streets of Toronto. It is my opinion that safety will be greatly compromised for all concerned by proposed removal of the bike lanes. I also am convinced that traffic congestion will NOT improve. My reasons are listed below:
-the separated bike lanes are used by regular cyclists, but increasingly by those on e-scooters, e-bikes, motorized skateboards and all sorts of other motorized / electric modes of transportation. A lot of food delivery workers use the bike lanes. Without these bike lanes, all of these riders will be forced to ride in car lanes.
-when I was a driver, I found it very difficult (and somewhat frustrating) to drive alongside cyclists, as one would have to slow down and give a wide berth in order to move around them safely. So having more cyclists and scooters on the regular lanes of traffic will simply slow drivers down. At least, the drivers who take everyone's safety into consideration. There will be many others, however, who will succumb to their frustrations and simply drive too closely to a cyclist and risk hitting them.
-The current design of the bike lanes is quite good and increases safety not just for cyclists but for pedestrians. In some sections, parking is available in spots parallel to the bike lanes, so pedestrians are even more protected from the possibility of drivers jumping the curb. As you know, there have been some tragic incidents of drivers hitting people on sidewalks due to speeding, so having more distance between vehicles and pedestrians can only be a good thing.
-restricting drivers to a single lane plus turning lanes (on Bloor) or two lanes and turning lanes (on University) makes it more likely that drivers are forced to keep moving. When there are multiple lanes, it seems like drivers take advantage of these to stop or even park illegally in the lane closest to the curb. I know this to be true, as it is not an uncommon occurence to see vehicles parking or stopping in bike lanes. So I'm not sure that congestion will ease very much, if at all.
-should the government proceed with its plan to remove the bike lanes on Bloor and on University, I believe that we will soon start to see more cycling fatalities due to interactions between drivers and cyclists. I refuse to call these "accidents". These will be predictable events that are very preventable at the moment.
-as a cyclist, I likely will continue to ride along University and on Bloor when necessary, but I will choose to ride in the middle of a traffic lane to protect myself as much as possible. I believe other cyclists will choose to do the same.