I consider myself as part of…

I consider myself as part of a visible minority group, male, 37-year old. I write this as a concerned Toronto resident following the proposed Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act in the hopes that the Province will shelve this proposed legislation which represents a clear overreach and a step backwards to what most progressive cities around the world are doing to provide safe street for people of all ages and abilities.

I want to clarify my positionality before I express my thoughts about this Bill. I drive my car downtown to drop my 3-year-old daughter to daycare and then rent a public bike to ride to the office 3-4 times a week. So I am both a driver and cyclist almost on a weekday basis. I understand the pains of both: drivers stuck in traffic gridlock; as well as cyclists dodging trucks/cars in mixed traffic when there are no bike lanes.

The proposed Bill 212 is an uninformed and disingenuous attempt to exacerbate the transportation conditions for both drivers and cyclists. On one hand, there is no evidence that suggests removing bike lanes improves traffic congestion; and on the other, there is a lot of evidence that suggests that lack of dedicated and physically protected cycling facilities only increases safety risks to cyclists. The Bill will be far from "Saving [People] Time" and contrary to its goals, has the potential to induce more vehicular congestion all while putting cyclists lives at risk.

We have an opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past. More 20th-century car-centric planning and bureaucratic red-tape is not going to help this city. In the end, when it comes to prioritizing how we plan and design streets: Saving lives trumps saving time.

Period.

Saving a few minutes a day for a privileged minority is not worth more than saving the lives of vulnerable users.

The argument that bike lanes don't deserve a space because they sit unused is also misguided. I do not see the Province proposing the removal of accessibility ramps because they are "underutilized" by most people who can walk and take the stairs. We build them to give a disabled minority safe and equal opportunities to access. I think the principle applies the same to bike lanes and it becomes a quasi-moral duty to ensure taxpayer dollars are being invested fairly and equitably.

Finally, I genuinely believe that the Bill is detrimental to the progress of the city and other Municipalities in Ontario, and has the potential to amplify the negative externalities associated with the car-centric legacy our generation continues to grapple with.

I have faith that our elected officials will stand against this Bill. The Province should have no business with City-owned streets. Please let local residents and taxpayers be the judges of local cycling projects through the proper project-specific consultation processes. Toronto has made important strides in improving street conditions to offer visitors and residents more options to get around safely. Please repeal this proposal and focus on things that are under the Province's review purview such as getting more transit projects realized and keeping highways in a good state.

We do not need unnecessary culture wars to antagonize each other. Most of us are pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, drivers at some point in our lives.

Please help preserve everyone's right to the street.