I am a cyclist, and a…

I am a cyclist, and a commuter, as are my wife and my kids. I am appalled at the province's new bill 212 proposal. I have rarely seen a less thoughtful, and poorly researched approach to dealing with gridlock. This is a purely reactive plan that will not accomplish it's key goal.

Time and time again, research studies have demonstrated that additional road infrastructure does not cut down on traffic. In fact, car volumes increase in lock-step with roadway expansions:

http://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c0e5848e5274a0bf3cbe124/….

The data and "evidence" provided by the province on the number of commuters/ cyclists vs drivers was deceptive and disingenuous. The downtown Toronto routes targeted for removal, are the key arteries for commuters travelling downtown for jobs. Those numbers are closer to 10% that cycle vs 40% that drive. Perhaps if the cycling and public transit infrastructure were further improved, rather than degraded, you would actually see fewer drivers on the road?

Further amplifying my frustration is the fact that the cost of living is simply ridiculous in this province- but instead of helping to address this fact, we will be wasting tens of millions of dollars already spent on infrastructure to make the city even less appealing and affordable for those that don't drive. How does this make any sense?

Cities around the world are moving away from such simplistic and banal thinking- why can't Ontario do the same?

There are smart infrastructure projects that could rapidly improve traffic flow. (Miovision in Waterloo for a start). There are even easier modifications that can be made to the timing of traffic lights, as well as traffic rules and enforcement.

The government could also reduce congestion and gridlock in the city by modernizing its hybrid/ remote work practices and incenting other large organizations to do the same.

Rather than taking such a short-sighted and expensive approach, Ontario should take a look at what other similar-sized cities have done to reduce gridlock. Removing bike lanes is simply not the answer and will, in fact, cause more gridlock through not only the construction phase, but by attracting even more drivers into our city post-construction.