That we citizens of Toronto…

That we citizens of Toronto are at risk of loosing our bike lanes on account of Ontario's policy is deeply disturbing. In addition to the abundance of readily available data challenging the provincial government's statistics linking bike lanes to gridlock, I get no sense that tearing out bike lanes contributes to building a city for the future – a healthy city that offers alternatives aligned with environmentally responsible decisions. And frankly, I get no sense that this vision serves my personal interests in any way. It is a blow to what has been for a few short years, a benefit of living in Toronto. I'm a taxpaying citizen, i.e., a contributor to the building of those bike lanes. I want my money back!

I drive when I have to but first consider walking, public transit, and best of all, my bicycle. Because of the bike lanes, I can safely ride to work and to most of my local destinations. That's my idea of progressive development! Without the bike lanes, the fatality rate of cyclists will only increase as our city's population increases. I too want to live my senior years as my husband's parents did when they were 80+ years – and able to safely cycle throughout their small city in Germany.

It's embarrassing that as the majority of the developed world focuses on how to mitigate damage to the environment, the opposite is being done with Bill 212. Shame, it is the 3rd item of value [Ontario Place, the Science Centre] that the current Conservative government in Ontario is taking away from me. My tax dollars at work? Nope, not for me.