Hello, I have a number of…

Hello,

I have a number of reasons why I oppose this bill.

The first and foremost one, though, is related to democracy. This bill makes me feel like as a citizen I have had fundamental rights taken away. If I go to the effort to vote for a particular mayoral candidate because I support their policies but a higher level of government can just completely nullify my vote by doing whatever they want in a municipally why would I ever bother to vote? I feel like my voice has been completely silenced. This feels like an authoritarian move especially given that there is no actual data proof that this would solve the stated problem.

The second one is that, as a person who has to get around by car for health reasons, I really want cyclists NOT riding in traffic with cars. It is so much safer and comfortable for everyone to have cyclists separated.

Third, as cities grow it is not possible for everyone to get around by cars. There must be alternative ways to travel and cities around the world show that adding cycling into the mix works out for moving people, for environmental issues, promotes healthy exercise, etc.

Fourth, data shows that bike lanes are not the greatest negative impact on car traffic. There are clearly other things that can be done.

Fifth, to take out lanes that have already been installed is a huge waste of taxpayer’s money in a time when there are competing needs for those dollars.

And lastly, to get back to my first point, this is a municipal issue and should be decided by the voters in the municipalities in which they live.