Bill 212 will cause numerous…

Bill 212 will cause numerous problems for municipalities. First, Section 2.3.1.3 of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) requires municipalities to plan for Complete Communities. Complete Communities include a full range of transportation options, meaning bike lanes. Removing bike lanes would violate this section. Would Bill 212 override the PPS and, by extension, the Planning Act?

Second, there could be delays in the planning process. With Bill 212, a municipality would have to wait for the province to review its application to reduce a laneway for vehicular traffic and decide whether to approve it. This shows that the province does not trust municipalities to use common sense when installing a bike lane. Municipalities either conduct traffic studies or hire consultants to do so. If a bike lane were structurally and politically impossible, a city would not install it.

Third, with the added delay, some municipalities would decide not to add bike lanes to arterial roads. This could make the streets more dangerous and prompt cyclists to drive or take public transit, increasing vehicular traffic. This would wear the roads down even faster, increasing infrastructure costs a municipality would have to pay.

The Province should leave the city planning details to the municipalities and focus on regional objectives.