I have lived in Toronto my…

I have lived in Toronto my entire life, and have used all forms of transportation in this city, from buses to bikes to cars to trains. The bike lanes added on Bloor St. in 2016 significantly improved my commute, making me feel safer and more able to get around the city than ever before, and also immediately increased the amount I went outside and exercised. When I moved out to the east end in 2018, the difference in road safety while biking from Bloor to Danforth became even more stark, and I was greatly relieved by the city's decision to extend the bike lanes further east in 2020.

The only difference I ever noticed with regards to traffic was that I was now less afraid of getting doored by cars stopped in the parking lane, which had always limited the flow of traffic along these roads anyways. Indeed, studies by the city regarding the impact of the Danforth bike lanes have shown that they had almost no impact on travel times, while providing numerous benefits (see supporting link #1). Across the city, the currently-existing bike lanes cover routes that are already heavily serviced by public transportation, so there has never been a need for them to support a high vehicle traffic volume, and the increased cycling infrastructure has been proven to have promoted increased business patronage and economic activity in these areas (see supporting link #2). Finally, countless studies have shown short-sighted plans such as the one suggested in Bill-212 to simply "add more lanes" for cars do not reduce congestion in the long run, even leaving aside their impact on cyclists (see supporting link #3).

I am appalled by the province's overreach in proposing this bill, which is a blatant attempt to interfere with city affairs that are well outside its mandate. If Doug Ford would like to improve traffic conditions across a more appropriate scope, I might recommend supporting expansions of inter-city public transportation across the GTA and especially along the Highway 401 corridor (a policy that actually does have evidence to support it; see supporting link #4). I am also concerned about the fact that, if passed, Bill 212 will exempt the planned Highway 413 project from needing to complete its full provincial environmental assessment before beginning construction, despite being located in one of Ontario's most environmentally-sensitive areas.

In summary, I strongly encourage the Premier and his party to rescind this bill in the interest of public safety, environmental responsibility, and long-term benefit to all GTA residents.