As residents, pedestrians,…

As residents, pedestrians, drivers and cyclists of Toronto, we are writing to express our strongest opposition to Bill 212 that will create more hazardous roads, increase air and noise pollution without solving the congestion problem the city faces. We also believe the proposed legislation is a direct disregard to local democracy and governance as it rushes to conclusion before reasoning, and represents an unprecedented jurisdictional overreach into local affairs, particularly the largest, most diverse and financially important city in Ontario.

Removing bike lanes by legislation will increase congestion. The added construction will add travel time to both drivers and cyclists alike. Also, there is no data or evidence that supports that removing bike lanes on University, Yonge and Bloor will decrease driving time when a lot of the congestion is caused by construction and more cars on the road. It is also wasteful and fiscally irresponsible to spend taxpayer money to tear out newly constructed infrastructure.

Removing bike lanes is bad for business, particularly small businesses on the bike lanes that will bear the impact. This will lead to a loss of patrons as the roads are torn up. Additionally, as the Annex BIA stated, cyclists have more frequent and spontaneous stops along their route that will lead to more customers. Building the street as wide as possible for thoroughfare means more cars travelling through, not more business.

Cyclists and drivers will be endangered by the inevitable mixed traffic. Cyclists will always exist, whether you give them bike lanes or not. There will only be more cyclists as more people move to the large cities. Additionally, the principle of induced demand also means that simply by having an additional lane it will not necessarily lead to better travel times. This is particularly true as the legislation potentially forces more drivers onto the road because they have no alternative mode of transportation but to drive.

Cycling is part of the fabric of the transit system that will connect the last mile of transit use, especially considering how we have underinvested in subways and heavy rail transit in the past decades. While the historic investment into public transit by this government is laudable, it is also late. In any case, we still need micro mobility transport modes to connect transit users to their final destinations. With the booming population of Ontario and Toronto, more people are cycling not only to commute, but also to visit friends, families and businesses. The statistics of 1.2% of commuters being cyclists is misleading and outdated from 2011 when in fact we need more up to date statistics that encompasses all journeys, not just commuting. Particularly in large downtowns like that of Toronto, more density in housing and population simply means there is no room for everyone to drive for every trip. Cycling takes up less space and is more efficient at moving people in dense urban areas when we are facing an acute housing crisis. It seems folly to think devoting more space to roads is the solution to our population and housing problem when we simply do not have enough space for everyone to drive for every purpose.

We, the undersigned, implore you to pause Bill 212 that would make cities in Ontario, including Toronto, less safe, accessible, and livable for all residents.

Sincerely,

Leslieville Citizen