I am strongly opposed to the…

I am strongly opposed to the passage of Bill 212. As climate change and population growth explode we must have alternatives to private automobile transportation for Torontonians. Bicycle use is a simple, affordable alternative, with many health benefits, and is increasingly adopted by cities across the world, from Copenhagen and Amsterdam to Paris and New York.
The City of Toronto, the Assocation of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario Professional Planners Institute, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, and Ontario Traffic Council have all come out against Bill 212.
The statistics used by the Provincial government regarding numbers of riders are innacurate and misleading (rather than 1.2%; 10% of trips ending in downtown Toronto are taken by bike or other micromobility options.) People are recognizing bike travel to be an easy alternative to car use, and are voting with their "wheels" as we see bike use accelerating.
Ideally bike lanes are not placed on major arterial roads, but in the case of Bloor Street, College Street, and University Avenue there are no feasible alternatives.
People, including families with children, will continue to use roads should bike lanes be removed, and the result will be more conflict between cars and bikes, and increasing injuries and in some cases death, of bike riders.
Toronto traffic congestion is not caused by bike lanes. Teh city and province need multi pronged approaches including better public transport to help manage this. Removing bike lanes is dangerous, antiquated planning, will not solve congestion, and will put lives at risk. I urge the government to withdraw this bill.