I strongly oppose Bill 212…

I strongly oppose Bill 212. To better move people around, the provincial government should support municipalities in prioritizing other methods of transit instead of cars on highways and in cities. Building more roads/lanes will mean more congestion and car pollution, and the provincial government should avoid inciting this induced demand. Because of this added pollution, the environmental regulations for any new highways are mandatory to ensure that Ontario's natural ecosystems remains intact and protected.

Additionally, the provincial government should not remove bike lanes in cities, which are under the municipal governments' jurisdiction. The provincial government should avoid interfering with municipalities' jurisdictions for their own urban design, and instead focus instead on their own jurisdiction. The provincial government should not add more red tape and bureaucracy for cities which want to make improvements for their citizens by building new infrastructure. Removing existing infrastructure in municipalities is certainly not the best use of the provincial government's time and resources.

Bike lanes are beneficial for everyone; they are essential transportation infrastructure. Building and maintaining dedicated bicycle infrastructure improves many qualities of life, including road safety, road use and congestion, public transit use, businesses and the local economy, and the health of citizens (promoting an active lifestyle) and the environment (limiting the number of cars and their pollution on the road).

The fast-growing population of Ontario means not everyone can or should be driving. When alternative solutions are made available (bike lanes but also trains, buses, subways, etc.) then everyone benefits - people will have more safer, healthier and more enjoyable options in their travel.

Thank you!