TLDR: Disgustingly…

TLDR: Disgustingly undemocratic, please stay in your lane province by focusing on issues of your scope. Keep local input, local. Calculate the costs here properly.

For the record, this is the first time I have gone through the process to provide comment on a provincial bill, which should be taken into consideration as the passing of this bill would bring about several negative and direct detrimental affects to my quality of life and well-being.

As a resident and frequent user of the bike lanes along the affected corridor, the lack of local consultation that this sweeping bill appears to display is palpable and despicable.

It is also without logical justification (other than it's connection to being on the Premier's commuting route from his home to his office at Queens park!!), that such moves which benefit local small businesses in aggregate, local health and safety, and even real estate values have been factored into its consideration and analysis.

The bundled provisions limiting consultation and engineering as it relates to the under construction highway seems equally disingenuous and undemocratic.

To what degree have the health effects on local air pollution been quantified? To what degree have the safety impacts of protected bike lanes been studied and cross referenced with relevant data? Increased accidents between vehicles and cycles, leading to increased hospitalizations have very real and material costs to the province. What are their costs?

For lower income residents, the bike lane represents increased freedom of movement and economic viability and vitality for potential customers and employees along the corridor. It is often the most economical routing on a per unit basis for many trips, and can provide positive compounding economic effects that span increased tax revenue from sales taxes, increased total volumetric throughput, and protection of the users of alternate modes of transportation.

What other international examples exist where non-local governments intervene in such hyper-local decisions, skipping extensive consultation across stakeholders which have often already taken lots of local consideration into details.

Instead, this government decides that the input of local residents and users of its infrastructure don't matter. This without even accounting for the costs of making such changes.

Please, provincial government. Spend your time and energy on the issues that are within your direct jurisdiction and responsibility (such as health care, tertiary education, assisting Metrolinx and other provincial entities in timely and effective execution and delivery of projects in motion).