Like many others, I…

Like many others, I disapprove of the proposed legislation. Overall, these changes are not based on empirical evidence, expert opinion, or justifiable rationale. The bike lane regulations will only inhibit municipalities in implementing safe transportation infrastructure and the public announcements on these changes have not used any research or study to warrant this consideration. As a civil engineer in transportation engineering and a certified road safety professional, I find this proposition by the government extremely disappointing, even disrespectful as it shows how little the government listens to experts. The bike lane regulation is extremely vague in detail (example: ‘diminish orderly movement of motor vehicle traffic’ could mean anything) and even suggests the province will get involved in a project case-by-case. This is extremely inefficient and will not help ‘build highways faster’. The poorly written bike lane legislation leads many, including myself, to determine that its addition is simply a distraction. The sweeping changes for the Highway 413, including its exemption from the EA act, is being done to force it through without due diligence and the proper checks and measures. Highway 413 is another item without technical justification - it has already been proven it will not notably save travel time. Like the Greenbelt scandal, the only people to benefit from Bill 212 and Highway 413 are the developers/big businesses along the corridor. Once again, the government are moving to benefit a group of developers to the detriment of the average Ontario resident.