I am very concerned about…

I am very concerned about the proposal to remove bike lines on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue in Toronto. First and foremost, this will put my 7-year-old daughter, my partner, and me in more danger when we are biking to work, school, errands, and activities. We do not have a car--this is one of the ways we save money in this city where the cost of living is so high. My daughter rides in the seat on the back of my bike, and we use the Bloor Street bike lane near our house regularly. My partner rides his bike to work on the Bloor and University lanes. We deserve to be able to move around the city safely, and the data shows that these lanes have been contributing to lower rates of cyclist injuries. We know there are not good alternative cycling routes to replace these lanes on secondary roads; otherwise, the city would have put the cycling infrastructure on those roads instead.

I also think removing these lanes is a waste of money. The claim is that this is being done to reduce gridlock, but the data shows that gridlock in Toronto is caused primarily by other things--including, notably, construction. Finally, the impediments contained in this proposal to reducing car lanes in order to build bike lines are an overreach into municipal decision-making. Municipalities know their communities best and should be left to make these kinds of decisions.

For these reasons, I oppose this proposal.