We've already made it…

We've already made it abundantly easy to drive. Almost to the point where we're forcing Canadians to buy a car because there's no other way to reasonably get around. Every plaza, every mall, every house - all have parking minimums. Netherlands doesn't have this. Neither does Japan. It's no surprise that we have so much traffic. Yet Ford and Sarkaria's solution to this problem is pushing a bill that will add even more cars to the grid.

This is bad for mobility - not everyone can afford a car. Not everyone can drive, particularly younger kids. Now they can't even bike in parts of Toronto where they once used to.

This is bad for the environment - Highway 417 will pave over precious farmland, wetlands and habitats of endangered species. This bill will ultimately bring more cars to the roads that will release more carbon emissions, particulate matter and toxic byproducts into the environment. Maybe we don't care about the environment - do we care about the air we breathe? Do we care about our agricultural capacity? About species on the verge of extinction that all play a part in an interdependent ecosystem? About the wetlands that act as environment's sponge? About the exacerbated natural disasters? About rising home insurance premiums?

This is bad for safety and public health - More cars mean more chance for accidents. Those who still choose to bike will now have to share the road with motorized vehicles and their lives will be in constant danger. Additionally, biking improves mental and physical health. Sitting in a car doesn't.

This is bad for local democracy - it sets a precedent where the premier can use provincial power to strongarm decisions made for the city, by the city. Especially given most Torontonians didn't even vote for PCP this is a case of unparalleled jurisdictional overreach.

This is bad for public finances - Bike lane removal is expected to cost at least $48M. Highway 417 between $4B and $10B depending on who you ask. The highway will be tolled. And more people will be spending thousands of dollars on car ownership every year because there are no other reasonable ways to move around.

This is bad for the housing crisis - the city is building condos near bike lanes with 4-5 car parking spots while they have dozens of bike parking spots. Car parking spots add $50-$100k of construction cost each. Many of these projects would not be viable if they were forced to include more car parking. These condos are being built on the backs of the biking infrastructure that Ford and Sarkaria want to destroy. Ontario is already well behind housing targets. Our housing starts are down >40% y/y compared to 2023. Shouldn't the premiere be working to fix the housing crisis rather than actively making it worse?

This is bad for traffic congestion - The very thing they claim to be solving. There's a wealth of research on induced demand. There's a wealth of documentation about how much space car riders require vs bikes or bus riders require. As a driver, wouldn't you want fewer drivers? Shouldn't we be asking city planners and researchers about what will fix traffic? Shouldn't we be taking notes from cities that have figured out congestion like Tokyo and Amseterdam? Is a city like Toronto really equipped to accomodate so many people driving?

This is a bad bill no matter how you choose to look at it. There are speculations that Ford is building highway 413 for a handful of well connected developers who own parcels of land in the greenbelt. Regardless of that claim - this bill is clearly not being pushed in good faith. It will hurt the environment and make life worse for all Ontarians. It is reprehensible that the bill has made it this far. Given the bill in its current state - it's absolutely imperative that the bill is stopped from being passed.

Thank you for reading this far and I hope you have a wonderful day.