Comment
This bill is goes entirely in the wrong policy direction and will negatively impact the lives of Ontario residents. Removing bike lanes from popular Toronto cycling routes is a shameful and disgraceful act that will reduce the safety of all vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, and others). These bike lanes are needed for many reasons. The primary reason is safety; the provincial government should not be hurting safety with such clear opposition from local government and local community groups. Secondary reasons are sustainability and mobility, where bike lanes are provide good solutions that help people get around in a sustainable and accessible way [1][2][3]. The Bloor bike lanes in particular are identified to be critical for the overall cycling network in Toronto, since they link different areas of the city and also serves local destinations on one uninterrupted route[4]. The traffic problem is caused by too many cars, not bike lanes. The Premier, and his partisans, are promoting this policy to feed a pro-car culture war, not to have a meaningful impact on traffic or any objective metric. The government needs to amend Bill 212, stop attacking bike lanes, and not block (with bureaucracy or other methods) any future cycling or road safety projects in Ontario.
[1] OSPE, "Response to Bill 212: Why We Need to Rethink Bike Lanes and Embrace Multi-Modal Solutions"
https://ospe.on.ca/advocacy/response-to-bill-212-why-we-need-to-rethink…
[2] Association of Ontario Municipalities, "Working Together to Tackle Congestion" https://www.amo.on.ca/sites/default/files/assets/DOCUMENTS/Reports/2024…
[3] University of Toronto News, "Toronto’s COVID-19 bike lane expansion boosted access to jobs, retail: U of T study" https://www.utoronto.ca/news/toronto-s-covid-19-bike-lane-expansion-boo…
[4] University of Toronto News, "U of T experts use machine learning to analyze where bike lanes should be located for maximum benefit"
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/u-t-experts-use-machine-learning-analyze-w…
Supporting links
Submitted November 20, 2024 11:03 PM
Comment on
Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 - Framework for bike lanes that require removal of a traffic lane.
ERO number
019-9266
Comment ID
121829
Commenting on behalf of
Comment status