I'm writing from…

I'm writing from Peterborough, where just yesterday (Nov 19th) a woman was airlifted to Toronto after being hit by a car while crossing Lansdowne St. This happened just a few meters away from my friend's kids' school bus stop. She doesn't know yet if the woman was a neighbour. In a time when 2/3 of our population are overweight or obese, we need to be doing everything we can to create the conditions to allow people to be active - and what a better way to be active then the use active transportation to get to where you need to go. I would like to help my children develop healthy behaviours such as walking, biking or taking transit. I know this is good for them physically, but also socially and mentally. The more independent they can be, the better, but I am very nervous about the safety of our streets in Peterborough.

Our community has spend a lot of time, effort and money on developing a Cycling Master Plan that fits in with our Transportation Master Plan. These plans have been rigorously reviewed and discussed and our community is excited for the vision they present. The thought of the Province allocating precious funds to meddle in municipalities' ability to install bike lanes is so frustrating. What a wast of money and an unnecessary hassle and set-back for municipalities who want to build the foundations for a healthy and vibrant city.

Many professional organizations have spoken out against Bill 212, and have laid out the arguments for way Bill 212 should be dropped. So I am writing from the heart. I want to live in a City where I know my kids will be safe getting to school, getting to work and going to see their friends. We all know that people want to live in walkable communities. Alleviating congestion has to be about providing options for people to get out of their personal cars.

Thank you for reading.