I know many others have…

I know many others have written in explaining all the research and large scale reasons that make bike lanes an important part of our cities, so I just want to briefly offer my own personal perspective on why this bill would be so damaging and a step back for Ontario.

For several years now I have biked from my home in the west end of Toronto to my workplace at the University of Toronto by going along college street. When I first moved to Toronto and began biking this route, the only bike lane was a simple paved line. And every single day I biked the route I would nearly get run over, or encounter a car parked in the bike lane, or have someone make a sudden turn in front of me cutting me off. It felt dangerous, day after day. But after the city installed the new grade-separated lanes these incidents have almost entirely disappeared. Not once has a car been parked in the lane, and it's far more rare that drivers make dangerous turns in front of me. Bike lanes protect people, they save lives.

Why should the safety and security of my commute be worth less than that of a driver? Why is the government of Ontario not encouraging and helping people take healthier and more environmentally friendly forms of transportation? Why is it instead punishing people who cycle?

There is no good reason this bill should be passed. It will cause harm with no benefit.