My concern with this…

My concern with this legislation is that it takes the power of Ontario's grass roots community organizations away. People in these non-profit orgs are trying to make their communities safer by calling for legislation designed to meet the needs of those living in those communities, not those of commuters just passing through. Those groups should not be shut out of the local democratic process by fiat of the Ontario government.

This also potentially prevents small cities and suburbs from designing transit or bike thruway infrastructure that inhibit any existing road space at all. No matter if their residents have votes for legislation that installs them to significantly benefit commute times and access to local services. Bike lanes and other traffic-protected areas have design features that benefit local small business owners and pedestrians accessing their services. They don't need potentially more dangerous road traffic volume pouring back in — the cars have other spaces already.