This bill ignores or…

This bill ignores or downplays solid evidence and best practices for incorporating multiple modes of transportation into effective urban planning.

Every city is unique and has unique infrastructre demands. A provincial ministry has neither the capacity nor the local knowledge to evaluate infrastructure plans for Ontario's almost 450 diverse municipalities.

I live in the GTA and we rely on both a vehicle and a bicycle for our daily transportation needs. From our household's perspective, there is no upside to this bill. As a cyclist, I see every day how many people use bike lanes to run errands and commute. I also see the success of Bikeshare, which is well used. I have experienced unsafe conditions on roads without bike lanes because of congestion and construction. As drivers, we see the many causes of gridlock in the core -- overpopulation, legacy infrastructure, and construction being among them. For my partner, the most significant impact on his commute is construction.

All of our observations are supported by evidence from this governments own research.

There are physical impacts on the climate and environment when these infrastructure decisions are made, but perhaps as important in the long term are the impacts on our world view and wellbeing. It is hard not to be cynical when your elected governments ignore evidence and cannot reflect honestly on whose interests are served by their decisions. We need hope and trust so badly right now, and these bike lane bills breed the opposite.