I am writing in strong…

I am writing in strong opposition to this bill and in particular the provision to ban the removal of any motor vehicle lane. This bill is much to broad and extremely misguided.

As someone who does not own a car and relies on alternative modes of transportation including walking, biking and transit and my decisions on which mode to use is frequently shaped by safety - this often results in me choosing sub-optimal choices because of fear.

I live near Dufferin and Eglinton ave W in Toronto. Both of these roads are extremely busy and often mired in traffic. At the moment, there are plans to put bike lanes on Eglinton W and bus lanes on Dufferin, both of which could be life changing for me, and both of which could be panned due to this regulation.

Will I do make use of local roads, this neighbourhood features numerous one ways and very few straight roads. This makes it extremely difficult to plan effective routes on a bike. It is also very difficult to even cross Eglinton ave on bike because of lack of signalised intersections that are bike friendly. As much as I love travelling on bike, if there are no improvements, I might have to eventually give in and buy a car. Doing so would result in one more vehicle on the road and a failure of the governments ultimate goal: improving traffic.

This bill basically enshrines the right to drive everywhere and highly discourages any attempts to make our villages, towns and cities safer, more liveable and vibrant. It also treats local governments like children, taking away decisions from communities who ultimately know what is best.

I strongly hope that this government reconsidered this regulation.