I'm a cyclist who lives in…

I'm a cyclist who lives in Downtown Toronto and uses these lanes every day to get to work and go shopping, visit friends etc. One of the things that I think is most overlooked about this bike lane debate is the fact that many of the most controversial lanes are on roads that are directly above subways that have been there for decades.

Aren't subways built to encourage people to use them as an alternative to the car? Hasn't this been their main purpose since the Yonge line was built in 1954? Why are we now turning our backs on that concept and making it as easy as possible to drive above a subway?

When I talk to residents of Ontario outside of Toronto most of them have no idea that the most controversial roads with bike lanes are above subways, and when I explain that they become incredulous. A person from Chatham doesn't want their tax dollars to be used to remove bike lanes that are directly above a mass transit system.

We need to encourage the use of our transit infrastructure, not encourage people to bypass it.