Tere is no evidence that…

There is no evidence that active transportation lanes cause traffic congestion. The reverse is true: fewer commuters using cars (by using active transportation) take cars off the road. Whereas adding another vehicular lane to a road, does not ease congestion as it just encourages more drivers to take advantage of the extra lane. Also, by having segregated bike lanes this keeps vehicles and active transportation users in their own lane, so that drivers driving 40+ km/h would not be slowed down by cyclists riding 20 km/h. Furthermore, by having less segregated bike lanes, this will encourage cyclists to ride on sidewalks, now we all are pedestrians at some point or another and we do not want more bikes and scooters on sidewalks.
These false claims divide us. By delaying the construction of protected lanes for vulnerable road users, and intruding in municipal jurisdiction, we miss the opportunity to prioritize safety for all road users. More preventable tragedies will happen. Also, this will increase bureaucracy and red tape as municipal councillors would have to apply to a provincial board to seek approval of a bike lane. We should be able to trust our municipal councillors that they will take due diligence in speaking with their communities and participate in active consultation when they decide to build a segregated bike lane on a road. When you ran for provincial office, you campaigned on less government and less red tape.
More and more people are making use of active transportation to commute to work, buy groceries, do errands, go to social events. There are all kinds of active transportation, such as regular bikes,
e-bikes, cargo bikes, scooters, tricycles, mobility scooters etc. And these users are becoming are more apparent on the road. Bikes and other forms of active transportation are not just used for recreational purpose.
As Premier Ford once said on a televised bike ride in 2017, vulnerable road users are at risk without protected infrastructure. We must ensure their safety.
Do not introduce legislation that will only ensure more tragedies. I await your commitment to use evidence-based policy that protects all road users.
Let’s embrace a “Vision Zero” approach in Ontario that ensures everyone is safe. You can unite us towards that worthy goal.