Reducing gridlock by…

Reducing gridlock by increasing red tape?

Citizens elect mayors and city councillors to represent their local interests. In cities like Toronto, we've elected people who support the expansion of bike lanes and bike routes as a solution to gridlock, because many people who vote support those ideas as well. In addition to helping with gridlock (since bikes take up much, much less space than cars), bike lanes also help with pollution and climate change (reducing emissions from cars), and they make it safer to cycle for people of all ages, including those who can't drive, like children and students.

Study after study confirms that building more road capacity for cars does not solve traffic — it merely increases the number of cars on the road. Meanwhile, there is plenty of evidence that bike lanes in Toronto improve life for businesses as well as cyclists. Driving in Toronto is infuriating, but the solution is more and better transit service, and easier and safer access to alternative modes of transportation including cycling.

This legislation is an undemocratic overreach, putting the concerns of the few (wealthier car owners in certain parts of Toronto like Etobicoke) over the needs of the many (people of all ages who rely on transit, cycling and walking to get around), and it introduces unnecessary red tape and interference into what is clearly a municipal-level government concern. Let the citizens of each city decide how they want to run their cities through the normal democratic process.