Hello, I am a resident of…

Hello,

I am a resident of Spadina - Fort York and I would like to express my opposition to this bill. I am empathetic to the traffic conditions in Toronto; however, I believe that targeting bike lanes to solve this issue is not an effective approach and will hurt the city. I would like to share the following arguments for your consideration:

(1) Adding car lanes does not reduce traffic in the long-term due to induced demand. Adding car lanes makes driving more attractive as a transportation option, which encourages more car trips, which contributes to traffic. This is a well-studied phenomenon that has been recently summarized in this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/bike-lanes-impacts-1.7358319

(2) Cycling is a very quickly growing form of transportation in Toronto, and in the long term it improves traffic outcomes. For example, a trip to work on a bike instead of a car removes a car from the streets, and the rider takes up much less road space. This has been demonstrated by investment into cycling infrastructure by many leading cities, including recently in Paris.

(3) "They don't make land anymore". Cars take up a lot of space per person driving. As Toronto densifies, it is simply impossible to maintain good traffic levels. Housing can be densified in a given area by building upwards, but driving must happen at ground level (with rare exceptions). So, to keep large amounts of people moving in a densely populated area, the only viable solution is to invest in public transit and cycling. This will give more and more people good alternatives to driving, which will result in fewer cars on the streets and in turn less traffic.

(4) This is a serious safety issue. People will not stop cycling on major thoroughfares. Cyclists' trip destinations are on those major streets (like Bloor, Yonge and University), and like drivers, cyclists want to complete their trips close to their destinations. As more and more people cycle on those streets, driving conditions for both cyclists and drivers will become more chaotic and complex. That creates worse outcomes for drivers too. No driver wants to accidentally cause someone's death because of unsafe conditions.

(5) If cyclists aren't given bike lanes, they are entitled to take the car lane. This feels unsafe for any individual cyclist, but with a sufficient number of cyclists on a given route, it's likely that car lanes will simply become bike lanes by default - but in a more dangerous way. Traffic conditions in those scenarios will not be better than if a bike lane was in place. A car lane taken by a cyclist takes up more road space than a dedicated bike lane.

(6) If we are willing to remove bike lanes from major streets, we should be equally willing to remove street parking from those streets. One parked car can reduce an entire stretch of road by a full lane.

(7) Finally, I believe that it is inappropriate for the Ontario government to interfere with municipal affairs. Toronto streets are local streets managed by the city of Toronto. City residents elected a mayor in a fair democratic process, and that mayor had a clear policy stance on adding bike infrastructure during her campaign. It is not appropriate for the Ontario government to overrule the wishes of Toronto's residents in matters related strictly to the city of Toronto.

I hope these factors are duly considered and addressed by the government in its decision-making process.