What is the true purpose of…

What is the true purpose of this bill? The beginning of the proposal discusses:
- gridlock in urban cores
- congestion on controlled access highways
- the construction of new controlled access highways
- rural internet access

None of these points are related to the proposal details about bike lanes, so why are they included? This information is irrelevant and confusing to citizens trying to read and understand the proposed bill and should be removed!

Bicycles do not cause gridlock. Dedicated bicycle lanes that cars and trucks should not be driving in are not the cause of gridlock. I have never seen a study, report or news article that shows gridlock caused by a bicycle lane or cyclists using a bicycle lane, and the proposal does not cite any research or study to support the initiative to reduce bike lanes.

By contrast, numerous studies have shown that adding more lanes for cars increases traffic congestion with the observation of induced demand. If the intent is to keep more space for motorized vehicles, the execution of this proposal is incredibly flawed for another reason: bicycles are legally entitled to use roadways (aside from controlled-access highways). However, doing so increases risk of fatal accidents, typically for the cyclist. Increased accidents between cyclists and motor vehicles put more financial burdens on the province with healthcare and police forces, and accidents also cause traffic delays.

Requiring municipalities to submit applications for bike lanes will only increase workloads for administration and delay construction projects even further as cities and the province communicate and go over paperwork to decide if a bike lane is appropriate. What would happen in the event that the Minister decides a bike lane should be removed? Whose budget is being used to remove the bike lane and reinstate vehicle access? Deconstructing bike lanes would add even more congestion and gridlock because road construction causes delays.

Ontario needs to diversify its transportation options. We need more accessible public transit within a city and between major cities along major corridors, like Windsor-Ottawa. We need walkable neighbourhoods so people don't need to rely on a car to get one or two kilometres from home. We need bike paths and bike lanes to allow people to participate in active transportation, which improves their health and reduces emissions from motorized vehicles. We need more variation and fewer car-dependent systems in order to benefit more Ontarians.

Do not penalize cyclists trying to benefit their physical health and the environment by insinuating that they are the cause of vehicle traffic.