Hello, I am writing to…

Hello,

I am writing to strongly condemn the proposed plan to remove bike lanes from Toronto. There is, regretably, no basis for the proposed requirement for provincial approval of new bike lanes and the removal of existing ones. Decades of research has shown that bike lanes across the world improve the economy, hasten driving time, improve our health and wellbeing, and save lives.

Moreover, bike lanes in Toronto have already shown tangible evidence of improving the lives of locals. Toronto Fire deputy chief Jim Jessop recently stated that since bike lanes were installed on Bloor Street, emergency response times have in fact improved. The proposed removal of bike lanes will harm emergency services and undoubtedly negatively impact people in moments of crisis.

Bike lanes also improve the flow of traffic. Although Bill 212 suggests that bike lanes cause congestion, the opposite is in fact true. Approximately half of all trips that people take are less than 2 kilometres meaning that by getting cars off the road for short trips, we can improve the flow of traffic considerably. The cause of congestion is not the amount of lanes we have for cars, but rather simply the number of cars on the road.

I strongly urge you all to cancel this plan as it will cause more traffic, harm emergency services, and negatively impact local businesses who depend on foot traffic rather than car traffic to thrive. Other provinces, states, and jurisdictions are heading towards more bike and people-friendly cities, this plan will leave Toronto and indeed all of Ontario behind the rest of North America. Please reconsider before causing irreversible damage to the province.