This is short-term gain…

Commentaire

This is short-term gain legislation and ignores evidence-based long term urban planning solutions.

Municipalities globally are building more bicycle infrastructure and public transit to reduce congestion and it's working. This trend will only expand, so ripping out existing bike lines that will only be reversed in the near future, is a tremendous waste of taxpayer money.

Addressing gridlock has to acknowledge that cities are only sustainable through densification, which means reducing single occupant/vehicle travel, and not providing 'more' space for wasteful low density commutes and entertainment seeking, especially since science has shown that more lanes only bring more low-density traffic.

The fact that this legislation also seeks to skirt environmental protection regulation is another example of short-term planning, unless the provincial government actually doesn't believe in human lead climate change, and the attendant threat to bio-diversity. Why is the government willing to further endanger a collective future dependent on a clean, safe environment to benefit commuters.

How much evidence-based science is the provincial government willing to ignore to the disadvantage of the majority of taxpayers. Legislation that effects everyone can't be solely focused on commuter and commercial priorities.

Bill 212 will not reduce gridlock in the long term, but it will demonstrate to future governments that regulation is meant to be side-stepped for short term advantages, at the expense of long term stability.