This is terrible legislation…

This is terrible legislation. Removing existing bike lines is a waste of money. It is also an overreach of provincial power.

Data proves that the number of cars on the road must be reduced to reduce gridlock. Alternative methods of transportation, such as public transit and bike lanes, work. Therefore, improve public transit, keep the bike lanes and make more safe bike lanes.

Also, change zoning laws to allow for more mixed-use neighbourhoods so more people can live close to where they work so they do not have to commute, or at the very least, live close to shops and services so they can access the majority of what they need either without a car or with a very short drive.

Instead of wasting money removing bike lanes, Ontario desperately needs healthcare and education improved.

Also, exempting 413 lands from environmental assessments is another short-sighted policy that will result in disastrous effects on the natural environment. The land where the highway is intended to be built is environmentally sensitive. Once paved over, that land is forever lost as a carbon sink, a natural habitat for native flora and fauna, and as a floodplain/natural flood control measure. The proposal that this highway should be exempted from any environmental assessment to expedite development suggests the government doesn’t care whatsoever about the environment and, again, is not serious about eliminating gridlock: as mentioned above, the concept of induced demand means that on completion, it will create more gridlock and spew more harmful greenhouses gas emissions into the atmosphere.