I use the bike lanes in…

I use the bike lanes in Toronto to get to work, school, parks, and places to shop (groceries, places of recreation, etc.). It is an important part of my commute, and this bill would fundamentally worsen congestion and harm the environment across this province, both now and in the future.

The increasing prevalence of Bike Share Toronto across this city at a reasonable price has made cycling an attractive alternative to transit or part of a multimodal transportation network. For example, it is sometimes faster (or comparable) to walk to my nearest Bike Share station, ride a bike to the nearest TTC station, and catch the Line 2 train to reach my destination. On Bloor Street, parts of the Junction, or even Harbord and College Streets, it is usually much quicker to commute by bike than by car. And residents generally agree. The ridership numbers have been trending positively towards bicycles as people are seeing an alternative to slower transit and slower cars.

However, even if this government succeeded in removing the bike lanes, it would not fundamentally solve the problem. What would solve this problem is building more public transit and bike lanes, not less, and improving on the ones we already have.

I recognize the current government’s efforts to expand transit and address the congestion problem that Toronto will face for years to come. However, rather than wasting time on vanity projects like massive car tunnels parallel to the 401 or building a highway that the MTO says would only shave 16 minutes off commute times rather than 30 minutes as previously stated, further investments in public transit would improve commute times. Public transit is more efficient, faster, and has more capacity to carry people who do not need a private vehicle for city or intercity commuting. For Toronto to be more competitive with similarly sized cities, expanding our public transit network is essential.

By lowering the need for cars, public transit would no longer carry the stigma of being the “lower-class option for those who aren’t well-off” but would instead be seen as the sensible option for those who want to avoid skyrocketing insurance fees, parking fees, maintenance costs, etc., as it is in comparable regions in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Bike lanes also improve safety, and the Bloor and Eglinton bike lanes are proof of that. These two bike lanes, among many others, have prevented many accidents on the road and were installed for that purpose. As the Premier himself once said, “You’re nervous when there are no bike lanes.” Toronto’s congestion issues were never caused by recently installed bike lanes but rather by our reliance on a flawed system that promotes building car lanes and widening highways and roads, even those without a single bike lane. This approach inevitably leads to more congestion as more people buy more cars. Induced demand dictates that if you build it, people will use it. Adding more car lanes will only encourage more car purchases, continuing the cycle. More roads will need to be built, and current and future neighborhoods will be paved over to sustain this lifestyle. This will reduce available land for housing, job creation, and community growth, ultimately discouraging people from moving to Ontario.

Additionally, emergency services have reported no noticeable negative impact and, in some cases, have seen decreased wait times.

Increased investments in public transportation and bike lanes, rather than expanding car lanes, will significantly reduce emissions for the city and province as a whole. This will lead to cleaner air and a healthier planet. For these reasons and more, I strongly recommend that the government reconsider this bill. Thank you for your consideration.