Dear Minister, I regularly…

Dear Minister,

I regularly drive, ride public transit, cycle, and walk on Ontario's roads and highways. I also hold an MASc in Civil Engineering, meaning I understand the factors that affect traffic speed, quality of life, economic growth, and safety on our roads. Based on my experience and credentials I strongly disagree with the framework proposed in Bill 212 - Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time.

I would also like to express my disapproval of the Bill's proposal to allow the Highway 413 project to skip environmental assessments. Not only does the Bill not provide any evidence for why such a change to process should be necessary, the highway has not been shown to be a valid use of taxpayer dollars, given the questionable improvements in travel times for a small group of drivers, and the economic downsides of encouraging sprawl rather than density.

The present Bill ignores decades of traffic engineering evidence which states that a mix of density, good public transit, and active transportation help people (and cars) move smoothly, and stimulate economic growth. Adding the provincial review process proposed in this Bill will only stymie the progress that so many municipalities have made based on this evidence. This legislation is also quite at odds with this government's supposed focus on 'Red Tape Reduction'. I urge you to approach any traffic legislation from a place of evidence.

Thank you for consideration.