The changes proposed by Bill…

The changes proposed by Bill 212 belie a fundamental misunderstanding of the transportation and housing challenges currently faced by Ontario municipalities. Ostensibly proposed to reduce gridlock in Ontario cities, Bill 212 succeeds only in undermining municipal decision-making and creating unwarranted red tape which will delay, inhibit, and financially burden direly needed infrastructure projects.

The frequent gridlock in the Greater Toronto Area relates to several contributory factors unrelated to bike lanes:
1. Inadequate public transportation infrastructure due to years of underfunding and underinvestment
2. Decades of inefficient land use resulting in exorbitant housing costs and longer commute times
3. Throughput at road network chokepoints, primarily intersections, which are unable to accommodate upstream traffic volume

Municipalities have a vested interest in creating safe and functional transportation networks that meet the needs of all users, not just automobiles. Cities already take careful consideration of traffic and parking impacts when considering the implementation of bicycle lanes, and numerous studies have demonstrated the positive impact of said infrastructure. These decisions are made by qualified planners and transportation engineers, who understand the specific needs of the community and are far better equipped to make decisions on these matters than the Province.

If the Province is determined to help alleviate the traffic issue in the GTA, they should consider working directly with local municipal governments to find solutions that work rather than enacting broad, heavy-handed policies which will affect all Ontario municipalities. Furthermore, promoting work from home policies, investing in local and regional mass transit infrastructure, and enact broader zoning reform to allow for more urban infill will all better address the problem than fixating on bicycle infrastructure. I implore the Province to reconsider the regressive policies laid out in Bill 212 and ‘stay in their lane’, so to speak.