I am writing from Kanata,…

I am writing from Kanata, Ontario.

Not only will Bill 212 make our roads more unsafe for people who cycle, walk or drive it is also yet another overstep on the authority of municipalities. Removing bike lanes puts cyclists in more danger, leading to more accidents, injuries and deaths while causing further delays on our roads. We need more bike lanes, not fewer. On some existing roads (like Campeau between Kanata Ave and March Road), bike lanes end suddenly with no safe place for bikes to continue.

The legislation would be in direct opposition to Ottawa’s own plans to add dozens of cycling routes across the city by 2046 and increase the number by 50% and put a wrench into ongoing city projects.

Someone in Toronto does not and will not know what is best here in Ottawa, especially when it comes to specific bike infrastructure.

The legislation will also put unnecessary financial strain on taxpayers for the potential cost of removing existing bike lanes and will add more not less bureaucracy and red tape to approval of new and in many cases, already-approved active transportation projects.

Ontarians do not want another culture war and more division - they want for themselves and their families to be safe on the road.

Ontarians know that easing traffic congestion is about giving people more transportation options, not fewer. We want to achieve net zero for a greener, healthier future and want our communities to be connected so that not every trip to school, to the store, or to work has to be taken by car.

As reported in a recent CBC article, the data is clear, building more car lanes and widening roads does not ease gridlock and building more bike lanes does not make it worse but in fact does the opposite.

From O’Connor to Laurier and beyond, we love our communities’ bike lanes, and we don't want the province saying where they can or can't be built because bike lanes are good for the environment, good for business, for personal and public health and they save lives.

Please listen to residents. Premier Ford, you've had 6 years of a majority government to reduce gridlock yet have failed to deliver any of the transit projects that were promised. Gridlock is a serious issue, one that can cost up to $11 billion in lost revenue – but this government is using bike lanes as a scapegoat for its dismal track record on transit.