This bill is completely…

This bill is completely unnecessary and dangerous for many reasons. Firstly, the Ford government boasts itself of cutting red tap, ensuring Ontario is open for business and making it easier to build homes and infrastructure that is needed. This bill does the opposite of all these supposed claims from the Ford government with this introduction of red tape at the Ministry of Transportation to review bike lane installations across Ontario. This is a completely ridiculous request that will result in less bike lanes being installed when a traffic lane is removed which is assumed to be the Ford's governments underlying strategy.

The second reason that this bill is unnecessary and dangerous is the universal knowledge that bike lanes do not slow down traffic. It is widely known that adding an additional car lane does not result in faster traffic flow but more traffic and therefore slower flow. The addition of bike lanes make it safer for cyclists and if people feel safe then more people cycle and thereby less cars on the road. If the Ford government was interested in reducing traffic congestion in Ontario, then they should be focussing on increasing cycling infrastructure to encourage people to ride their bikes instead of driving. The Ford government should also be investing heavily into public transportation to encourage again, more people to take public transport rather than drive. Further, the Ford government should be investigating more intense urban planning options such as fourplexes and other alternative housing options to provide people with options to live closer to work rather than long commutes to affordable housing. Another idea suggested to reduce traffic congestion seen in the GTA is to provide trucks with free 407 use. The 407 sits empty whereas the 401 is super congested - move the trucks to the 407 to let more commuters through on the 401.

I live in Guelph, Ontario and have cycled to work for years in all 4 seasons which is possible for most areas in Southern Ontario. Unless there is a large dumping of snow, it is easy to cycle all year round. We need to advocate for these alternative transportation methods rather than emphasize our infrastructure and our culture into car culture. Also Guelph has been advocating for years about two-way all day Go Train service to Toronto via the Kitchener line. The train is so convenient to get downtown which we would take frequently but there is no weekend or evening service...so it is only designed for commuters into Toronto. This is a great example of where time and effort of the Ford government could really make an impact to a huge population of Ontario - KW and Guelph. There infrastructure is in place but we need more service on the line.

Removing and/or restricting bike lanes in Ontario will not help with the traffic congestion. There are so many alternatives that should be explored to reduce traffic congestion such as increased bike lanes, better public transit options, moving the trucks to the 407, alternative housing options such as fourplexes. This government is looking for the answers in all the wrong places - the removal of bike lanes will not solve anything!