Setting aside the evidence…

Setting aside the evidence that dedicated bicycle lanes in and of themselves reduce congestion, and that bicycle use year-round is increasing, particularly as the climate changes, I, as a resident of the City of Toronto, do not support this as proposed because:

1. It does not identify which sections of the bike lanes would be removed
2. The evaluation of the environmental impact is not only not complete but clearly has not even started
3. The Act hasn't fully passed - it has not even reached the Committee stage, so any amendments that might impact these regulations have not even been introduced yet. I recognize with a majority government that it is unlikely any amendments from the opposition would be accepted, but the government may realize that there are revisions needed to the legislation, so it is silly to start consultation on regulations you may not be able to actually implement.
4. There is nothing in the proposed regulation that guarantees that the lane removed for bicycles would necessarily have to be replaced with a lane for cars - for instance, if parking or restaurant patios end up being permitted in its place, it may not have the desired impact on reducing congestion
5. The legislation does nothing to offset the increased risk of injury or death when a cyclist takes the lane, such as increasing the punishment for dooring or increasing penalties for drivers who hit cyclists, or increase penalties for people who block lanes on these thoroughfares (ie delivery drivers, the construction company that blocked a cycling lane with a dumpster, which resulted in a cyclist being killed when they tried to navigate around it)

If only there were giant trains running underground these roads that some of these people in motor vehicles could use instead of being in their cars, then we could really get these streets moving. Maybe the government should consider using the funding it will be providing to reorient these roads to ensure those trains run reliably?