As a resident of downtown…

As a resident of downtown Toronto, a driver, cyclist and pedestrian I am deeply deeply concerned about the removal of bike lanes, at the cost of the taxpayer, with no evidence that it will improve gridlock and traffic in this city. As a citizen of Toronto I have been impacted by the construction of these projects for years, and to see projects like the College Street and University Avenue bike lanes barely be completed before they are ripped up is baffling and a total waste of resources.

Beyond that, the risk to human life is so high without bike lanes, in a year where 30 cyclists and pedestrians have been killed in the city of Toronto and 151 seriously injured. There are already too many intersections in this city where friends and family live where I have to call them when news of an accident come across my news feed. I do not want to have more areas added to that list, I do not want to be terrified that my wife who cycles to work will not be safe, and I do not want her to have the concern to me.

The total disregard for the residents of Toronto that this bill has is deeply distressing when the province has so far refused to engage with actual proven methods of reducing traffic (ie congestion charges, investing further in transit, supporting traffic enforcement by the city.) With no evidence, and strong opposition, who is this bill for? When will this province commit to evidence proven, safe, world class and future thinking solutions to our infrastructure?