This proposal shows that the…

This proposal shows that the Ontario government has a fundamental misunderstanding about factors that impact congestion. When we consider Toronto's population and the amount of space available for roadways it is literally impossible to prevent congestion by increasing lanes for vehicular traffic. The only hope to reduce travel times is to provide commuters with options that are faster than driving. This can be down by increasing bus/subway service or by INCREASING the number and IMPROVING the connectivity of bike lines. This will bring down average travel times and encourage more people out of cars and onto buses, trains and bikes thereby reducing congestion.

Also, places like Bloor, Yonge and University are not just throughfares but also destinations. So anything that increases the percentage of people who are able to easily stop into a store or restaurant the better it is for the neighborhood. This is why the local BIAs are against the removal of the bike lanes since revenues for the local businesses have increased since the lanes have been installed.

Please, please, please listen to traffic planners who almost universally admit that adding more lanes will not solve congestion as well as to the local BIAs who actually see the day-to-day impact of the bike lanes.

The TLDR is that this proposal is a terrible idea and the sooner that it is scrapped the sooner this government can move to more serious work.