The proposal requiring…

The proposal requiring provincial permission for new bike lanes where motor vehicular lanes will be removed, and the proposal to allow existing bike lanes. to be removed is completely misguided. Leaving aside issues of provincial overreach, this will: 1) set us back as a province in terms of protecting the lives of vulnerable road users, 2) increase motorized vehicle congestion in many areas as people abandon safe cycling routes and get back into their cars, 3) put a damper on the economic benefits of cycle tourism, including in southwest Ontario in light of the potential of the new Gordie Howe Bridge project (which will have dedicated lanes for cyclists and pedestrians), 4) further hamper our ability to combat climate change, 5) deny citizens of this province the ability to engage in a healthy form of activity in a safe manner, and 6) be a poor waste of taxpayer dollars should existing lanes be removed. This is a divisive proposal and the antithesis of evidence-based decision making. Please reconsider.