I am writing my comments to…

I am writing my comments to express my concern and disappointment with multiple parts of bill 212. For the safety of children, the economic impact of households, and the cost to the government of Ontario / the Ontario tax payers, I feel like this bill adds multiple negatives to many communities.

October 31, 2024 Addendum
The removal of bike lanes from major areas not only hurts businesses but also increases the risk of cyclist injury, increases induced demand, and removes the possibility of reducing car traffic. Bike lanes provide safe, cost effective, and environmentally friendly method to travel around the city, while also reducing automobile traffic. I do not agree that the province should mandate the removal of projects that have just been completed and the removal of alternative forms of transportation. I have broken down each aspect while attaching sources along with my points.

Additionally, see the following link that includes numerous studies to show how bicycle lanes can change a city for the better.
https://www.peopleforbikes.org/statistics/economic-benefits

SAFETY
- The City of Toronto Cycling Study demonstrates how the population of Toronto has been increasing with the demand and desire for cycling infrastructure. An excerpt from the Nanos study:
"Toronto residents who reported being utilitarian cyclists (meaning they either cycle to work, school, to go shopping or visit friends) has increase from 29 per cent in 2009 to 44 per cent in 2019." (Nanos)
44% of Toronto residents that cycle as an everyday choice of commute is an incredibly large percentage, regardless if it's 1 day per month of multiple times per day. The demand for cycling has been increasing (Nanos) and this means that cycling infrastructure is key in ensuring that cyclists are safe. The bike lanes on Bloor, University, and Yonge provide a safe barrier from car traffic and parking spaces, ensuring that vehicles aren't hit and cyclists aren't killed. Removing these cycling lanes would reduce people's alternatives to driving and still not separate the cyclists who do not mind cycling on roads. I would encourage all MPPs who stand-by this bill to grab a bicycle and ride down any of these three streets and compare that to riding in a lane of traffic or in a bicycle lane with no curb protection to understand how safe one feels when riding these lanes. Not only for adults, but children as well.

- Additionally, we have all seen both the impact of bad driving and bad cycling in our communities. The main difference is that cars weigh an average of 4,000 lbs and can travel at speeds excess of 100km/h in less than 10 seconds, while bicycles weigh <20lbs and travel on average 14-25 kms/hr. The size of a vehicle along with the dangers of distracted and reckless driving increase the possibility of fatality to pedestrians and other drivers.

COST EFFICIENCY
- For a commuter, the cost of driving a vehicle versus cycling is an incredible difference. With gas prices, maintenance, and the cost of the vehicle itself, the initial cost of buying a bicycle is quickly overshadowed by the cost of a car. For reference, I have both a car and a bicycle. With a fuel + maintenance cost of $20.59/100km (based on my 3 year average), the yearly cost of commuting within the City of Toronto from home to work (In bicycle appropriate months) is $160.48, while the price of my yearly bicycle maintenance (Average from the past 3 years) is <$20 for chain lubricant. Additionally, the monthly costs of parking in my building ($175) and car insurance ($138.35) brings my yearly vehicle costs to $3,760.20 just for storage and insurance. This is on-top of the initial cost to purchase my vehicle ($15,000). Increasing bike lanes and alternative forms of transportation would save me this amount as I would be able to get rid of my car in favor of cycling and public transit. But, the move towards a car-dependent city is not favorable to my finances.

- For the city & province, the cost difference between bike lanes versus car lanes is also very large. I have attached a study from Portland, OR that breaks down the costs analyzed between bike lanes and car lanes. In summary, $60 million would allow for the replace 300 miles of bike-ways versus 1 mile of a 4-lane urban freeway (Weigand, McNeil, Dill). Please read this attached study as it shows the great investments that bicycle lanes can be for cities in saving money.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
- Bike lanes and the use of bicycles is no-doubt a more environmentally friendly and healthy form of transportation. The amount of emissions that a vehicle uses is vastly inferior to the amount that a bicycle uses.
1. Not including CO2 emissions, vehicles emit Methane and Nitrous Oxide, both which are toxic to humans, while bicycles emit nothing.
2. Bicycle lanes do not receive the same amount of wear as road lanes due to the limited weight, width of tires, and the oils / liquids spilled onto the roads from leaky oil plugs, coolant, and hoses.
3. Noise pollution is significantly reduced with bicycles due to the lack of horns, tire friction, and engine noises. Here is a video of the differences in noise that different forms of vehicles make and the impacts it has on communities. In summary, at 10 minutes, the presenter measures the noise of bicycles versus cars. Bicycles had lower decibel reading of 65dBA (cyclists that are chatting) while passing cars were on average 73dBA (heavier vehicles were 76dBA, which is 4x louder than bicycles as dBA is a logarithmic measurement). A motorcycle had a decibel reading of 102dBA (equivalent to a car horn).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTV-wwszGw8
4. Bicycles encourage exercise while vehicles do not.

SCHEDULE 3 - HIGHWAY 413 ACT, 2024
I do not agree that our province will be building large projects while putting into law an exemption from environmental studies. Environmental assessments identify potential environmental impacts, alternative solutions, and mitigations while also allowing stakeholders to voice their concerns. While I understand that the project is crucial in keeping Ontario moving, I do not agree in removing any processes (especially environmental protections) to simply keep projects cheaper or improve the speed of planning & development. This not only removes the ability to mitigate possible environmental damage but creates a precedent that specific projects can be exempt from whatever laws and requirements are put in place. I would much rather see alternatives in cost & time cutting rather than ones that tackle environmental assessments as we should be keeping our province's environment a high priority for our children and future generations. I have attached a link that breaks down the need and benefits of Environmental Assessments. https://velosiaims.com/the-significant-role-of-environmental-impact-ass…

SCHEDULE 4 - HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ACT
I do not agree that our province should be dictating what municipalities are able to build in their community, especially items such as bike lanes or roads. This is for three reasons:

1. As per the Municipal Act, 2001, outside of a few specific cases, municipalities do not need direct provincial permission to build or maintain roads. If bike lanes are now being approved provincially, there should be an equal review and approval process for local roads. This should be especially true when local roads cost more money to build & maintain, and take longer to complete due to size, materials, and the diversions caused to traffic, or the induced demand caused to these communities.

2. This adds another level of bureaucracy to developing any new bike lanes which can stall or delay projects, at the expense of the Ontario tax payers. These reviews and assessments cost time, money, and reduce the efficiency of building critical infrastructure projects that can help increase driving alternatives and reduce the amount of people driving.

3. This removes autonomy from cities that are able to accordingly plan with locals and councilors that the people in those areas voted for. My neighbors and I have voted for multiple candidates in our municipal riding over the years as they have specific goals and plans for our community that align with our vision for where we and our children want to live. Seeing Members of Provincial Parliament making decisions on areas that they do not live in is (from a personal perspective) infuriating and insulting to our communities. Our municipal leaders and councilors should be making these decisions, not being overwritten by upper levels of government that do not live anywhere near our area.

Alternatively, I would much rather see public voting or decisions made by our community rather than the provincial government making decisions for myself, my business, and my community, at the expense of tax payers like myself, neighbors, friends, and family.

Final Note: As I was writing this comment, I stumbled upon a video discussing the removal of bike lanes in Toronto that makes strong points of the benefits of cycling. Please watch through the video and read through the hundreds of comments that are against this change and intrusion onto bicycle lanes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FZDEehlaC4&list=LL&index=1