This comment is primarily…

This comment is primarily concerning the potential implementation of requiring the provincial government's approval for new bike lanes, as well as plans to remove the bike lanes at Yonge, University, and Bloor.

There seems to be a rather haphazard decision-making that will make the urban design worse for everyone. Traffic is going to become worse if the bike lanes are removed, and if decisions to add more bike lanes are suppressed by more red tape by having the provincial government's approval for them. Having more space for more cars might seem a logical solution to solve traffic, but time and time HAS CLEARLY SHOWN that traffic does not get better in the long run. I am sure that you are not ignorant of the reasons as to why traffic is still a big problem.

Toronto has clear statistics to show and there is no need to find data from other cities or even countries to show that bike lanes are one solution to traffic congestion. If you want to solve traffic, you are going to have to provide solutions that provide alternative options to driving. I may have said earlier that you are not ignorant, but just to be sure, that the common denominator of the cause of traffic is the number of cars, and to reduce the number of cars, you are going to have to provide options that make driving cars less attractive. Having bike lanes will provide that option. Bike lanes have CLEARLY SHOWN to reduce, if not, add total traffic time. And if it does not add traffic time, why even bother? Even if biking is not used for transport, it is an option for some Ontarians to use for recreation and even for business.

This Bill is only a wedge and a pandering to the masses. There are other issues that the provincial government should prioritize rather than instigate a culture war to win over the other side because of one side's supposed arrogant encroaching of "bad urban design." This is not based on logic and evidence. It is only to gain more support from your voters and similarly aligned allies.

Regardless of our different political views, it is in your best interests not to implement the contested parts of this bill. Because you will also benefit from this, even if you would never use this. If it is only to gain support from voters and allies, for money and power, despite all the evidence that I am totally sure you are aware of, then you are making a grave mistake. Tax money has already been used to build the bike lanes, and the same said tax money will be used to remove them if implemented and passed. It is a waste of money and a waste of time for everyone involved.

The Bill contains other proposals that will act as a precedent (not that it hasn't already) to bad political decision-making that will negatively affect millions of Ontarians. For example, Schedule 3 for Highway 413 has exemptions from environmental regulations of the Environmental Assessment Act. Normalizing deviance with exemptions from regulations sets precedents that can snowball into big decisions that have big impacts that can be difficult to reverse. There are environmental regulations for a reason, whether it is for climate change emissions, wildlife, or even property value.

Bike lanes help with a greener environment by providing transportation options that do not emit greenhouse gases by having more travellers travel by bike.