This is an ineffective bill…

This is an ineffective bill that will not solve the gridlock issue. It will increase bureaucracy, needlessly overstep into municipal jurisdiction, and cost tax payers immediately and in the future. Not to mention the clear negative perception of our Premier removing sections of bike lanes he likely see's on his work commute, and feeding into the perception (rightfully in my opinion) that he'd rather be the mayor of Toronto.

1) cities have limited space to move people. if there are no bike lanes and limited designated transit lanes it incentivizes people to drive. Driving by far takes up the most space to move people + the space used to store the vehicles. It makes more sense to funnel that money to transit + active transportation and create a viable reliable network. this will allow other forms of transportation to be used and more free space for businesses, housing and their tax income for municipalities. this "if you build it they will come" model is called induced demand. wonder why more people bike on Bloor W than in suburban Etobicoke? There is infrastructure for biking on Bloor.

2) based on point 1 more people will end up driving. that 1 bike is now a car taking up much more space and becoming part of traffic. this doesn't solve your congestion issue. Now you've spent our money to provide people less (and much cheaper) transit options, that cost more to maintain in the long run.

3) the indirect cost of having to review every municipalities proposed bike lanes is wasting money. The province shouldn't be involved in this decision but now that the are it's 1 extra step, making the process take more time. The opportunity cost of that is important

4) This doesn't help businesses like Ford has claimed. The logic of it doesn't make sense and the studies back it up. It's much easier to hop of your bike, lock it up then enter a store than it is to find parking and walk to the shop. even if this did fix traffic, it's harder to just pop in quickly with a car than it is a bike. This study on Bloor came to this conclusion as well. Other studies show bike lanes are better for business. was this not considered in our Transportation Ministers common sense and evidence based approach? Not to mention if less people need a car more money can be used on local business rather than auto costs.

5) for obvious reasons this will have a negative impact on cyclist safety and the environment

I WILL NOT BE VOTING FOR YOU IF THIS GOES THROUGH. Stay in your lane and use this money effectively. For a party that allegedly stands for common sense, fiscal responsibility, and less bureaucracy you sure like to make illogical choices that burn our cash and increase red tape.