I am opposed to this bill…

I am opposed to this bill and to the province banning or ordering removal of bike lanes. Taking control of bike lanes is an unfair and ill-advised intrusion on municipal matters, threatens the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, and would result in fewer people biking and more people driving cars, which would make cities less livable and worsen climate change.

I am 62 years old and live in old Toronto. Cycling is my main mode of transportation, and has been since before I gave up my car in 1992. Before bike lanes, getting around was a lot more dangerous. Twice, parked cars opened their doors into me and I fell onto the roadway. All I could think of was whether a passing car would run me over.

Simply put, bikes are not cars. In a contest between the two, it will always be the cyclist who gets injured and killed while the driver walks away unscathed. Cyclists need protection.

Since bike lanes have gone in, I feel a lot safer. I rarely have to cycle close to parked cars on main streets. I live just a few houses from Bloor Street and so use the Bloor St bike lanes almost every day.

Gridlock is a real issue, and I support intelligent ways to address it. But ripping up bike lanes is not intelligent. It ignores all the studies showing they have a positive impact on the safety of both bikers and pedestrians, are good for business, and make cities more pleasant. They do slow cars down, but not by much. They do not negatively impact emergency response times. Simply put, bike lanes are being unfairly targeted for political reasons.

The city of Toronto spent many years studying, trying different approaches and designs, and receiving feedback from its citizens to get to where we are now. For the Province to undo this work for political reasons is simply untenable.

Words cannot express how important this is to me.