I am writing this letter to…

I am writing this letter to implore you and your government not to destroy the bike lanes along Bloor and Yonge Sts. and University Ave. in Toronto.

I am a resident of Toronto, and a regular user of bike lanes, frequent car driver, and public transit user. I drive, cycle and take transit along these throughways in the city of Toronto.

The bike lanes that have been installed in these areas have been some of the transformative additions to the streetscape on each of these streets in decades. They have made the roads safer for cyclists, car drivers and pedestrians. They have become vital arteries for cyclists in the city, and streets that I depend upon to safely and quickly get to and from my job.

It is no secret that removing these bike lanes will not speed up traffic in the city. This was clearly acknowledged by staff of your government in a memo that leaked to the public. Instead, there is ample evidence from around the world that bike lanes increase safety for all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians and car drivers.

Removing these bike lanes will be extremely regressive, harmful to my community, and would reduce freedom of mobility in my city. The Bloor Annex BIA has already communicated to your government that removal of these lanes would be "disastrous" to their businesses.

If these lanes are removed, the Ford Government will be known from here on out as Anti-Safety, Anti-Freedom, and Anti-Business. Removing these lanes is a significant government overreach, and a threat to my safety and my freedom of movement. I implore your government to not move forward with this plan.

Please protect the safety, freedom, and business success of my communities, and keep these bike lanes.