This legislation fails to…

This legislation fails to address the key issue behind congestion being the overwhelming reliance on automobiles for travel. Modal shift via public transit, cycling, and other modes of active transportation are effective and proven modes of addressing congestion but Ontario lacks appropriate support and investment in these initiatives to actively support and encourage this necessary modal shift (along with unequal access to such services and opportunities). Public transit needs guaranteed supportive funding to ensure appropriate service levels and quality for users as seen by the TTC and other such agencies. Removing bike lanes will actually make congestion worse in areas with high cycling traffic as now both modes will have to actively share the same space and will increase the potential for conflicts and accidents. Building a new highway tunnel under the 401 along with Highway 413 will only endure further autocentric development and travel in the GTHA and undermine the necessary modal shifts (even car centric Los Angeles has been actively working to invest in transit which should be a sign that multi-modal transportation is important to addressing congestion). Fast-tracking such projects also means more room for environmental degradation not just from construction but from overall infrastructure implementation as well. Other more effective and less costly alternatives to the 413 were already provided in 2018 when the project was originally cancelled yet these are being ignored for what was designed to be an element of the Greenbelt land grab scandal.