I am appalled and…

I am appalled and embarrassed that the government of Ontario is even contemplating the proposed changes to the Highway Traffic Act. You are supposed to represent the people of Ontario, not just a subset of the population who may be "inconvenienced" by congestion. I am both a driver and a cyclist, but I prioritize cycling wherever possible because it is better for the environment, better for my health, and less costly. Many people do not have a choice. They cycle because they cannot afford a car or do not have easy access to transit. They might be delivery drivers. They are often our young people - kids and teenagers who rely on their bike to get around. In other words, vulnerable people who need and deserve an integrated bike lane network to get around safely and quickly.

I live in Toronto and the reason I can choose to cycle is because there is a network of bike lanes that keep me SAFE and allow me to get to my destination quickly. If you prohibit new bike lanes on municipal roads that are not within your jurisdiction, you are putting my safety and so many others at risk. You increase the chance that there will be a, potentially fatal, collision between cyclists and drivers. You also increase the chance that cyclists will drive instead, which only increases congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. This is not serving anyone - we literally ALL lose, just so you can get a few votes. This is very, very poor policy and so blatantly an attempt to pander to your base. It's disgusting. If there is even one death as a result of this legislation, you will have blood on your hands. On my commute to work I encounter at least 200 other cyclists in the bike lane. This is just a small snapshot in time (remember this is how counting works - I only count what I see, so there could be more or less after I pass by). We are out there and using these lanes daily. If you remove them, people are still going to cycle. But now we will be in a lane of traffic, risking the safety of both the cyclist and the driving. How is this a good outcome!

I am also a land use planner. One of the key principles of planning is to provide a variety of mobility options. We also learn that a key way to get people OUT of their cars is to make other options, such as transit and cycling, more convenient. You are trying to do the exact opposite - to make driving the most convenient option, which will take people off of transit and bikes. This is backwards thinking (think 1950s suburbs). Why does the government of Ontario want to take us backwards???

The proposed legislation says that "when considering whether to approve the design for the construction of a bicycle lane, the Ministry may consider whether it would unduly diminish the orderly movement of motor vehicle traffic.". Why is this the only consideration? Why is this the only priority? You should also be considering whether it would unduly diminish the flow of transit, cyclists, pedestrians. You should also consider whether it has a negative impact on the environment. Why do you ONLY CARE ABOUT MOTORISTS?

There are so many other ways to address congestion than to target vulnerable road users. You could better embower or compel municipalities to enforce cars that are illegally stopped or parked in travel lanes, especially during rush hour. I parked my bike at Yonge and Dundas yesterday morning and saw no less than 6 cars stopped in the right lane - this contributes greatly to congestion. I see this on every singly major road, whether there is a bike lane or not. You can work with municipalities to reduce lane closures from construction. You can work with authorities to improve response time to accidents and stalls on roads and highways so that the issue is moved out of a lane of traffic faster. And above all, you can focus your energy and money on getting people OUT OF CARS in the first place. Encourage transit use through incentives and improving service, actually finish the various LRT projects, push employers to make it more attractive to take transit or ride a bike (e.g. secure lock areas, change rooms). You can increase education for both cyclists and drivers so we can co-exist. You can look at ways to improve traffic flow at key bottlenecks. For example, when the Woodbine lanes went in caused backups because there was a dedicated left turn lane and a parking lane, resulting in only one lane both way. The City reassessed and changed the design slightly to remove the parking lane during rush hour and make the eft turn lane also a through lane. This improved flow and reduced back ups.

Please remember that CARS cause congestion, full stop. If there are less cars, there would be less congestion. Stop trying to blame cyclists and stop interfering with the good work of the City of Toronto who are taking this issue seriously. Admittedly there are some design issues with the Bloor west bike lane - fine, work with the City to reassess and resolve (see Woodbine example above). But don't take a broad brush and just take out bike lanes all over because of one isolated issue.

I beg you to please reconsider this legislation and take a more reasonable, evidence based approach to dealing with congestion. Cyclists are real people who deserve to be treated with equal respect to your inconvenience drivers. There is a real climate crisis right now that you should care about. Let municipalities make their own decisions about their own road - the City of Toronto cares about cyclists and they care about climate impacts. Let them do their job since this draft legislation proves that you do not have our best interests in mind.