To Premiere Doug Ford and…

To Premiere Doug Ford and the Provincial Government of Ontario,

I strongly oppose your proposed Bill 212 - the Frame work for bike lanes that require removal of a traffic lane.

(1) Bill 212 is an attack on Local Democracy:

Bike lanes are built after lengthy and careful research, consultation with the public stakeholders, design, and funded by municipal governments. It is a total over- reach and violation of the decisions of locally elected municipal city councils and their citizens on a matter of municipal government.

(2) Bill 212 is based on faulty reasoning (see for example URLs provided):

Removing a bike lane will not reduce gridlock; the more lanes for traffic, the more automobiles will be in the lanes, and you get the same gridlock. Hwy 401, the DVP, do not have bikelanes and by your reasoning should have less gridlock! Most cars in downtown Toronto only have one occupant, the driver. Cars, with single occupants, create gridlock! (see CanStats link enclosed)

Slower automobiles in downtown traffic mean more safety for all street users. The provincial government seems to prioritize speed over safety.

Also, if there are fewer bike lanes, more cyclists will use their cars, creating more congestion or they will use public transit, which lacks sufficient funding from the province.

Many other major cities have much more bike lanes than Toronto and their findings are that bike lanes reduce congestion and Complete Streets design improves safety for all citizens.

(3) Bill 212 Contributes to Harmful Climate Change:

Given the reality and increasing harmful effects of green house gases induced climate change, we need more cyclists and people taking public transit, NOT car drivers using fossil fuels.

(4) Bill 212 is the result of a Political Decision to benefit the Provincial Government of Doug Ford, not the citizens of Toronto (or other municipalities)

Bill 212 is a divisive distraction to draw attention away from the Provincial Government's failures such as its lack of sufficient support for equitable housing, public transit, and its under-funding of our health care and education systems.

I strongly oppose Bill 212.