I am a working mother of two…

I am a working mother of two young boys. I live in the east end of Toronto and work downtown. The bike lanes added to the city of Toronto, including across Danforth, Bloor and University have made it safe for me to cycle to work in a much shorter timeframe.

Before the Danforth, Bloor and University lanes were installed, if I wanted to bike to work safely, I had to take a circuitous route, off the main roads, that made my commute about 45 minutes one way (compared to about 30 minutes by subway). With the bike lanes installed, I can do it in 25, which makes it much more likely that I WILL bike.

People have been killed on my bike route, even WITH bike lanes. I will not ever ride on main arteries without lanes because it's simply not safe and I want to be able to arrive home alive for my two boys. Drivers are barely awake in the mornings, and in the evenings, they are angry and rushing to get home. No drivers are paying attention to cyclists on shared roads and it is dangerous for everyone. I am a driver as well, and having bike lanes to separate bikes from traffic makes it easier to drive in the city - it's much more predictable and thus, safer for all.

The addition of bike lanes made safety for cyclists and drivers so much better. During peak commute times, they are FULL of cyclists, which suggests that they are needed and promote people to be active. Every one of those cyclists is potentially a car that is OFF the road because they can bike.

I am appalled that Doug Ford would rip out infrastructure installed by the city. This is a gross overstep of his authority and completely inappropriate. Worse is that he is literally taking away infrastructure that promotes active living and the safety of citizens. This is a terrible look and I'm ashamed that he is the leader of our province.