Please do not remove Ontario…

Please do not remove Ontario bike lanes, I often use the bike lanes and consider them critical transportation infrastructure. I often use the bike lanes even if it makes my trips longer, as I prefer a safe trip over a fast one.

If the bike lanes are removed this will not stop people from cycling. People will always ride bicycles, and the rise of meal delivery apps has ensured they will only continue to grow as a transportation option. If the bike lanes are unavailable cyclists will be forced to take a car lane as cycling on sidewalks is illegal and unsafe. If bikes are forced to take the car lane this will only make traffic worse, cars will be stuck behind bikes, cars will get impatient and try to swerve back into the left lane to go around the cyclist. Cars swerving around cyclists will make traffic worse and endanger the lives of cyclists and drivers.

I have worked as a bike courier in the past, I remember car traffic from before the bike lanes were constructed, I've also had to drive through busy Toronto traffic. Driving traffic going through the core of Toronto has always been bad, this is part of what encouraged me to become a cyclist. I do not feel that traffic has gotten worse since the installation of bike lanes, and I'm happy to have a safer option then cycling down roads without bicycle infrastructure.

I believe cycling would be more popular in Toronto if the network of bike lanes were more thoroughly interconnected. At the moment I feel that cycling in Toronto is still dangerous as trips often involve travelling between safe cycling areas and actual destinations which are often outside these areas. I think taking away the existing infrastructure is a step in the wrong direction. I have an overwhelming sense of pride being a Torontonian, and it hurts me deeply that we would consider endangering the lives of our cyclists to prioritize expediting travel for motor vehicles. These are peoples lives and physical safety! The travel time of motor vehicles being plus or minus 10-20 minutes should not even be considered if it's coming at the cost of peoples lives and safety.