As a senior in Toronto I…

As a senior in Toronto I despair at the possibility of going back in time to riding in mixed traffic, dodging car doors and hoping that I’ll make it home in one piece. What manner of idiocy is this, to contemplate removing and restricting bike lanes on our streets?! Bike lanes create a viable option of cycling in the city, safely and efficiently. I’ve used the Bloor Street bike lanes every day this week and used the Yonge Street bike lanes twice this week for medical appointments. It would not be practical to meander back streets to get to my destinations. There are valid reasons for building a bike lane network in Toronto:

- safe bike lanes promote cycling, which is a healthy, inexpensive and environmentally appropriate mode of transportation;
- every bike on the road is one less car generating congestion and pollution;
- government is investing about $60 billion in transit expansion - wonderful! - but one of the key challenges in increasing transit use is getting people to and from the transit stops (first and last mile); cycling is part of the solution;
- bike lanes are part of the solution, not the problem! Traffic congestion is caused by many things, but primarily by construction activity and bad behaviour where intersections are obstructed. Support people on bikes and reduce congestion, reduce health care costs, help children, students, people with low incomes have a way to get around;
- there are good things about city living but also many negatives, like noise, congestion, and sheer intensity; bike lanes, like attractive streets and parks and interesting cultural events, are essential to having a quality of life in the city that continues to sustain and grow the population and economy; if life in Toronto shifts to unbearable, what happens to the economic engine of the province?

Any decision should be based on data, consultation and open consideration of options. The bike lane proposals in Bill 212 aren’t informed by these things, and seem to be simply dogma - Premier Ford’s disdain for cycling and need to continually poke the City of Toronto in the eye. This is not responsible governing and I’d ask that the Province not approve the bike lane provisions of Bill 212. The City of Toronto is in a much better position to understand and act on the needs and preferences of its citizens. If fixing traffic congestion is really the issue, how about getting the Eglinton Crosstown running? How about supporting the City in managing the incredible amount of construction activity in our vibrant city, including all the construction associated with provincial projects? How about opening up Highway 407 to truck traffic and perhaps cars?

Please be thoughtful and responsible and drop this poorly conceived idea of regulating bike lanes. Thank you