As a cyclist, and a car…

As a cyclist, and a car driver, I am appalled at the proposed law to ban bike lanes. If enacted it will not reduce congestion (cars do that, bicycles reduce it) while at the same time make cycling more dangerous and therefore less attractive as an alternate form of transportation. Furthermore the Province shouldn’t be meddling in local government. Municipalities are the ones who understand their communities the best and where and whether to install bike lanes, or in fact to remove them. If the Premier wants to eliminate bike lanes in Toronto (which this bill targets) then he should resign and run for Mayor. Trotting out bogus statistics to justify this action amplifies the weakness of the government’s policy. Suggesting bike lanes only on secondary streets ignores that, at least in our city, secondary streets rarely run in a straight line and therefore make commuting by bike longer and more complicated. The result is cycling on more dangerous routes or commuting by car, causing further congestion. Also, secondary streets are already narrower than main roads so how would adding bike lanes there ease traffic? Finally, the Premier’s war on bikes emboldens those drivers who already harass and endanger cyclists. Surely the government has better things to do with their time and our money.