I have significant concerns…

I have significant concerns about Bill 212. I completely oppose a framework that requires provincial approval to implement bike lanes and that supports the removal of existing bike infrastructure in our cities, as well as the province’s bid for an exemption from the Environmental Assessment Act for enterprises, activities, proposals, plans, and programs for or related to Highway 413 (I have submitted a separate comment on the Highway 413 Act).

Bill 212 is unprecedented jurisdictional overreach that will impact the safety of all road users. It will not reduce gridlock, save money, or improve the quality of life of Ontarians. I am not against driving; our household owns a car, and we drive between cities and within to visit family, friends, and businesses. I mostly transit or bike within the city, but my partner only drives—we are both completely baffled by this proposed legislation and how out of touch it is with the daily experience of average Ontarians. Getting people who don't want to drive out of their cars and into alternative modes of transportation would reduce traffic and gridlock. The bike lanes on Bloor have made it safer and faster for us to drive by separating bikes from the car traffic lane. We don't have to worry as much about hitting someone or having someone on their bike take the full lane (as is their right) and slow down traffic. There are thousands of users per day on the bike lanes Premier Ford wants to remove in Toronto, which would mean thousands of cars back on the road.

I want vibrant, innovative, accessible cities in Ontario full of well-connected destinations where we can build community and support our families and businesses. If you refer to the Bloor Bike Lane reports prepared by Toronto city staff, local businesses are more successful in areas with bike lanes. The province's proposal undermines local governance and supports an outdated model that will keep our cities constantly gridlocked, bereft of community, bleeding money on upkeep for crumbling road infrastructure, and ultimately a danger for everyone on the road (but especially anyone walking or biking).

If the provincial government truly supports Ontarians, including drivers, then you must not pass Bill 212. Do not interfere in municipal efforts to accelerate and expand our cycling networks of connected bikeways. Please stand for us and reject using our safety as a pawn in a larger culture war. This is not a left or right issue, nor a drivers vs. cyclists issue. Every single driver I know, including myself, wants everyone to be safe and be empowered to make their own choices. A robust network of separated bike lanes is a WIN-WIN. Driver's don't have to share their immediate lane with cyclists or with other drivers who only do it out of necessity due to a dearth of other viable options (thus making them more likely to be bad drivers). Those who choose to bike are safe and save time/money using a well-connected bike network that does not constantly put them in conflict with drivers. One more bike on the road is one less car; bikes take up far less space on the road than a single-occupancy vehicle.

"We have to do everything we can to make sure there’s never a death in the city. One death is way too many when it comes to bicycle riders. We have to make sure that they’re safe." That was the Premier back in 2017 on TVO's Political Blind Date. “You’re nervous when there’s no bike lanes. At least I was,” he said. All drivers agree with that quote, be true to your own sentiment! We are all more nervous while driving, cycling, walking, or taking transit when there is a lack of proper infrastructure. Across the province, we need separated bike lanes, dedicated priority transit lanes, and more secure pedestrian pathways to prevent deadly accidents within our cities. Instead of more highways that induce more car traffic, build out our local trains and a high-speed rail corridor, which would be more efficient at transporting more people (and money) into cities at more reasonable maintenance costs.

The province is ignoring evidence-based solutions and the significant body of research that supports bike lanes as a means to reduce traffic for drivers and improve safety, and that indicates giving drivers "more lanes" creates induced demand, doing nothing to solve gridlock. Municipal governments have the local knowledge and contextual understanding necessary to effectively address specific community transportation needs. Any provincial legislation that would limit municipalities from serving their communities ultimately undermines local governance and the ability of municipalities to protect the well-being of their residents. All levels of government have a clear public health obligation to ensure roadways are safe for all users.

Protected bike lanes within a well-connected network 1) improve the flow of traffic by incentivizing those who don't want to drive to bike and reducing conflict points, 2) prioritizes the safety of all road users and lowers the potential for deadly accidents, 3) makes commutes more enjoyable for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, and 4) directly connects people with destinations, benefitting our businesses who want more visibility and foot traffic (not car traffic that just passes them by). Not every trip will be bikeable, and not every person will choose to ride a bike. We must use evidence-based solutions to keep people moving across the province, and not take away the democratic voices of my municipal leaders and my community. If the government is serious about reducing gridlock, the only way forward is to invest in and build a massive public transit infrastructure, and augment municipal streets with alternative means of mobility, such as bike lanes.