I am against part XII…

I am against part XII amendments of the Highway act Section 4 empowering the Ministry to delay / cancel implementation or mandate removal of bike lanes in any municipality in Ontario. I am a middle-aged cyclist who commutes 18km to work 2-3 times per week. I do it because it helps me stay active, reduces my gaz costs and decreases my frustration with traffic. And I have voted for all 3 major political parties at one point or another.

Coming from a city with a much more advanced cycling culture, the city of Toronto was a shock. I have resided in the north of the city for almost 2 years (where the cycling infrastructure is not great, but improving) and have had one fall causing injuries and 3 near misses with vehicles before I figured out the best / safest way to take & navigate half thought out construction detours. Most commuters that are new cyclist would have abandoned the idea of cycling.

Agreed that the traffic in Toronto is horrible - this will not be fixed by removing 2 bike lanes and limiting expansion of the network. In order for more regular commuters to take up cycling, Toronto and its neighbors will need to up their game by building a coherent cycling system. This is actually progressing at a decent pace. Playing Right wing VS Left wing politics over placement of 2 bike panes is not evidence-based planning. Let the municipalities take care of the municipalities, establish metrics with penalties if you want to micromanage, but a veto power based on political rational will only delay progress. I do not find the justifications provided for this ammendment convincing. You can use bad metrics to justify anything if you’ve made up your mind. Are cyclists also to blame for highway congestion?? My opinion is that the Province is putting a bit too much blame on cyclist for the city’s traffic problem.

The provincial government has lots of other priorities….build highways, restore healthcare and improve housing costs - please stay in your lanes!! We will stay in ours.