Nearly 8 years ago I was…

Nearly 8 years ago I was struck by a left-turning driver while crossing University Avenue at a signalized intersection.
Since that night, University Avenue has been changed. Bike lanes on both sides have narrowed the avenue forcing drivers to pay more attention.
The intersection where I was struck is now a protected intersection, forcing drivers to slow down and approach the turn from a position that gives them more time to see a other road users crossing and more time for crossing road users to see a vehicle moving toward them.
I was a pedestrian when I was struck, but safe street infrastructure protects everyone, not just cyclists. If University Avenue had had the same safe street infrastructure eight years ago that it has today, I would have made it safely to the other side and not experienced the pain, lost life time, year off work, and continuing effects of my injury.
The city is a place for people to live, not just drive through. Safe streets save lives and all road users benefit from cycling infrastructure and road calming measures.
Yet Doug Ford wants to remove this safe infrastructure and put peoples' lives at risk. And for what? To please a few business men in Etobicoke who want to get somewhere a few seconds faster? Our lives are more important than a driver's convenience. Our lives have to count for something too.