Good Day, I would like to…

Good Day,

I would like to express my severe disappointment with Bill 212, specifically, 4 Part XII of the Act being amended to require "Ministry approval of bicycle lanes..." construction and that the "Ministry may review existing bicycle lanes" such as the proposed removal of bicycle lanes on Bloor St. West in Toronto.

This is a regressive policy that:
1. Will not remedy or alleviate the current traffic congestion in Toronto or other municipalities in Ontario (Please see attached Globe and Mail article in the 1st URL).

2. Will directly and indirectly result in the deaths and injuries of more citizens who choose active transportation as their mode of transportation to work or any other destination (Please see second URL from the organization People for Bikes).

The 1st URL attached is an article from the Globe recently that cited many experts and studies in the area of traffic congestion. The overarching theme and takeaway from the article is that the increased congestion is due to:
1. Cars being larger in size and taking up more space on the road
2. Bottlenecks within the city causing huge back-ups of traffic
3. Constant construction causing road closures

Nowhere in this article are bicycle lanes cited as being a main cause of increased congestion. Can you explain why that is? Despite your stance within this Bill regarding bicycle lanes?

Active transportation users are already challenged enough across Ontario especially in Toronto with the infrastructure that currently exists. Your proposal will result in more people being harmed and killed by drivers. In the second attached URL, the page from People For Bikes in the US quotes an article that states "Protected bike lanes reduce bike-related intersection injuries by about 75 percent compared to comparable crossings without infrastructure."

Active transportation by bike is important to REDUCE congestion in municipalities. It is simple, 1 less person on a bicycle means 1 less car. As a reminder, bicycles are smaller than cars. Additionally, a bicycle reduces smog and pollution versus a car. If a person does not feel safe riding a bicycle on a city street without a protected bike lane(or any bike lane) they will not ride. And the argument of just re-distributing the lanes to other streets or routes is not feasible. People have to get to certain high traffic destinations(such as businesses on Bloor St) and MUST use that corridor.

Finally, with this lack of effectiveness in mind, it can be deduced that the provincial government is enacting this amendment only to create an illusion of action on traffic congestion within the city. It is simply to appeal to citizens anger in regards to traffic congestion and the wait times they encounter in their vehicle. This is a gross misuse of power to gain votes and the government employees who are pushing this should seriously reflect on their civic duty and that they are serving the citizens of Ontario, not Doug Ford.

Please reconsider Bill 212, specifically, 4 Part XII of the Act being amended and listen to the hundred of thousands of Ontario citizens voicing their discontent over this.

Sincerely

Alex L.