Hello, Bill 212 introduces…

Hello,

Bill 212 introduces needless red tape and bureaucracy and is misguided in its approach to its stated goals. Further, it increases the likelihood of accidents.

1. The provincial government should not be adding additional barriers to city planning. This is a gross overstep of the provincial government's mandate. Adding a provincial review process will only hinder the planning process and creates additional red tape and bureaucracy. I thought this government wanted to reduce red tape.

2. The provincial government should be considering the safety of all residents in their policies. Removing bike lanes not only puts cyclists at risk, but drivers as well. Bike lanes serve to make roads safer for cars (isn't it easier to drive without worrying about a cyclist passing in your blind spot?).

3. Bike lanes support transit investment. Data shows that bike lanes are particularly effective when places next to transit hubs to allow commuters to access transit by bike. Ontario is investing a lot in transit projects and it only make sense to make these stations accessible by all means of transportation.

I live in an urban neighbourhood where I cycle often. I am very safe, have lights, reflective strips, a bright coloured helmet. I signal my turns and my stops. Yet, car drivers often behave aggressively towards me. My bike will not win if an aggressive driver takes their behaviour too far. Bike lanes are extremely important in demonstrating that many types of transportation are welcome in cities.

You may be familiar with the concept of induced demand. This is when the availability of infrastructure correlates to how well it is used. Consider a city where most roads are narrow, bumpy, dirt lanes. There are a few paved sections here and there stretching a few blocks. Many people here ride horses. It is unlikely that we will see many cars drive in this city, because the infrastructure does not make it easy or safe to do so. Now please understand that this concept also applies to bike lanes. Saying that only a small fraction of commuters use bike lanes when these bike lanes only offer an incomplete network actually suggests that by improving and expanding bike infrastructure, it would be used more, thus removing traffic.

As we have seen with many cities around the world (Paris, as a recent example), reducing traffic and improving bike infrastructure go hand in hand. Ontario's cities are well behind other parts of the world and this bill would only set us back even more.

If the Premier is upset by congestion on Bloor Street on his way to the office, perhaps he should driving on the "side streets".

Thank you.