I am strongly opposed to…

I am strongly opposed to this legislation. Please leave this matter to the municipalities.

I live and work in downtown Toronto and I regularly get around the city by bicycle, using the bike lanes along University Avenue, York Street, Adelaide Street, Richmond Street, Blue Jays Way, Queens Quay and Sherbourne Street. Not just for commuting to/from work but also for running errands, shopping, eating out and visiting friends.

If these protected bike lanes weren't there I'd do all of those things by car, ADDING another car onto the road and making congestion worse.

There is literally decades of research showing that adding more car lanes makes traffic worse, not better; it's called induced demand.

Having dedicated, safe cycle lanes makes cycling a viable alternative to driving, which is better for Ontarians' health and our environment. Furthermore it's better for Ontarian businesses; it is easier and safer to spot a nice shop/restaurant on a bike at 15km/h, park the bike and go in, than it is to fly past the shop/restaurant in a car at 40km/h and be unable to find parking.

This legislation puts lives Ontarian lives at risk, goes against its stated aim of "reducing gridlock", makes it harder to patronize local shops/restaurants, and encourages more people into cars with all associated ill effects on health, air quality and climate.

Literally no other jurisdiction in the developed world is proposing to do something like this; not even in the car-centric USA.