This misguided piece of…

This misguided piece of proposed legislation will endanger lives, compromise economic development, and increase emissions from transportation. It should not be passed into law. Research has conclusively proven that bike lanes are an asset to communities for several reasons:

-Economic benefits: small businesses report increases to the number of customers coming through their doors when bike lanes are installed. Cycling is an efficient and cost-effective way to mobilize, especially for the large number of individuals in cities who do not own cars. Removing existing bike lanes would be an incredible waste of taxpayer money.

-Environmental benefits: In order to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions, people need safe and efficient alternative to cars. Bike lanes provide that. They are an integral part of addressing the present climate change emergency.

-Health benefits: Bike lanes keep cyclists safe. Endangering the lives of cyclists for the sake of saving a few minutes of a motorist's time is morally reprehensible.

-Traffic benefits: Adding back lanes of traffic will not reduce congestion. In fact, the opposite will occur due to induced demand. Additionally, cyclists do not simply disappear where there are no bike lanes. Instead they are forced to share lanes with motorists, slowing down the flow of traffic.

Further to these points, the proposed legislation is an egregious jurisdictional overreach. The province should not interfere in municipal decisions about transportation infrastructure.