Doug Ford does not have a…

Doug Ford does not have a valid argument or even supportive data to buttress his theory that traffic congestion in Toronto is the result bike lanes, or the 3 specific bike lanes he wants to remove (those on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue). There are many reasons for traffic congestion in the city - the sheer number of people and cars, the endless construction (both to repair and build more infrastructure and to build condos), and an underfunded transit system that still hasn’t recovered from low ridership during the COVID pandemic or the impact of a workforce that has embraced a remote/hybrid work life. If he truly wants to ease traffic in Toronto (and improve air quality as a bonus) he could start by providing more funding to the TTC, encourage and reward people who car pool, let Toronto implement tolls to deal with congestion (congestion pricing) , and support those who can and do choose to bike, freeing up the road for those who truly need to drive. Making the streets safer for both pedestrians and cyclists would ease traffic congestion and has done so in other cities around the world. It took time for cities such as Paris and Amsterdam to get there but they got there.

Induced demand works for both roads and bike lanes, If you increase car lanes you will get more cars, so if you increase bike lanes you will get more cyclists - and probably ease car traffic and gridlock. It takes time to see the effects but we will see them and have done so already.

As for the money the Ford government wants to waste to remove bike lanes, that’s even more egregious - and downloading the cost on to all Ontario taxpayers is equally unfair.