I am strongly opposed to…

I am strongly opposed to Bill 212. As a daily cyclist and a Toronto resident, I rely on bike lanes to commute safely and efficiently to to work and back home, to run errands, to see friends and family, and for entertainment and leisure. My bike allows me to avoid adding an extra car to city congestion for each of these trip categories.

By choosing to cycle, I’m helping reduce congestion and pollution, making the city more livable for everyone. Removing bike lanes would force cyclists like myself onto busy streets, either by exercising my right in the Highway Traffic Act to take up an entire lane, further increasing travel times, but also putting myself at increased the risk of accidents. I’ve personally experienced a concussion following a hit and run by a driver in a part of town with limited cycling infrastructure. Bike lanes provide added safety to our streets and increase business activity wherever they are built. They are good for Ontario!

I urge that this bill be overturned and that the Ontario government turn to investing in solutions that will remove drivers and cars from the road, and providing them access to safe and healthy transportation solutions: frequent and well funded public transportation, improved infrastructure for cycling and walking, and providing financial incentives to those who don’t own a car or prioritize greener methods of transportation.

Signed, an Ontarian who would like to stay in Ontario!