I’m 25, And I know people…

I’m 25, And I know people personally who have been affected by unsafe bike infrastructure - leading to death. Bike lanes save lives, simple as that. As someone who does not bike in the city too often, every time I bike in the city I’m almost hit or run over by a vehicle. Half of those times it’s because the bike lane turns into a regular car lane, putting me directly in the line of traffic - but still safer than if there was no bike lane at all. My Dad bikes to work downtown from East York every day, I want him to be safe. My Downstairs Neighbour bikes around the city, I want them to be safe. My roommate bikes around the city, I want her to be safe. I bike around the city, I want to be as safe as any car.
Staying safe as a cyclist is difficult when someone simply opening a car door can break your arm.
When I think about Toronto, I see images of the CN tower, street cars on Spadina, round little raccoons, and bikes. Discouraging this important part of our city’s culture discourages our city’s identity. This will also have an incredibly negative effect on both the autonomy of movement for those without cars, as well as the mental health and physical well-being of Toronto citizens.
I am a human being, trying to live my life and get where I need to go. I just want to get home safe. If that’s an inconvenient for those in cars, maybe they should try to bike a mile in our helmets.