Hello and thank you for the…

Hello and thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on this proposal.

Of the 4 priorities our government has identified, I am only in agreement with the third, specifically, "speeding up the delivery of broadband projects that will connect people in all parts of Ontario, including rural areas, with reliable internet access." In the 21st century, access to online services is essential for all people.

Where the other three priorities are concerned, I am in complete disagreement -- especially with:

- ...the need to build priority highways faster as our province grows in order to get people and goods out of gridlock and save drivers and businesses time and money."
- ...building Highway 413, recognizing the importance of this highway to millions of drivers from across Ontario."

We DO NOT need more highways. The proposal to subsidize Highway 407 for trucks rather than build an adjacent roadway/tunnel at the taxpayers' expense -- for the second time -- is far more reasonable and will facilitate the shipment of goods efficiently, freeing up Highway 401 for drivers. Moreover, the people who use the roads should pay for them. Toll roads exist all over the world and across the US, and should be implemented more widely here in Ontario and Canada.

We DO need to increase accessible public transportation across the province. This means buses and/or trains. I was just visiting friends in the North Bay area last week and learned of the utter lack of transportation options for cancer patients commuting to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatments. They simply should not have to drive. Ours is a large province and to rely solely on cars to travel to and from our various centres in the year 2024 is unreasonable.

We DO need to open and operate the Eglinton Crosstown. As a publicly funded transit line (i.e., one paid for by the taxpayers) there should be complete transparency around the deadline for its completion. This is particularly noteworthy given the disruption the construction of the Ontario Line is currently causing to so many Toronto taxpayers. To commence an expansive project without demonstrating the capacity to complete another, is just bad practice and bad PR. Why should we have any confidence that Metrolinx can build the (much-needed) Ontario relief line, when it can't complete the Crosstown LRT on budget and on time?

Not only should Metrolinx be more accountable and efficient, it should offer more affordable fares to encourage publicly funded transit options -- for example, its GO fares to and from the GTA. This would be much more cost-effective than building an entirely new highway to accommodate more cars in this time of climate change when we must cut our carbon emissions.

To this end, the construction and use of bike lanes is forward-looking. We need and SHOULD NOT eliminate bike lanes. They contribute to the livability of our city. Without them, the streets and sidewalks will become overwhelmed with e-scooters, e-bikes and e-couriers -- many of whom are currently making our bike lanes unsafe, because they do not follow the rules of the road: they ride without lights; they do not use bells; they do not stop at intersections; they jump on and off sidewalks. Should the provincial government eliminate bike lanes, they will bring this behaviour onto our roads, wreaking havoc and confusion in traffic.

As a point of fact, city bike lanes are the municipal government's purview to manage. Toronto City Council is better positioned and more knowledgeable about the needs of its constituents. The provincial government should focus its attention on efficient transit options to and from our provincial centres, and not within them.

Rather than eliminating bike lanes, we should plan development/construction projects strategically. Multiple arteries (east/west and north/south) should not be dug up at once. Infrastructure projects are crucial, but require careful and strategic scheduling. We should also consider restricting driving in parts of the city, as they have done in Time Square in New York City and London UK's Congestion Zone; and consider implementing one-way streets like those in Manhattan.

In summary, poor planning, incomplete transit projects, and unaffordable bus and/or train commuting options are causing gridlock. As Mayor Chow has pointed out, if we were to build more highways around the GTA, their construction will cause even longer commuting times.

Instead of the priorities set out in Bill 212, we should:

- Implement tolls for commuters who do not pay taxes in Toronto but benefit from all the benefits the city has to offer (i.e. employment, entertainment, hospitality);

- Increase affordable transit options within Toronto (like the Eglinton Crosstown LRT) AND across the province with Metrolinx systems (e.g. GO Trains & Buses);

- Properly manage Metrolinx and development projects so they are planned/scheduled strategically, and consider alternate traffic patterns within the city to keep traffic moving;

- MAINTAIN existing bike lanes, so that roads can be free of bikes, scooters, e-bikes and e-scooters.

I am a longstanding city resident, driver, transit user, taxpayer, cyclist and active participant in our urban community. My government's disregard for this country's largest city -- its livability, its affordability -- is heart-breaking, and astonishingly irresponsible. This poorly conceived Bill 212 is both an enormous disappointment and a wasteful proposal of public spending.

Thank you.
AV