The Ontario government has…

The Ontario government has committed to reducing red tape; Bill 212 is a direct contradiction of this commitment. Excessive government oversight, such as requiring provincial approval for new bike lanes, is not to be taken lightly, as there is no guarantee that the government is consistently and completely accountable for the consequences of its decisions; this is especially notable in matters that have been traditionally addressed at the municipal level. I strongly agree that traffic congestion is a burden on all Ontarians and that bold, strategic actions must be taken to reduce gridlock, but removing existing bike lanes, let alone infringing on the municipalities' autonomy in the process of doing so, is not going to reduce gridlock as intended, especially in the long-term, but will create further problems that are completely avoidable. There are countless, costly examples here in Ontario where adding lanes for motor vehicles did not effectively reduce gridlock in the long-term; seriously improving alternative options to driving is a more effective strategy, still to the drivers' benefit: more free capacity for those who choose to drive or have to drive. I am not necessarily advocating for a bike-centric approach to urban planning, but I am especially wary of taxpayer dollars being used to remove a bike lane that could otherwise stay: congestion would not improve as desired for drivers, but those biking are now in further peril. Removing bike lanes will not eliminate the demand for biking: those biking will now be forced to mix with motor vehicle traffic, which is only more frustrating for drivers stuck behind bikes and far more dangerous for those biking. It is no secret that drivers in Ontario have become more aggressive, especially when faced with more challenging environments such as the presence of bikes impeding traffic. Separating bike and motor vehicle traffic purely for the safety of both drivers and bikers already has significant merit: removing bike lanes through provincial mandates is only going to implicate the province in serious injuries and fatalities as a result of the removal of bike lanes when the province could've otherwise not removed the bike lanes and reduced the congestion through far more effective means.