I am writing to voice my…

I am writing to voice my strong opposition to Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024. As a frequent cyclist commuter in the city of Toronto, I have experienced firsthand, how much safer the roads of Bloor St. and University Ave. are with the installation of bike lanes. One striking fact that I have observed is that more and more people, many of them tourists and visitors to our city are choosing to use Bikeshare bikes since the bike lanes have been installed. The statistic that only 1.2% of Torontonians bike to work is false. Based on day-to-day experience, I would agree with the figure published by the Toronto Star, of at least 10%.

The claim that removing installed bike lanes with save commuters time and reduce gridlock is absurd. The Gridlock that has occurred related to bike lanes is because lanes of traffic had to be closed to construct the lanes. It makes no sense, now that bike lanes have been completed, to then close down those same lanes to vehicular traffic to remove the bike lanes. Removing bike lanes also amounts to an incredible waste of resources that could be used for positive initiatives - affordable housing, school lunch programs, the list goes on.

There is no doubt that bike lanes save lives for cyclists. Even if it was true that uninstalling or halting the construction of more bike lanes would shave a few minutes off of the daily commute, shouldn't making the streets safer for all road users, including cyclists, be the priority? I hope everyone considering Bill 212 would agree.