I am concerned about the…

I am concerned about the public health implications of this proposed plan. As a family physician practicing in downtown Toronto I counsel Torontonians every day on the need to engage in physical activity to maintain health. Often time is a barrier and cycling is a way to achieve both efficient transportation and health benefits. In the absence of bike lanes many people feel unsafe to engage in this. And the risks are real. As a palliative care physician I have also taken care of an 18 year old who was struck by a car and died as a result. We need safe, efficient options for transportation and that promote and protect health. Transportation by bicycle is significantly more space efficient than cars If everyone who is on a bike were driving a car this would result in more gridlock and more people biking can help reduce gridlock, but it needs to be safe. Separated bike lanes have been shown to save live and ultimately safety should be the priority.