Throughout my life I've…

Throughout my life I've enjoyed biking with my family, friends, and now my own child in Ontario for work, errands and fun. Biking is a great leveller for moving around. It is affordable, active and good for the air we breath.

Bike lanes have very slowly improved over my lifetime. From painted lines and shared lanes to protected lanes with barriers only recently have I found almost enough protected bike routes to help me get around safely in the GTHA. Still, there are dangerous areas where I still worry for my safety and the painted line or shared lane sign is not enough. As a province we are in need of more protected bike lanes.

This legislation dismisses this need and reverses the slight progress that has been in safe bike culture in Ontario. It is a travesty to think this legislation could become reality.

Bike lane projects have often been spurred on by cycling deaths within our communities in Ontario. These projects often replace a lane that was dedicated for automobile use only with a safe lane for cyclists. These bike lanes, like the Keddy Access Trail in Hamilton named after Jay Keddy who was killed biking on the location of the trail, act as memorials for those who have died cycling there. With this legislation these lanes and there history and role as memorial are on the chopping block.

To think that these deaths and the continued deaths of cyclists on our Ontario roads are considered not "enough" by the Provincial Government to even warrant the beginnings of a functional bike lane system begs the question: how many Ontarians will have to die to justify bike lanes existing in our province?

This legislation is dangerous, reckless and a provincial overreach. Keep bike lanes local. Honour the memory of those Ontarions who have died cycling. Make communities safer by building up bike lane infrastructure. Abandon this legislation.