This bill is a bad idea…

This bill is a bad idea which makes bikes the scapegoats for the problems of having too many cars. As reported by the CBC, the evidence is mixed (at best) for how much bike lanes actually contribute to congestion. The government's claim that only 1.2% of people in Toronto bike is intentionally misleading - in areas with bike lanes, the number can be up to 8%.

When drivers are slowed by even a couple of minutes, the government is willing to spend billions of dollars attempting to fix things. Yet, when 6 cyclists have already been killed this year in the GTA, the government couldn't care less. A couple of months ago, I attended my first ghost ride for a cyclist killed by a motorist in Guelph. The complete randomness of that collision made me realize that it could easily have been me (or my wife or my friends).

I don't own a car - I need my bike for many of my day to day chores such as getting groceries. Thankfully, the road to my local grocery store has bike lanes. The thought of making that trip without a bike lane is a scary one. Cycling should never be an act of courage.