My issue with Schedule 4 is…

My issue with Schedule 4 is the Ministry of Transportation, a provincial body, is requiring information from municipalities to prove the benefits of bicycle lanes to ensure drivers are not negatively impacted and it will approve what the municipalities can and cannot do. This is overstepping the ministries jurisdiction. The ministry had gone to the Supreme Court of Canada for a similar issue with regards Highway 413 not long ago as well. Highway 413 was designated for a federal impact assessment and the ministry argued that the federal government had overstepped their boundaries. This is the exact same thing that is happening, but not it is the provincial government overstepping boundaries into how municipalities choose to govern themselves.

It is hypocritical of the Ministry to require data and then decide if it will approve the implementation of bike lanes. The MOT is pushing for the construction of Highway 413,and do not publish the data on expected benefits, who will benefit, and the financial/environmental costs. Where was all the data and information with regards to Highway 413 that led to the decision that it must be built? The Highway 413 site (https://www.highway413.ca/2021/03/31/timesavings/) states that, "not everyone will enjoy the direct benefit of time savings" and then argues other examples such as building hospitals and how it benefits the local residents in the area. The same argument that they use to argue for Highway 413 applies to the bike lanes they want to limit and even remove along Bloor, University, and Yonge. There is a group of people who benefit from the bike lanes, but that is not enough to expand the bike lane networks anymore, yet it is enough to argue for more highways.

There have been multiple studies on the return on investment when investing in cycling networks in cities. Australia's Queensland government has a website (https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/travel-and-transport/cycling/cycling-strateg…) speaking about the topic. They invested into their cycling networks and wanted to promote a more active lifestyle for their citizens. They found that for every dollar they invested into the cycling infrastructure, it led to approximately 5 dollars worth of benefits. This came in the form of improved health benefits and reduced traffic congestion to name a few.

Expanding the cycling network also helps deal with the first/last mile issue, where people using multiple forms of transportation require more options for the first and last mile of a trip. Cars and walking are typical forms, but cycling also can be used to solve this issue as the individual can go wherever they need to and are not limited by the predetermined routes used by buses and trains.

Overall, alternative methods, including cycling, should be explored and developed more to reduce traffic congestion, improve the health and quality of life of citizens, and reduce GHG emissions and pollution. Just like how induced demand applies to new highways and roads, it applies to cycling networks as well. The amount of people using Bike Share programs in Toronto has been dramatically increasing over the years. People want to cycle, but they want to be safe when doing so.