I’m concerned about the…

I’m concerned about the environmental impact of this bill and its impact on the ability to achieve Toronto’s “TransformTO Net Zero Strategy” which has a goal that by 2030, 70% of work/school trips under 5 km will be walked, biked, or by transit. Simply put, removing key bike lanes will make biking an unattractive, slow, and unsafe option, encouraging more cars on the road. Focusing on getting “drivers” where they need to be faster vs. getting “people” where they need to be faster is a goal that will have negative impacts for the city, the health of its citizens, and the environment overall. Exhaust emissions from cars, trucks and other on-road vehicles are the largest source of local air pollution in Toronto and contribute to hospitalizations and premature deaths in Toronto. I encourage the Ontario Government to think holistically when proposing solutions to issues such as a gridlock.

I am extremely supportive of reducing gridlock and getting people where they need to go faster. Fast and efficient transportation is the backbone of a thriving city, and these are real problems that Toronto faces. However, there are more creative, environmentally conscious, and ultimately effective ways to do this that the Ontario government should strive for. We can reduce gridlock by improving our public transit by running pilot projects to make a high impact for a low-cost (e.g. King Street Transit Priority Corridor), improving the availability of public transit, investing in bike safety to encourage biking as a form of transport, and completing government infrastructure projects on time to reduce gridlock-creating construction (e.g. ensuring engineers are paid a liveable wage, review engineering staffing needs).