Please reconsider this short…

Please reconsider this short-sighted strategy, which will not solve gridlock, and will have the immediate impact of making conditions LESS SAFE for pedestrians in neighbourhoods.

I am a resident of the Kingsway neighbourhood, residing only 200 metres from the intersection of Royal York Road, and Bloor Street West. My wife works on Bloor, my child attends activities along Bloor, and we do nearly all our shopping in the neighbourhood by foot.

Since the Bloor West Complete Street project, the roads have become SIGNIFICANTLY more safe for my family. Walking along Bloor has become safer, as the intersection redesign reduces the speed of traffic turning across crosswalks. Not only has walking become much more safe, but cycling no longer requires that we take up a full lane of car traffic, and has become an enjoyable alternative for my family, allowing us to remove a car from the road for some of our trips.

Meanwhile, I use my car daily to commute along Bloor, and have seen only a modest increase in my commute time along this corridor, which is a small inconvenience when set against the benefits of a safer environment for residents.

However, my commute times along the QEW have seen significant increase, and this is a corridor that will not see any improvements whatsoever by the proposed changes in this bill. With the growing population and density along the QEW corridor, what is most-needed are investments into transportation alternatives for Ontarians.