I am strongly opposed to…

I am strongly opposed to Bill 212. As a daily cyclist and a Toronto resident, I rely on bike lanes to commute safely and efficiently when doing everything from short neighbourhood errands to crossing the city for work.

By choosing to forgo a car and use a bike as my main mode of transportation, I’m helping reduce congestion and pollution, making the city more livable, and healthier for everyone. Several different studies have shown that car use costs cities (and their residents) money, while bike use saves a city money. Cyclist are, in general, healthier, helping to lower healthcare costs. There are far fewer road repairs required for cycling infrastructure (which is cheaper to install than roadways in the first place). Bill 212 is inherently undemocratic, and ignores decades of data -- and the government's arguments for the necessity of the bill prove this, because you have yet to even bother demonstrating any factual evidence that this bill will reduce congestion.

And beyond all of that, removing bike lanes would force cyclists like me onto busy streets, increasing the risk of accidents and potentially pushing plenty of cyclists back into cars, which would only add to traffic and emissions. This path forward makes the city less safe. My life is worth just as much as the life of a driver, and this bill is an insult to me and to everyone else in this city who is trying to be a responsible resident, all to score cheap political points. It's a disgrace, and the fact that it even has to be appealed in this form is embarrassing as an Ontarian.

Bike lanes on streets like Bloor-Danforth have proven vital for safe commuting. Instead of taking them away, the Ontario government should be investing in more cycling infrastructure to support a healthier, greener, and less congested city.