As a long time supporter of…

As a long time supporter of Ford, I am really disappointed in the ongoing attacks on bike lane infrastructure. The ability for everyone to travel safely through a city should be more information to the province than a vendetta against bike lanes.

Members of my immediate family have been seriously injured by cars while biking. By making it harder for municipalities to create safe bike transit the the province is telling it's constituents that their safety is not as important as traffic. That said bike lane have proven time and time again that they actually improved traffic not the other way around. Just image very person biking in an Uber instead, or all the food delivery bikes taking up a full lane of traffic. It absolutely would not be better for the city. It will worsen traffic congestion, not reduce it. The government’s own experts have consistently said that bike lanes are not a cause of gridlock.

I firmly believe that decisions regarding traffic, streets and bike lanes should be made by people who understand the data and involve the community. This proposal unnecessary complicates a process that should be specific to communities and their needs. Laws like this are arbitrary and do not factor in the many ways that communities use their roads and how that changes over time. It also threatens other uses of road space that communities rely on, including transit priority, safe crossings, patios, curbside access, and school streets.

Me and family will no longer support the conservative government in future elections because we've seen first hand how important bike safety is, the governments eagerness to disregard public safety is upsetting.