To whom it may concern, I am…

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed amendments to the Highway Traffic Act under the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025. These changes would prohibit municipalities from reducing motor vehicle lanes when installing new bicycle lanes. This proposal is misguided and runs counter to best practices in urban planning and transportation design.

Street design should remain under the jurisdiction of municipalities. Local governments are best equipped to understand the unique needs of their communities and to design streets that support multiple modes of transportation, including walking, cycling, transit, and driving. Removing their ability to reconfigure lanes limits their capacity to create safe, inclusive, and vibrant public spaces.

This proposal prioritizes the speed of vehicles passing through a neighbourhood over the well-being of the people who live there. It undermines traffic calming, restricts the creation of outdoor public spaces, and blocks the implementation of bike infrastructure that supports safety, sustainability, and climate goals. It also makes it harder to achieve thoughtful densification, which depends on streets that are livable and welcoming.

I urge the government to reconsider this proposal and instead support evidence-based, locally informed street design that reflects the values and needs of Ontario’s communities.