This section of the bill is…

This section of the bill is alarming to me and I do not want it to pass.

Every day, I get outside in my neighbourhood - by running, biking, walking, and taking transit. As a currently unemployed white-collar worker, I can't express how much it means to me right now living in an area where I don't have to own a car. I can walk, run, and bike along major streets with reduced traffic lanes without worrying for my safety or breathability. Extra modes of transportation mean that my neighbourhood is built for accessibility, and I support my local grocery, restaurants, and corner stores just by walking or biking there safely within 10 minutes.

If I had to worry about affording a car, I don't know where I'd be right now. I certainly wouldn't be able to keep interviewing to get back into my field of work. I wouldn't be as healthy if I had to drive everywhere. My local economy and small businesses would suffer if I had to choose every day whether to drive to my favourite spots or just stay home.

I love living where I am, and others do, too. Where I live is unique, as is every municipality, and every municipality should get to do what's right for them.

This bill strips municipalities from making their own decisions. The province's own studies show that increasing vehicle lanes does not reduce congestion; it is likely to increase it. We need viable transportation alternatives if we want to truly combat traffic. When you're driving and other people are walking, biking, or taking transit outside of your lane, that's a LOT less cars in front of you!

Even if we have differing opinions on how streets should be designed - all the more reason why these decisions should be in the hands of municipalities. The people who live there should get to decide what's best for them, not the provincial government.

Keep me and others off the road for your own sake, and let municipalities change their street designs if they want to.