I want to live in a place…

I want to live in a place where people can bike freely and safely to get to where they need to go. More and more people use the bike share in Toronto, which I think is a good thing - it saves time and money, and encourages an active and healthy lifestyle. Bike lanes are a very important piece of infrastructure to encourage safe and healthy cities by reducing traffic and pollution. Bikes are a major mode of transportation in other places in the world, and these places have the infrastructure to ensure everybody, no matter how they get from one place to another, can have a safe, enjoyable journey. Why not Toronto?

This bill will strip cities of local authority and decision-making, even when projects are supported by evidence and local residents. 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. The bill will make roads more dangerous. Protected bike lanes prevent serious injuries and deaths for people biking, walking, and driving. It threatens other uses of road space that communities rely on, including transit priority, safe crossings, patios, curbside access, and school streets. Finally the bill undermines climate goals and public health by locking cities into car-dependent street designs.

To me, this is a sign that the government does not care about public safety and climate change. It does not care about the health and well-being of its people. I do not support this bill at all.