The restriction on…

The restriction on municipalities removing motor vehicle lanes is entirely contrary to all reason and expert opinion and knowledge about improving traffic congestion, including the Ontario Government's own internal experts and consultants as was revealed in the Cycle Toronto court decision. Simply put adding motor vehicle lanes does NOT improve traffic congestion due to induced demand. The ONLY thing that can reduce traffic congestion is creating reasonable alternatives to driving - such as significantly improved public transportation (as buses or streetcars can carry 50-100 people in the same road space as 1-2 car drivers) and safe (i.e., separated), networked bicycle lanes (as 6-8 cyclists can fit in the same road space as a single car driver). The government's proposal is therefore a recipe for INCREASING, not decreasing congestion, by prohibiting municipalities from converting single-driver car lanes into priority public transit and/or bicycle lanes - while simultaneously risking death or catastrophic injury to cyclists. Not to mention its complete override of local governance - the level of government that actually understands the specific transportation needs of its communities and that has invested in extensive studies of those specific communities, something that even the best-intentioned provincial government could not achieve. This bill is a travesty and I urge the government to reconsider.