It feels a bit like beating…

It feels a bit like beating an old drum of the ghost of last year but here we are.

The Ontario government has repeatedly tried to remove bike lanes in especially Toronto, and has as many times found itself unable to present any scientific backing that removing bike lanes will actually have a positive impact on travel.

Toronto fire services has reported no issues after the installation of bike lanes and been on record to say that there are no increase in response times.

Multiple studies in Canada alone has found that bike lanes increases sales in local businesses, and across the world it is well recognized that installing bike lanes helps alleviate traffic congestion. The same is true about dedicated transit right of ways like bus lanes and transit signal priority.

The only way to make traffic better for those who need to drive, is by reducing the number of cars on the road.

On top of this, multiple studies has shown that investment in cycling infrastructure is good for the economy in health and other areas: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2210.02504

If the OPC's were a fiscally conservative government, it would double down on investments in active transportation and public transit. It would be transparent about infrastructure like the Eglinton crosstown and its issues. It would understand that the best solution for fixing gridlock, is less cars on the road and good viable alternatives to driving.

Instead, most of this bill seems to double down on decisions that are making the everyday life of Ontarians more difficult than it should be. This bill needs to be scrapped.