Ontario eyes barring new bike lanes where car lanes would be cut
https:// www.cbc.ca /news/canada/toronto/ontario-government-bike-lanes-1.7328878 Ontario eyes barring new bike lanes where car lanes would be cut
The Ontario government is considering bringing forward legislation that could prohibit the installation of bike lanes when lanes for motor vehicles are removed as a result, sources say.
Siemiatycki said "this government has signalled that the car is king," pointing to prior steps the governing Progressive Conservatives (PCs) have taken to ease costs for drivers.
He sees the PCs as making a clear play for the votes of motorists, and believes the policy would also appeal to many drivers frustrated with congestion on the roads.
This is such a municipal issue it's annoying to see the Province wanting to butt in in the first place.
31This is what bugs me about the Ford government
They want none of the responsibilities or finances of a provincial government, and they constantly want to step in to municipal issues and politics.
26Remember how he fucked with TOs city hall?
When they show you who they are, believe them.
4
What do you expect from a conservative government? This cuts into oil consumption and green alternatives. Can't have that!
10Municipal government is an extension of provincial government. City councils have no real power, in effect they merely advise. Their authority comes from the provincial government, who can overrule any decision they make, and even substitute their own.
5This is not well understood. I don't know if it is different by province but it's definitely the case in Ontario. The Ontario provincial government can do anything with cities, including dissolve and create them.
5
Well that's shit.
30I think we need to keep educating the people we know that the only way to decrease traffic in the city is to move as many people as possible out of their cars into public transit or on bikes. That's an easy point to make.
20Preface: I work with a hard core "they're going to make us eat crickets" kinda guy.
He was going on about how "how bad traffic is in the GTA and how they are trying to take away our cars so that no one drives any more." So I point out that if they added a bunch more Go Trains in the GTA you wouldn't need your car to commute AND there would be less traffic on the highway for the people who do drive.
But where are you going to park all those extra trains.
Bruh. There are how many million fucking cars that drive to the GTA and park every god damned day but you want to know where they are going to park 30 trains?
20I keep trying, and around the younger people my age it's mostly agreement, but when it comes to people even just slightly older they just "like driving" and hate cyclists and think public transit sucks. They don't understand that the reason for their dislike is due to the poor biking and transit infrastructure and car-centric roads and cities.
5
This is just another example of Ford's retail politics.
From the guy who brought you "buck a beer" and handing out twenties when he was running for CPC leader.
12Also obligatory !fuckcars@lemmy.world.
9I know google's amp links are BS designed to keep in you a google ecosystem and never take you to the actual content creators' sites. Do you mind outlining for my and others' edification what's not to like about CBC's links with "amp" in them? I'd love to know. Thanks!
3
Is that a typo? You mean barring car lanes where bike lanes need to go, right?
8Go to hell, Ontario.
6I’ll get the popcorn ready. This should be good.
-2Honestly, there aren't many places that do bike lanes well anyway, and so long as the idea of bike lanes in Ontario is a painted line at the edge of the asphalt, I wouldn't bother.
-11I mean, removing the cars from the road where you install a bike lane is how to do it tho
11Well yes, as in step one in a many step process. Most places don't even consider step one.
3
So many bike lanes are not well considered. They have poor maintenance because they’re the shoulder, they can be filled with debris that punctures tires or reduces traction, there are manhole covers are grates, parked cars, or they lead into sidewalks that you can’t legally bike on, etc.
As a rider you have to do what’s safest, and when there isn’t quality infrastructure that means avoiding certain roads and taking the full lane on others.
This law would simply make it impossible to create that infrastructure, which really sucks
10