Doug Ford’s plan to rip up Toronto bike lanes is a dangerous political stunt

Just like most of his plans. The spa, the tunnel, buck a beer... all short-sighted and focussed on legacy instead of actual helpful policy.

It's not just about the bike lanes. The bike lanes removal is part of a bill ford is using to build a highway. I'm not sure how much the bike lanes bit is a distraction from him circumventing opposition to a highway he wants to build. I definitely think the bike lanes removal is an issue, but it's not the full picture of ford's latest effort to @#$ the people of Ontario over, which we shouldn't lose site of.

https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-highway-413-bill-explainer/ (bold mine):

If built, Highway 413 would run through Ontario’s Greenbelt, prime farmland, wetlands, woodlands and waterways, connecting suburbs north and west of Toronto. Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have been trying to build it since 2018, and won re-election in 2022 on promises to deliver on the highway. But the process has been bogged down by intervention from the federal government — plus backlash over the 413’s environmental impact and the well-connected developers that stand to benefit from its construction.

Six years later, with shovels not yet in the ground and the premier hinting at an early election, the government is now making another attempt to hit the gas pedal. It’s selling the new legislation — which also includes measures to restrict bike lanes — as a way to solve the Greater Toronto Area’s traffic woes, despite years of evidence showing new highways don’t relieve congestion and bike lanes don’t cause it.

Stupid performative bullshit is so hot right now