While driving, many drivers silently curse somebody riding a bike on the road. Through no fault of their own, bike riders often disturb drivers by being too close to cars or causing congestion as traffic veers around them.
It is important to note that these faultless cyclists are not to be confused with those who blatantly ignore stop signs, yield signals and traffic lights.
Nevertheless, one of the only things that has repeatedly reduced driver’s frustration and ensured biker safety is the installation of proper bike lanes.
On Nov. 5, Kitchener-Waterloo regional councillors shared their plans to improve bike lanes in the region and design separated cycle lanes in six areas including King St. between University Ave and Weber St. N. While the Waterloo Region currently has a detailed plan that considers how all users would be impacted by these changes, the province recently passed a bill that may halt the process.
The government of Ontario has claimed that bike lanes contribute to gridlock. Bill 212 or the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act requires municipalities to get provincial approval to install cycle lanes if a lane of traffic has to be removed.
As with any decision impacting a significant population, there are advantages and disadvantages.
In 2020, the Waterloo Region saw 72,400 post-secondary students enrolled in full-time programs. Of that number, it is likely that many students use bikes to get around and would therefore benefit from improved cycle lanes. Those who must commute to work or those who attend elementary or secondary school in the region could also benefit from increased accessibility.
Conversely, the construction of new bike lanes would undoubtedly cause traffic in the region during the duration of the build.
Data services lead at Eco-Counter, a company that collects pedestrian and cycle traffic data, David Beitel, explained in an interview with CBC that while the addition of traffic lanes improves congestion for a short period of time, within a year or two traffic returns to being as bad or worse than it was before.
Additionally, in an evidence review on transport and travel in Europe, the term “induced demand” is used to debunk the claim that more traffic lanes reduce traffic. The term means that the more lanes of traffic that are available to drivers causes them to want to drive more rather than explore other options. This leads to more cars on the road.
Regardless of which side you take on this bike debacle, I am for the construction of separated bike lanes in the region. However, further discourse stems from this debate regarding the role of the province in municipal jurisdiction.
Bill 212 directly asserts the government of Ontario’s presence in municipal decision making as each city must get any cycle lane and traffic reconstruction plans approved before moving forward. The stipulations outlined in the bill are surprising as Doug Ford’s government has previously been described in an opinion article by David Moscrop for TVO as hands-off, with each municipal government, for the most part, operating without significant provincial interference.
As I see it, nobody knows what will benefit a municipality more than the municipality itself. Each population voted in the mayor they believed would do the best for the community and they now trust that their city’s government will make decisions with their specific needs in mind.
Only time will tell, but Bill 212 could be a relatively small contribution to a larger future role of the province in municipal government.
All in all, I say build the cycle lanes and leave the municipal governments alone. Most importantly, obey the rules of the road even if you are on a bike.
