Harden: This is politics that plays with people's lives

OTTAWA – Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre), Ontario NDP critic for Transit and Active Transportation has released the following statement in response to media reports about the province's plans to block municipalities from approving new bike lanes:

"We deserve safe roads that makes sure everyone gets home safe to their loved ones. We have seen far too many lives lost this past year from unsafe roads, and too many vulnerable road users put in harm’s way.

"Nobody asked for the government to dictate people’s transportation choices or get in the way of local communities deciding what works best for them. More ways of getting around means less congestion, but this government is putting wedge politics over real solutions.

"What people have asked for are policies that make vulnerable road users safe, that ensures the safety of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists – solutions that the Ontario NDP has brought to Queen’s Park, only for it to be rejected by a government far too focused on the wrong things. People need more options on how to get around safely, not less.

"To Doug Ford, this might be cheap politics, but to people across the province, this is politics that plays with people’s lives."