Today's tonic: "Mark Saunders says he cares about ‘public safety.’ So why is he gunning for bike lanes?"

Today's tonic by Edward Keenan: "Mark Saunders says he cares about ‘public safety.’ So why is he gunning for bike lanes?" 

"If you ask me what I think the rationale behind Mark Saunders’s mayoral campaign appears to be — so far, at least — I’d say it’s to be a loyal assistant to Premier Doug Ford. From his history, his own stances on issues that have arisen, the team that’s behind his campaign, and the Premier’s fairly open support, it sure looks that way.

"Ford’s favourite pastime is to give the city of Toronto’s government a wedgie and stuff it into a locker, and Saunders appears to be the candidate who would lead the city by saying “Thank you Premier, can we have another?”

"But if you ask the Saunders campaign for the rationale behind his run for mayor, they’d say it’s “public safety” — an issue he has accused the other leading candidates of not caring about as he’s positioned himself, as a former police chief, as having the “law and order” solution.

"Now, some of his opponents have pointed out that even if you think a big policing response is the answer to the city’s crime concerns, this particular former police chief might not be your poster boy — some major crime stats, including murder and shootings, went up under his watch, and he publicly denied there was a serial killer on the loose while the worst serial killer in local history was preying on Toronto’s LGBTQ community.

"...In Toronto, where protected lanes have been installed, it has also been the case that the city has reported the roads became safer for all users — during the Bloor Street bike lane pilot project, “conflicts” (collisions and near misses) between motorists were down 77 per cent and between motorists and cyclists down 61 per cent."