“Not everybody can use a bike to get around — these are some of our major arterial roads, whether it is Bloor, University or Yonge Street — people need to get to and from work,” Sarkaria said.

This is some exasperatingly bad logic from the provincial Transport Minister. The idea that biking should be disqualified because the infrastructure cannot magically enable every single person to start biking is nonsense. By the same “logic”, the provincial freeways should be closed down because not everyone can drive a car. And then there’s some drivel about bike lanes contributing to gridlock, which is nonsense in the original meaning and disproven in the colloquial meaning.

It is beyond the pale that provincial policy will impose a ceiling in what a municipality can do with its locally-managed roads. At least here in America, a US State would impose only a floor and cities would build up from there. Such minimums include things like driving on the right and how speed limits are computed. But if a USA city or county aspires for greatness, there is no general rule against upgrading a road to an expressway, or closing a downtown street to become fully pedestrianized.

How can it be that Ontario policy will slide further backwards than that of US States?

How about the province takes that money and gives it to education and health care workers instead?