Is there any proof or…

Is there any proof or justification that removing bike lanes (or blocking their creation) improves car travel time? Even if there was, is it fair to remove a safe lower-cost option for the sake of saving a few minutes on the road?

You could argue that saving a few minutes means that you save some fuel emissions. But the best way by far to reduce fuel emissions is to make cycling a viable option. Not only does this save the fuel from the drive, but also the resources used to build, maintain, and dispose of large vehicles in the first place (not to mention having more potholes to fix).

You could argue that it is unsafe to have bike lanes because cyclists are at risk whenever they are on the road. But removing the bike lanes won't remove the cyclists, there will always be someone who has to do it. Though, in a way, it _would_ remove them too, because they will be killed by a motor vehicle.

Many people have contributed to the bike lanes in Toronto on Yonge, University and Bloor. Not just the construction workers, and not just the taxpayer who funded the changes, but also the people who had to endure the road closures for a long time. We love the bike lanes, and there is no indication whatsoever that they slow down traffic. In fact, they seem to improve traffic because cyclists and cars are no longer fighting for the same space as much as they used to.