There is no justification…

There is no justification for this - other than the obvious one of whipping up sentiment and votes, which is absolutely deplorable, given that making more road available for traffic will simply lead to more congestion and be a disservice to the very people whose votes are being courted. So not only would such an action be counterproductive, it would be outright disingenuous and dishonest. Study after study has shown that making bike lanes available benefits everyone, while adding car lanes makes it worse for all - invites more car traffic and makes riding more dangerous