Raise the Hammer

A Smith>> They only talk with other lefties, so in their mind, everyone loves to cycle.

Again, you completely ignore evidence to the contrary...see the Statscan data I provided earlier in this thread. Those who cycle enjoy their commute more than those who dont. Fact.

More cars on the road will slow traffic down, push up gas prices...

Exactly. So you argue that you don't want bike lanes because you think they will slow traffic, yet you recognize that converting cyclists to drivers will slow traffic. Nice logic there.

I'd prefer the roads be sold off to the private sector.

As you say, the majority rules, And its highly unlikely that the majority will ever go there....public roads have been present for thousands of years of human history and this model isn't likely to change soon.

How do you propose making the roads safe for cyclists?

Providing a designated space for cyclists reinforces the fact that cyclists are welcome on the street. More people cycle. We have seen evidence continuously on RTH that more cyclists = fewer accidents.

As an aside, those who cycle are not all "lefties" as you put it. We recognize that not everybody can/will cycle. That's not the issue.

The main thing is ensuring that the region can keep moving. Everybody has free choice about how they travel. That is maintained in a free society...nobody is forcing you to ride. However, with more people choosing cycling, we all benefit...from increased road capacity to move goods, decreased accidents, and lower tax burden for road maintenance costs. You have not considered these benefits - only the marginal costs.

If it's considered "left" to want to encourage those things (especially the lower tax burden part) then I don't wanna be right. Believe it or not I actually do believe in lower taxes and smaller government, although applied in a balanced way (i.e. not just handing all power over our lives to profit-seeking corporations as you do).