Toronto’s estimate of bike lane removal cost ‘bunch of hogwash’: Ford [Video]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the City of Toronto’s early estimate of the cost to remove three major bike lanes is “a bunch of hogwash.”

“You know it doesn’t cost $50 million,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re going to show them how to do it for a lot less and get traffic moving.”

Last week, city staff said the province’s proposed plan to rip out bike lanes on sections of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue would cost at least $48 million.

“This estimate includes the cost of road reconstruction for sections of the streets that were recently reconstructed and would need to be rebuilt, and road resurfacing that would be required for other sections,” staff wrote in a report submitted to city council last Wednesday.

They noted the price tag does not include potential costs associated with changing or cancelling existing construction, or maintenance contracts that may …