This is great. Liberals in this country, who have long championed bureaucratic oversight all in the name of making American lives better, have finally found an area where the heavy hand of the federal government isn’t needed … the environmental regulation of bike lanes:

You shouldn't need a 12-24 month environmental review to make a bike lane http://t.co/zYwZkzFEsa pic.twitter.com/JeXmd4WZvQ — Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) May 19, 2015

We’re so old that we remember when it was conservatives who opposed this type of environmental regulation:

Regulation, zoning, environmental studies, traffic analyses, and land use plans for thee, but not for me. https://t.co/rZ40BePOCB — Popehat (@Popehat) May 19, 2015

@Popehat It’s like watching a group of small idealistic children discover the real world. Funny as hell, but also rather sad. — Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) May 19, 2015

@mattyglesias Right wing nut decries excessive regulation. — Christopher Ar (@LHVPundit) May 19, 2015

I take it @mattyglesias never makes his own bed. https://t.co/OQOJ8dDJbW — AmishDude (@TheAmishDude) May 19, 2015

The process should be never ending because bike lanes are terrible https://t.co/iVpk9sz0MS — Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) May 19, 2015

And there’s an argument to be made that there is a need for this type of review anyway, despite what Yglesias thinks:

@mattyglesias Because well-intentioned projects never have perverse effects?? e.g. more congestion causeing increased emissions-per-mile — Jonathan H. Adler (@jadler1969) May 19, 2015

Caveat: depends on where it is. Are you widening the road? Do you take ROW? Is it in -maude forbid- a national park? https://t.co/2AgXdkVzSf — EDSAwarenessMonth (@FracturCritical) May 19, 2015

@mattyglesias Agreed, but it's absurd for all transpo projects. But traffic calming can increase congestion and reduce local air quality. — Marc Scribner (@marcscribner) May 19, 2015

@marcscribner I get it, it's just a dumb process. — Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) May 19, 2015

It is a dumb process, but it’s liberals who have built this monster that we all have to live with now. Even the bike nuts.

Exit question: When will Yglesias comment on the Keystone XL delay?

You shouldn't need 2,433 days to review a pipeline application either, but, here we are… #KXL https://t.co/sWEZYpomUG — Jordan Haverly (@jhaverly) May 19, 2015

How many years should it take to study a proposed pipeline? https://t.co/pSTCMwOf4h — Dave Mason (@EvadMason) May 19, 2015

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