Mayor Rob Ford cited incorrect, overstated car commute delay times Wednesday while defending the up-to-$300,000 cost of removing the Jarvis St. bike lanes.

CBC Radio’s Metro Morning host Matt Galloway asked Ford “how is it prudent to spend $300,000 to reduce congestion by what staff says is going to be two minutes?”

Galloway was referring to statements by John Mende, the city’s acting general manager of transportation services, who clearly told council Tuesday the bike lane installation in 2010 initially increased motorists’ rush hour commute by eight minutes each way, but staff changed traffic signals and brought that down to two minutes.

Reacting to the two-minute figure, a perplexed-sounding Ford told Galloway: “I don’t know where you’re getting that information from.”

“We were told seven to 10 minutes. If we can get people from point A to point B, which a lot of people drive downtown and use Jarvis, that saves taxpayers money, that gets people home faster, gets people to work, gets money into the economy quicker so that 10 minutes does add up.

“When you’re talking $6 billion in congestion (economic costs to the GTA), the (lane removal) expenditure is very, very small.”

Residents of Toronto Centre and Rosedale who use Jarvis to get to and from work “constantly email me saying ‘Rob, we have to get rid of these bike lanes,’” Ford said.

Council on Tuesday voted 24-19 against a last-ditch bid to save the Jarvis lanes, which are due to come out by the end of the year when a separated lane on nearby Sherbourne St. is finished.

Galloway also asked Ford about his support for new revenue tools to help fund transit expansion, following Monday’s release of a city staff report that will go to Ford’s executive committee next Tuesday.

The widely discussed report suggests 10 possible revenue generators to pay for new transit, including a dedicated sales tax or slice of income taxes.

Ford, however, seemed unaware of the report’s release, saying: “As of today, no, I’m not going to support anything because I haven’t seen anything . . .,” adding he definitely won’t support a resurrected vehicle registration tax or road tolls.

“There is a report coming to executive in, I think, the next two months . . . ”

Ford in the past suggested his foiled plan to build a Sheppard Ave. subway extension could be funded entirely or primarily by the private sector through a public-private partnership.

But he didn’t mentioned a so-called P3 on Wednesday, saying he needs to sit down with the provincial and federal governments to talk transit funding.

“We have to sit down with the province and the feds. Obviously they have many more dollars than we do,” Ford said. “And I think we'll have to come up with a solution for this transit issue.”

Galloway noted some of Ford’s allies have said Ford’s alleged conflict of interest and personal conduct have become a distraction. Asked what he would have done differently in recent months, the mayor said he is “turning the ship around here” and noted he got 30 votes on Tuesday to sell Enwave, a city-owned company that uses lake water to cool and heat office buildings.

“Let’s call a spade a spade here, the NDP at council want to continue spending and the Liberals and Conservatives don’t,” Ford said, adding the conflict-of-interest allegation — which could remove Ford from office, if a judge finds him guilty — was “purely political.”

“We’re getting the city straightened out, Matt . . . and if people disagree with my approach, I’d be more than happy to talk to them. I’d like to know what I’m doing wrong . . .

“I believe I’m doing a very good job as mayor.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

ALSO FROM THE STAR:

Map: How your councillor voted on Jarvis bike lanes

Toronto council approves Enwave sale, frustrating CFO