Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is a buffoon, so it’s hard to get too worked up when he does something stupid—it’d be like getting mad at the homeless for smelling or people with Tourette’s for blurting stuff out. That why we weren’t surprised to see him pedal a granny-style tricycle into an auditorium to politically grandstand against the proliferation of bike lanes for his State of the Borough Address.

After all, who really needs fresh air and reduced traffic fatalities? Also, it’s not like Brooklyn has more pressing matters. “Cycling is no substitute for mass transit,” Markowitz told the crowd. And cars are?