A few things come to mind:
1. Perhaps he should look at the main problem, and that's cars and trucks. They not only kill a lot of bicyclists, but they kill a lot of fellow drivers.
2. He should see the world. Travel to the Netherlands and Denmark, and see the cycling in those areas.
3. Maybe the city shouldn't build sidewalks either. Doesn't it also put pedestrians close to traffic?

Is this the same City Council that has been killing the recent Light Rail initiatives? Or maybe that was somewhere else?