Toronto High Park is the site of controversial cycling and police debates. This summer, Toronto’s High Park has become a battleground for cyclists as police and parking agents wield radar guns and ticket pilots traveling at speeds in excess of 20 miles hour (12.4 MPH). According to BlogTO, pedestrians, cyclists and taxpayers in general express concern about the legality of the practice and wonder why the police choose to devote time and resources to pursuing cyclists quickly instead of focusing on preventing the practice. death of cyclists and pedestrians.
In fact, many are wondering if cyclists can be fined for speeding. “Although bicycles are designated as vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act, cyclists are not subject to the speed limits set by law, which apply only to ‘motor vehicles,'” explains Ian Brisbin. , Ontario Lawyer and Founder of VeloLaw.ca … But there is an added wrinkle. within the parks at 20 km / h. Toronto is almost the only Canadian city that enforces speed limits for cyclists, and it’s worth asking why. Where does this directive come from? “
While the Toronto government presents an optimistic view of Vision Zero, the city’s long-term road safety plan with the goal of zero injuries or fatalities due to traffic, at least 58 pedestrians and cyclists were killed and 183 were killed. were seriously injured only in 2021, according to the CBC. Earlier this week, two pedestrians were killed in the city, one by a bus and the other by a sweeper.
So why go cycling? “Toronto Police Service’s own statistics unequivocally show that pedestrians injured by cyclists are rare and, in relation to injuries and deaths of cyclists and pedestrians caused by drivers, do not pose a significant public hazard,” Brisbin adds. “Statistics simply do not justify such a harsh response.
“The resources required for police enforcement of the park’s speed limit ordinances are not justifiable for safety, economic, public health or any other reason,” he continues. “This campaign is a solution to a problem, and even worse, it only serves to repress a cycling culture that has demonstrable economic, health and environmental benefits.”
And cycling through High Park? This car-free route avoids some of the most dangerous and often blocked bike lanes on Bloor Street, which is why it is so popular with cyclists. That’s why many argue that instead of installing speed traps in the park, police should be parked at dangerous intersections across the city.
“When you’ve been through violence on the road and you understand how painful and devastating it is to survive a serious injury or lose your spouse, to lose a child, the agony of a lifetime is overwhelming, especially in comparison “It’s easy to prevent this human carnage,” Jessica Spieker, a spokeswoman for Friends and Families for Safe Streets, told CBC.
No one argues that cyclists should be able to ignore traffic safety and road rules, but focusing on enforcing a speed limit of less than 13 MPH with radar guns seems like a pretty obvious cash grip and stance. anticyclist who is adopting the city. .
At BlogTO, Toronto-based cycling lawyer David Shellnutt also drew attention to the fact that BIPOC cyclists are especially targeted and terrified by these agents, telling BlogTO that he was contacted by a cycling cyclist. BIPOC who thought the officer was pointing a gun at him, no. a radar gun. This comes when Toronto police publicly apologize after a report found that the department regularly uses more force against blacks. Not surprisingly, community members have said the apology makes no sense (via CBC).
“Given the huge and growing police budgets, the public has an interest in using the police for the purpose of stopping people on bicycles for allegedly violating a municipal code,” Brisbin adds. “The public has a right to value their tax dollars and use the powers of police officers to detain cyclists to allow law enforcement to issue tickets. It is an abuse of public funds and power.”
“Leaving aside the question of the exercise of reasonable judgment required of any law enforcement officer, the resources required are completely disproportionate to the alleged problem they claim to address,” he continues. “As they say, don’t tell me your priorities, show me your budget.”
Toronto is not the first city to use radar guns against cyclists: in 2011, the New York cycling community was outraged when Central Park cyclists received a ticket (via The Village Voice). However, the practice of using cyclists and using radar guns was quickly abandoned, and police even apologized and turned down a ticket in a major incident in which an Iraq war veteran disabled he was fined for speeding.
At the end of the day, while cyclists should be aware of the speed limits in the parks and help make the parks feel safe for all parties, police are spending resources that they say extend to the limit in order to targeting cyclists riding at 14 MPH seems like an extreme overreaction.
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