The stench of rotting garbage filling the streets of Toronto due to a city-worker’s strike is not the only foul thing plaguing residents. Far from walking off the job, Toronto Police have unleashed a campaign of terror on the city’s cyclists.
The beginning of this year’s Bike Blitz on Monday June 22nd brought frustration and disillusionment to the otherwise sunny summer day. Memories of last year’s blitz suddenly came to mind.
Far from promoting green transportation, and helping to alleviate gridlock, city police are alienating and annoying the greenest travelers on the streets.
A location on Beverly Street, just north of Dundas, was a perfect location to watch the action unfold. Every few minutes the sound of a menacing police car ‘pull-over’ horn could be heard and a peek out the window confirmed that yet another cyclist had met with disaster. Not physically, of course. And the absence of any sounds of crashing cars and mayhem made it clear that they had not left a trail of carnage behind them either.
From young women wearing helmets to a gentleman in a suit and tie with a trusty pant-leg Velcro fastener, they were one by one pulled over as looks of shock settled over their faces. The shock increased as a cop got out, accused them of going through a stop sign and slapped them with a hefty fine. It was surprising (or not) to note that these cyclists did not look to be the criminal type, nor did they look as if they could care less about their safety or that of others.
In fact, while there are some aggressive cyclists, the majority are green-minded or exercise-oriented people who are really doing the city a favor by getting themselves from A to B in a silent, pollution-free manner.
Truly reckless and rude riders, including those who run red lights, need to be punished, but for the majority, the ‘law’ should be applied in a reasonable and fair way.
Expecting cyclists to come to a complete stop at a stop sign and put their foot on the ground (so as not to topple over) before proceeding goes contrary to the dynamics of cycling. Using a rolling stop, looking both ways, and using common courtesy with both pedestrians and other traffic would be far more reasonable. ‘Sting’ operations where officers set up in such locations to pounce on a maximum amount of infractions makes it seem obvious that they are just trying to hand out more tickets.
As well, expecting cyclists to travel in wide loops out of their way because of one-way streets completely defeats the purpose of using two wheels instead of four. One-way streets were surely designed with cars in mind (the real monsters on the road) and in many places bicycles are excepted; in some cases this is even part of the law.
As the week’s Bike Blitz unfolds, and more harmless cyclists get targeted, cycling seems to lose its appeal. Maybe we should all go back to driving a car and add more exhaust to the sickening concoction of smog and stench.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Well it is about time the cyclists feel what it is like to be treated unfairly. Look at the poor E-Biker that may lose his ability to ride his E-bike he paid a lot for and only got a little bit of use from, thanks to the TCU and the cyclists. Please police ticket them all, and not just for this week, all the time.
E-Bike Rider
Ken is not only going off topic, he’s also spreading bad information. The “TCU” is the Toronto Cyclists Union and his claims that they want to ban e-bikes is false. The debate all along as been over what types of e-bikes should be allowed in bike lanes and bike paths.
The province has yet to draft final legislation and regulations on e-bikes but it may yet decide differentiate between pedal-assist electric bikes and those that can just use a throttle. The City can choose to allow both or either e-bike type on bike paths, but can’t disallow e-bikes from the roads.
No one is trying to ban any type of e-bike.
Thanks for the comment Herb. I’m not very familiar with e-bike legislation but I do believe that they should differentiate between pedal-assist electric bikes and those that are not.
Hopefully they can come to a decision soon.
Herb the TCU is trying to get the MTO to classify the scooter style E-Bike as a LSM (Low Speed Motorcycle) which will require a LSM license and insurance. Just the cost of insurance alone ($500.00 annually and ) it will kill the E-Bike market like it did the Moped market in the past because scooter style E-Bike are the majority of E-bike sales. And no one will want to pay an annual license and insurance to go 32kmh for around 40 kms. The TCU knows this and that is why they are trying to convince the MTO to do this. And of coarse the MTO will win at a small cash grab till the E-Bike industry dies in Ontario but thrives in the rest of the world. Won’t Ontario look very silly as the only place in the whole world that eliminated a safe alternative form of transportation ton satisfy a small group of cyclists with a union. If that happens on Oct 3rd then all the E-Bike riders will unit with all the automobile associations all the motorcycle associations and all the gas scooter organizations to broadcast as far and wide how foolish the MTO’s decision was and how closed minded and selfish the TCU is and will let all the other cyclist organizations know as well how the TCU killed provincial market in the whole province for their measly coverage area of Toronto and the GTA. But the rest of Ontario has to suffer because of their outright selfishness and abusing the political support they have gained over the last year. But once the word get out to the rest of the world the political support that was gained may fall away because politician will not support a group if it may negatively affect their own image. Does TCU want to risk losing the ground it has gained over the last year for a foolish decision like this? Lets wait and see if YB makes a good or another bad decision?
Ken Finch
Wow … I didn’t realized that the TCU wanted to have ebikes banned. I just bought one to use to commute to work and back and will be royally p*ssed if I have to pay $500 a year to use it. If that happens then I’ll be back to clogging the streets with my car.
Sounds like the cyclists in the US are getting just as rough a deal as us lot in the UK. Good luck to you all – its a constant battle to be taken seriously.
Sharing the Road
I see this clearly as a matter of how best to utilize our infrastructure safely and efficiently. This is an asset that belongs to all of us. However we now have factions bent on claiming a large portion of that infrastructure exclusively for their own use. It is unfortunate that it has come to this.
The animosity and lack of tolerance directed toward a new, low-speed form of personal transportation has become quite obvious, and is directly responsible for the very vocal attempts to discredit these vehicles and place onerous restrictions, obligations, and unrealistic requirements on the e-bike and e-scooter in the name of safety. Claims of e-bikes being too quiet, or too heavy or too wide, as well as the requirement that they be able to be pedaled, is an Aryan fitness attempt, that is a burden that this new form of green transportation is subjected to no-where else in the world.
Limiting slow moving e-scooters and e-bikes to the young and able-bodied potentially excludes the thousands of middle-aged and senior persons who would gladly leave their cars and trucks at home for all those short trips around the city, if they had an alternative that didn’t burden them physically, financially or with unnecessary obligations.
This is not Amsterdam or Paris. In Toronto, where I have lived and travelled by many different modes of transportation over the past 50 years, our roadways have often been covered with snow and ice for three or more months of the year. During that time no two-wheeled vehicle is particularly safe or desirable to ride. For this reason, one size does not fit all, here or anywhere else.
The initial inaction of the Ontario Government has put us five or six years behind British Columbia and Quebec and handicapped both riders and potential investors in green transportation alternatives. The best leadership that the MTO can demonstrate now is by leveling the playing field and allowing us to catch up to the rest of the country and the world.
The Ministry of Transportation, charged with the safe and efficient use of our infrastructure, should not be drawn into a debate about vehicles as a form of exercise equipment. The demographic of E-Bikes in our experience is from 40 to 75 Years of age. They are well aware of the rules of the road and are law abiding. Some, like me, have health issues and are unable to partake in an extended bike ride. However they have the right and desire to participate in our goal of a cleaner greener planet. Those who feel that the parks and paths and bike lanes of this city belong only to the able-bodied need only borrow my knees for three hours, to see the light. With out my E-Bike I have to use my car.
Any attempt to burden this new form of transportation with unreasonable requirements would serve to deter its use. Many are holding back from making an investment due to the uncertainty regarding the ministry’s intentions. The government could remove doubt and embrace this opportunity to get people out of their cars.
In other parts of the world these machines move huge quantities of people safely and efficiently and are technically far ahead of us. In our conversations with manufacturers, we find that they are amused by our antiquated rulings. They also charge extra, or in some cases refuse to supply us, for it is not worth their while to produce such small quantities with these requirements not asked for anywhere else.
These are my recommendations:
1. We need a government sponsored public education campaign, on billboards, television, radio and other media, regarding the Rules of the Road.
It would also be helpful if our various Police Departments would set a better example by asking their bike officers not to ride on the sidewalks.
2. E-Bikes have a proven safety record all over the world. They are more visible and better equipped than any bicycle. They are a clean and most efficient use of our infrastructure. It is therefore in the interest of the Department of Highways to move ahead and concentrate on safety issues for all two wheel methods of transportation without discrimination.
3. We all need to display a bit more tolerance and mutual respect as we travel in and around our cities. Cooperation toward a single goal, of using our infrastructure in a way that is beneficial to all, will show real leadership.
Here where I live in the US (Virginia) us bikers have to abide by the same exact laws that automobiles do. This also is true for automobile drivers, they have to follow the same right of way and passing laws as if us bikers were driving an auytomobile.
Technically, automobile drivers can get pulled over for illegally passing us.
Sorry you’re having some problems up there neighbor.