August 10, 2022 - (Toronto, ON) As tensions grow between cyclists and police in High Park, the key to long-term safety solutions lies in changing how the park is used say critics, not increasing police presence and ticketing users, reports CBC.ca.
Local advocacy group, Cycle Toronto, has grown “increasingly alarmed” and has requested a meeting with Toronto Mayor John Tory and Toronto Police Service chief James Ramer to de-escalate tensions.
The call comes days after a Toronto cyclist was struck by a police car. “The targeting of cyclists in High Park is not only unproductive, it’s inequitable,” says Alison Stewart, a senior advocacy manager for non-profit Cycle Toronto. “We can’t address individual behaviour. But we can address the safety of our roads by engineering out conflicts.”
A protest ride at 6pm on Aug. 11 in the park has been organized by concerned cyclists such as local biking injury lawyer, David Shellnut (@TheBikingLawyer), who says police seem to have taken a targeted enforcement blitz against cyclists in High Park.
Read the full report here.
Read more in the Toronto Star here.
Read more on The Biking Lawyer here.
