toronto police news

City of Toronto nabs dozens of cyclists for speeding in blitz that some say is unfair

A recenttraffic blitzin Toronto that resulted in upwards of 125 tickets collectively against both cyclists and drivers has some residents up in arms about the fact that those who commute by bike can, in fact, be busted for speeding in some cases.

People enjoying High Park late last week were surprised to see police in the area issuing fines to not only those behind the wheel of cars cruising down the green space's roadways too quickly, but also to those on bikes who were doing the same.

Passersby who spotted police and bylaw enforcement nabbing speeding cyclists called it "hilarious," "ridiculous," "excessive," "fuckery" and an inappropriate use of resources, among other things, and the response remains equally strong after-the-fact.

共有62名骑自行车的人和64名司机ticketed $125 each for either speeding or not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign over the course of two days.

The punitive action comes under Chapter 608, Section 32 of the Toronto Municipal Code,which dictatesthat "the maximum rate of speed for vehicles, motorized recreational vehicles, bicycles and personally powered devices in a park is 20 kilometres per hour."

自行车,许多相当指出don't come equipped with speedometers, are usually exempt from being charged for defying speed limits on normal roads governed by Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, which only applies to motor vehicles.

A spokesperson from the Toronto Police Service told blogTO that the force has long experienced a "significant" number of complaints about both vehicles and bicycles travelling at high speeds in the park, which has become increasingly more busy as things open up.

"In response to these concerns and to help keep the community safe, local officers have been working with City bylaw officers by stopping vehicles and cyclists witnessed speeding or committing offences such as failing to stop at stop signs," TPS continued.

"Police and bylaw officers educate the driver or rider on their behaviour, while bylaw officers have also been issuing tickets when necessary... this has been welcomed by the local community as well those visiting the park."

There are those online who do indeed appear to support the enforcement, though others have been quick to point out why ticketing them for biking through a park the same way a driver would be is unfair given how much more dangerous a car is to those around it.

On the contentious issue, somehave citeda "sense of entitlement" from cyclists who don't want to obey rules that rightfully apply to them, whileothers report"so many speeding cyclists in many Toronto parks and trails" who "never caution pedestrians they're passing, and speed down the trails."

"Maybe there should be cyclist ed?"one personon Twitter suggested, noting before they inevtiably got attacked for their stance that "I cycle and walk btw."

For the record, the phenomenon of TPS and bylaw officers busting cyclists for speeding in parksis not anything new, though it does appear to be rare and somewhat unexpected.

Lead photo by

Jeremy Gilbert


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


加入转换sationLoadcomments

Latest in City

Toronto man hurls homophobic slurs while falling down drunk in chaotic public freakout video

Here's the list of Toronto parks you might be able to drink at this summer

Olivia Chow meme takes over the internet within hours of her big Toronto win

22-year-old Toronto man dies rooftopping for social media and family is speaking out

Ontario cops pull over driver of bizarre disco Jeep

Air quality plummets as blanket of wildfire smoke covers Toronto

Postmedia in merger talks with Toronto Star owner

One surprising Toronto mayoral candidate was shown to be a big hit with the youth