A dozen officers out of the city's 5,500 police officers doing bicycle safety is not an inordinate number, especially in High Park where the yellow jersey wannabe's ride in unsafe manners, putting other park users at risk.
I agree that we have an "enforcement" issue in this city, whether it's by-law enforcement, parking officers, transit security and fare enforcement, or policing. Nobody wants to clamp down on anyone, and the process required to see a ticket through to conviction is more time and effort than many agencies care to spend. And any charge laid results in counter-claims of discrimination or harassment of somebody.
Here on Park Lawn by the Ontario Food Terminal we have fast food outlets on a busy street that is signed No Stopping, but are favoured by highway transport drivers who like to park illegally to grab a double-double before they hop on the Gardiner. Not only do they block the bike lane, they also block autos, and create unsafe non-sight lines for drivers turning legally in and out of driveways. The irritating part is these same coffee shops see a steady flow of police officers, who consistently walk right by the offending 18-wheelers apparently oblivious to their presence. Complaints to various City contact points has not been successful.
I would not level similar accusations against OPP or other municipal police officers, but TPS officers clearly have a "see nothing, do nothing" culture - which is more driven by their leadership than by any fault of the individual officers.
- Paul
