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Cop in bike lane: Sun scoop

Submitted by herb on November 24, 2009 - 1:58pm
in

A different cop car, but same bike laneA different cop car, but same bike lane

Breaking news: a Toronto police has been caught on a Toronto Sun camera parking in the bike lane on Annette St. We apologize for posting the third bike lane parking related blog post in a row, but this is a good time to highlight this as the bike union calls for the doubling of bike lane tickets (to be more in line with other illegal parking tickets) and as former police services board chairman Alan Heisey urged police to start a ticketing blitz against bike lane blockers.

The officer was parked there for at least 20 minutes before leaving the cafe with a can of pop and a paper lunch bag.

But instead of protecting their own, Toronto Police brass called the officer's parking actions "stupid" and "unacceptable."

Last week, cycling advocates brought the issue of blocking bike lanes for non-emergency reasons to the attention of the Toronto Police Services Board, which asked Chief Bill Blair to examine the issue.

"That's not kosher at all. It's right in our procedures that, outside of exigent circumstances, you do not park illegally, and that includes in bike lanes," said Sgt. Tim Burrows, of the force's traffic services department. He added higher-ups at the force were "incensed" when they heard about the Annette St. incident.

"It's very unfortunate that the officer decided to do this, but from the top on down, it's something that will not be tolerated," he insisted.

Residents said yesterday it's not unusual for officers to park illegally in the bike lane while they get some food at the popular Grillway.

Most cyclsits know cops park in bike lanes. People have been posting pics of cops in bike lanes for some time, but this is the first time the MSM has done a major article on the nuisance and danger, and gotten the brass to admit it.

Comments

I'd take Blair's outrage a bit more seriously if it were not the result of bad press, for a situation we've seen often and for years.

jamesmallon (not verified) November 24, 2009 - 5:01pm #

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/11/25/11...

Councillor Pam McConnell, vice-chairman of the police services board:

Officers, she said, are held to a higher standard than other motorists and must follow the rules like everyone else.

"There are no laws that are for the average citizen that are not for the officers. It is quite the opposite," she said yesterday. "The city is very much growing up in terms of its understanding of different modes of transportation.

"I think that it is a wake-up call for all of our division commanders to be talking to their officers about this (bike lane) priority of the board ... and the importance of not only enforcing the law, but adhering to the law and modelling the law."
...

Area residents and shop owners say it's common to see police parked in the Annette bike lane. A website, toronto.mybikelane.com, even shows photos of two other cruisers -- one a supervisor's vehicle -- blocking the lane at different times in August and last week.

Two bike-friendly councillors feel it walks a fine line:

"I think police merit special consideration," said Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, who cycles to City Hall from Scarborough most days. "Yes, he (the officer) shouldn't have done that, and if it was a member of the public, I'd say yes, that member of the public should get a ticket, but I would make an exception for the police."

Councillor Adrian Heaps, who heads up the city's cycling advisory committee, said the issue of cops blocking bike lanes for personal use is, "a fine line."

"People would be the first to complain that the police didn't answer a call because they're walking down the street to their car," he said.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/11/25/11...

And the other story claims that business is hurt by the bike lanes on Annette. Just like any good statistician this business owner makes a quick calculation in his head and attributes the entire loss to the most visible change. Not only do they end up confusing cause and correlation they also ignore any other possible correlation, say, between their business and a global recession!

The inconvenience has cut Grillway business 10%, Karathanasis estimated.

"It's good for the environment, but they should have done a lot more study," he said. "We're treated like second-class citizens. We are trying to bring people in ... if we have no place to stop, they'll go somewhere else."

"Pretty soon they're going to ask us for a scooter lane, then a skateboard lane," construction worker Chris Makris, 33, said. "If a cop was forced to park legally somewhere, he might be three to four blocks away and have to run back to his car if he has an emergency."

But Jonathan Van Kenzie said police leaving cruisers in bicycle paths "sends a mixed message," since they issue $60 tickets to other motorists who break the bylaw. Cyclists blocked by vehicles "have to swerve into traffic and that's where you can have a fatality."

herb November 25, 2009 - 7:01pm #

by having yet another crackdown on "scofflaw" bicyclists. Get your bells and lights mounted. Don't forget to put both feet down at stops. This'll be a long one.

geoffrey November 26, 2009 - 12:56am #