Interview with bike cops trainer

Const. Hugh Smith, one of the founders of Toronto's police bicycle units, was interviewed by the Star. This guy cuts through some of the crap and explains that drivers also are not educated enough to know cyclists can take the entire lane; and that cops would rather focus on cyclists who blow stop signs rather than those who yield and slowly roll through (except during the annual blitz, perhaps).

This incident has brought out the worst stereotypes of both motorists and cyclists. How would you characterize the relationship between the two?

Most motorists aren't educated enough, even in their driver's handbook. ... A cyclist has the right to an entire lane, even though they only occupy part of it. And it's up to them to dictate when they want to share.

Some cyclists don't understand that. If it's narrow, they have to push to the left and say, `No. I'm a slow-moving vehicle. Go around me.' But they tend to ride in that small area to the right.

What about giving tickets to those cyclists who break the rules, those rolling through or running lights?

If somebody comes up ... they've almost stopped, they've checked, they've looked, and they go through, that's not the type of cyclist that we're giving failing-to-stop tickets to; we're giving them to the ones who are blatantly going through, who are coming and saying ... "I'm beating the vehicles. I know they've got to stop but I don't."