police

Man faces six charges in fail－to－remain collision
Broadcast time: 11:28 Friday, November 21, 2008
Traffic Services

On Friday, November 14, 2008, at 2:27 a.m., police responded to a call for a fail－to－remain collision in the Dovercourt Road/Argyle Street area.
Sultan Ahmed, 38, of Maple, has been charged with:
1) Criminal negligence causing bodily harm,
2) Dangerous operation causing bodily harm,
3) Fail to stop at scene of accident bodily harm,
4) Attempt to obstruct justice,
5) Aggravated assault,
6) Assault with weapon.

He is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall, on Friday, November 21, 2008, room 101, at 1 p.m.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416－808－1900, Crime Stoppers

Media Updates:

• Cabbie charged in bizarre Dovercourt altercation with cyclist - National Post
• Cabbie charged with assaulting cyclist who had leg amputated - CBC Toronto

Torontonians will get another chance to claim thier stolen bikes from Igor. The police are holding one more series of open houses to display the recovered bikes at 35 Strachan Avenue

From TPS Press release
And from City News

Police have recovered a total of 2,865 bikes and returned 469 to their owners. The remaining 2,396 bikes will be available for viewing at 35 Strachan Avenue on the following dates and times:

Thursday, August 21, 2008 and Friday, August 22, 2008: noon to 8 p.m.,
Saturday, August 23, 2008 and Sunday, August 24, 2008: 10 a.m., to 6 p.m.,
Monday, August 25, 2008 to Friday, August 29, 2008: noon to 8 p.m.,
Saturday, August 30, 2008 and Sunday, August 31, 2008: 10 a.m., to 6 p.m.,
Monday, September 1, 2008: closed,
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 to Friday, September 5, 2008: noon to 8 p.m.,
Saturday September 6, 2008 and Sunday September 7, 2008: 10 a.m., to 6 p.m.

Those who attend to recover their bikes should be prepared to offer proof of ownership, such as receipts or store registrations. Owner identification will be required. Photo ID is preferred. Police officers will be present to register bicycles.

14 Division Superintendent Ruth White urged bike owners to register their bikes at the free TPS online bike registry. She said, "Take a few minutes to register your bike. It will make it much easier for us to return it to you."

Please review and forward the information to anyone who has had a bicycle stolen. The Police need people to claim their stolen bikes to build the case against the accused, Igor Kenk.

Approximately 1500 bicycles have been recovered from the Igor's "Bicycle Clinic" on 927 Queen St W and other storage units. Many of them, if not the majority are stolen.

Public Viewing Monday July 21, 2008 10am-6pm - 9 Hanna Ave, Toronto

More public viewing to be announced when all the recovered bikes are sorted out...

Anyone with knowledge of more storage units of stolen bicycles associated to 'The Bicycle Clinic' operated by Igor Kenk... notify 14 division 416-808-1400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) , http://222tips.com or Text TIP312 and your message to CRIMES...

Facebook Group has photos posted of the volume of bikes...

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21195987216

--
Scott Mills
Toronto Crime Stoppers
Community Youth Officer
Legal Graffiti Art Coordinator
www.torontopolice.on.ca
www.222tips.com

It's no surprise to anyone that more people are riding bikes these days. It's in the news, the bike stores are busier than ever, and it's become harder to find places to lock your bike because of all the other bikes.

Still, it is good to see these new cyclists out on our roads because it makes all of us safer. This is known as the "safety in numbers" effect, where the crash and collision rates go down, as well as the injury and death rate, as the number of cyclists increases. The magic number on a road is about 50 cyclists/hour, or about one a minute. Above this threshold things become relatively "safe" and below this number things are much riskier. (Herb needs help collecting cycling data, please see http://www.ibiketo.ca/node/2309 )

Bicycling Magazine is finally shifting their focus a smidgen towards urban cycling issues with article on the founders and followers of Critical Mass.

From the article (we've got a ways to go to match Budapest!):

In Budapest earlier this year, 50,000 Critical Massers pedaled through the city on the last Friday of the month, paralyzing auto traffic. In Warsaw's Plac Zamkowy, where Masa Krytyczna is approaching its 10th anniversary, the multithousand weekly gathering is described as the living, breathing (and occasionally wheezing) heartbeat of the Central Europe underground. "You've got to go to Budapest," a swarthy London bike messenger named Pedro tells me. "It is wild." He is wearing a T-shirt that couples Einstein's image with his maxim that "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

Meanwhile, Toronto Critical Mass was a fun experience as bike cops escorted cyclists around the city, blocking intersections until all the mass riders made it through. The cops behaviour was admirable, in my opinion, as they took their cues from the cyclists up front. They may have been trying to be a bit too orderly but that's just what they do and it did help to keep the mass together.

The Toronto Police issued the following news release today:

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blockquote>
"Safe Cycling - Share the Responsibility" campaign results

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - 7:30 AM
Traffic Services
416-808-1900

On Sunday June 22, 2008, the Toronto Police Service concluded their one-week "Safe Cycling – Share the Responsibility" campaign.

See previous release.

Officers issued 6,671 tickets to motorists and cyclists who were found committing offences. Of the tickets issued:

• 3,691 tickets were issued to motorists for offences such as opening vehicle doors improperly, and failing to yield to cyclists,
• 2,076 tickets were issued to cyclists for disobeying traffic signals and failing to yield to pedestrians,
• 904 tickets were issued to cyclists for bicycle equipment offences,
• 113 parking tickets were issued for parking in designated bike lanes,
• 1,891 motorists and cyclists were cautioned with respect to a variety of related offences,
• 89 bike rodeos/lectures involving 3,410 participants were held across the city.

The Toronto Police Service reminds motorists of the dangers of opening car doors in the path of cyclists, and the importance of checking blind spots prior to making a turn, especially for large trucks. All road-users have a responsibility to share the road equally by driving safety, riding responsibly, playing smart, and obeying all the rules of the road.

Well, well. Toronto's finest have been known to lay some dumb charges against cyclists over the years. Like the infamous tickets for not putting your foot down when stopping at a stop sign. Now, for many years, I have heard lots of reports about them trying to hand out demerit points to those cyclists who had a driver's license while handing out tickets. I think not. Read below and please contact Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists if you have been treated that way over a traffic ticket while riding your bike.

The following is the official word from the City about this issue:

Correction: The June issue of Cyclometer contains incorrect information about the Highway Traffic Act as it applies to bicycles. We apologize for the error. Please note of the following correction:

According the the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, "the demerit point system only applies to certain offenses committed in a motor vehicle. However, I understand that on rare occasions demerit points are in error assigned to the driving record of an individual for an offense committed on a bicycle. When the Ministry of Transportation is notified of such occurrences, the error is immediately corrected." (1993 letter from Ontario Minister of Transportation to the Chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee)

Mayor let off with warning?

Be aware, cyclists! Starting today, Toronto police are "campaigning" for safer cycling (pdf). In theory it means education and enforcement of cyclists and motorists. What it means in practice is that police wait at intersections to catch cyclists making the all-to-common mistakes of doing a "rolling stop", not making proper signals, not having a bell, not having reflective tape on the front and back forks, or of riding through the crosswalks or sidewalks. In practice the education part means police will encourage cyclists "to refresh themselves with the rules of the road" by giving out fat traffic infractions.