Anti-cycling zealots in Toronto would like to to run over bicyclists to save commute time

Is the city of Toronto filled with an anti-cycling mob harboring a desire to cause harm to the two-wheeled set just looking to use pedal power to get where they want to go?

Anyone riding a bicycle in a city has felt unsafe on too many occasions to count. Generally, they’ve felt unsafe because of standard risks like lack of safe cycling spaces and distracted and unsafe drivers doing distracted and unsafe things. But with the growth of safe cycling infrastructure comes a segment of society that seems to feel like keeping people on bicycles from getting hit by cars is some sort of culture war. Case in point, Toronto, where a community meeting was organised in a suburb of Toronto to discuss upcoming bike projects.

Etobicoke, for those not in the know, has, in the past, been quite the conservative region of the city and is home to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his late brother Rob Ford, former mayor of Toronto. Both solidly and very loudly of the “war on cars” ilk.

But, the city of Toronto is doing its best to deliver safe cycling infrastructure to promote bicycle use to all corners of the city, as it should.

This meeting, which should have been a forum to discuss the pros and cons of a range of projects, has ignited fury online as attendees raged against cyclists and at the lowest point cheered on a man expressing his desire to harm cyclists navigating downtown Toronto streets.

Our letter to @stephenholyday calling on him to publicly denounce anti-cyclist violence incited by his latest cycling network town hall. Should any cyclist be targeted & injured following this event in Etobicoke, blame may fall at your feet #BikeTO: https://t.co/vT5lTHlwcp pic.twitter.com/Ucd7LVseBx

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) March 1, 2024

During the meeting, one resident questioned the concept of safety, suggesting that drivers shouldn’t be solely responsible for it and criticizing the behavior of cyclists on the roads. His remarks drew cheers from the audience.

He went further to liken the situation on The Queensway to the Tour de France, lamenting the inconvenience caused by cyclists occupying a lane and slowing down traffic. Shockingly, he expressed a desire to harm cyclists by running them over, eliciting disturbing laughter and approval from the crowd.

Lawyer Dave Shellnut said the meeting quickly devolved into an “anti-cycling free-for -all. He added, in a letter from his law firm addressing the meeting addressed to Holyday, that his law firm has represented many cyclists involved in road incident including when vehicles have been “weaponised against them.”

“At no time was anti-cycling rhetoric or general uncivil behaviour addressed,” Shellnut stated. “This acquiescence is tantamount to complicity. Members of the public, particularly people on bikes are incredibly concerned with how this event unfolded. To be sure Councillor, many of us consider it a planned and deliberate attempt on your part to stoke dangerous undercurrents for your own political ends.”

Such sentiments, while seemingly outrageous, highlight a concerning attitude towards cyclists and road safety.

Holy shit.
If your response to sharing the road with a cyclist is to run them over lest they slow you down a little, maybe pull over and reconsider owning that heated living room on wheels you’re operating. And maybe get therapy for your anger issues. https://t.co/4kzADZZUMD

— FerFer✌️❤️🇨🇦 (@JennArndt) March 2, 2024

Shellnut accuses the city councillor of stoking division in his community.

“Should any cyclist be deliberately targeted in the wake of your town hall, we intend to place blame and legal liability in all quarters for such reprehensible acts,” he added.

The idea of a culture war being waged by certain motor vehicle drivers is nothing new, despite the city hosting a meeting to discuss a range of projects with actual facts and data. It doesn’t matter what they present, it only seems to matter that some guy talked to some other guy.

The same anti-cycling attitudes happen in other cities across North America just like Toronto.

“Most people who fight this stuff are beyond facts and to some degree are participating in a culture war,” said Orcutt, the advocacy director of Bike New York and a former DOT official, in an article for Streetsblog. “They need to be defeated, not convinced.”

It’s not surprising that the incident has sparked outrage, and galvanised the cycling community to be even more united and hopefully the city of Toronto will not be deterred.