Obeying the rules of the road is a good idea for cyclists at any time of the year. Stopping for stop signs and stop lights and obeying highway traffic laws can save your life. This week it can also save you money. I have received e-mails from 3 cyclists so far that have received tickets for not stopping at stop signs as part of the 'Cycle Right' campaign. The fine that came with these tickets is $110. Cyclists are required to obey the rules of the road just as cars are and face the same fines when they don't follow them. However, they should not get demerit points on their driver's license as long as the officer has not checked the box on the ticket that says "motor vehicle involved." If they have, you will get points and you have to contest that. More information on this can be found at ARC's Library website: respect.to/library. See the following article on Points: Cyclists and the law Part II

The annual 'Cycle Right' Campaign is underway for 2004. It will run from June 7th to June 20th 2004. 'Cycle Right' is intended to be an education and enforcement campaign for drivers and cyclists. In past years it seems the focus has been heavier on enforcement and more aimed at cyclists. In the 2003 campaign there were a total of 2229 charges laid during the two week period of 'Cycle Right.' Eighty percent of those charges, about 1830, were laid against cyclists. The charges were for offences such as not stopping at red lights or stop signs, riding the wrong way on streets, not having a bell or lights, not yielding at crosswalks, riding on sidewalks and others.

Last year the Toronto Cycling Committee took issue with the lack of attention to drivers who endanger cyclists by their actions and asked the Toronto Police Service to design their 2004 education and enforcement campaign to be more balanced and focus equally on offences committed by drivers such as opening a door in the path of cyclists or parking in bike lanes. The press release from the Toronto Police Services for the 2004 campaign and the following press conference seemed to indicate that those comments have been taken to heart. You can see the press release at the following link: Cycle Right Campaign Media Release. You can also listen to the June 7, 2004 press conference which kicked off the campaign at the following Toronto Police Service Web page: Toronto Police Media Briefing - June 7, 2004. The focus of this year's Cycle Right campaign is outlined in the following quote from the press release:

The "Cycle Right" campaign will focus on drivers who endanger cyclist's lives with their driving actions, vehicles parking in designated bike lanes, and cyclists who compromise the safety of others using the roads and sidewalks by disobeying the rules of the road.

We will find out if this balanced focus is achieved when the campaign is completed and a report is issued on June 21st. In the meantime you can do your part to help out. If you see cars parked in the bike lanes around Toronto, contact Toronto Police and make a complaint. The number of the Parking Enforcement department is 416-808-6600. Call with the details regarding the street, which side of the street and the nearest intersection. If lots of cyclists call in with complaints during the two week period perhaps we can direct the attention of parking enforcement officers to the areas of concern.

One thing we learned at the Toronto Cycling Committee from the officers who have come to give presentation on 'Cycle Right' is these police campaigns are also intended to educate the rank and file police officers as much as they are to educate the public. Many feel that traffic violations of concern to cyclists, such as parking in bike lanes, have not been taken seriously. Darren Stehr, who runs the website www.getoutofthebikelane.com issued a press release outlining his frustrations with the lack of enforcement of these parking violations: Darren Stehr Press release - June 7 2004. The fact is that individual officers have discretion over which offences they enforce and which they don't. These enforcement campaigns are in part the Police Services administration's attempt to convince police officers to 'buy in' to these goals. Convincing the administration of the Toronto Police Service to announce that part of the focus of the 'Cycle Right' campaign is the actions of drivers that endanger cyclists is a first step in getting equitable enforcement. Getting the officers to 'buy in' is the second step. Perhaps public pressure by making calls to report violations can convince the officers that these are concerns that need to be looked at.

Martin Koob
tcc-rep@tbn.ca