Toronto police are conducting a one-week enforcement and awareness campaign in an effort to prevent collisions between motorists and cyclists.
Police say they are cracking down on those who disobey the rules of the road as they enforce the SPACE (Safety, Prevention, Awareness, Courtesy, Education) to Cycle campaign that runs until Sunday.
During the morning rush Tuesday, police ticketed motorists who abused the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on northbound Bay Street, near King Street West.
The lane is restricted to cyclists and qualifying vehicles, including transit buses and vehicles with at least three occupants, between certain hours on weekdays, but police often see solo drivers using it.
“It would be nothing to say 1,000 cars a day commit this offence on this particular lane, putting cyclists in danger and, as well, putting everybody on the roadway at risk," traffic services Const. Clint Stibbe told CP24 reporter George Lagogianes.
Moments later, Stibbe stepped away from the interview to stop a motorist who was driving solo in the HOV lane.
In addition to cracking down on scofflaw cyclists, officers are paying particular attention to drivers who endanger cyclists by making unsafe turns at intersections, blocking designated cycling lanes, or opening car doors without looking for approaching riders.
Police also plan to stop pedestrians who create unsafe situations.
“The whole point is it’s the whole road-using community," Stibbe said of the campaign's purpose. "We need everybody to understand it is a co-operative driving environment and that we need to keep everybody’s safety in mind at all times. Unfortunately, a lot of times, individuals operating motor vehicles believe that they’re on their own island and that they don’t really affect anybody else. Unfortunately, they do.”
