Cyclist injured after alleged unprovoked road rage incident in popular Toronto park

Marcel Zierfuss is seen after being struck by a vehicle in High Park in these photographs provided to CTV News Toronto. (David Shellnut)

A 46-year-old cyclist who was the victim of an alleged unprovoked road rage incident in High Park says that for the first time in his life he is anxious to be on the streets of Toronto.

Marcel Zierfuss said he was cycling on Colborne Lodge Drive around 2 p.m. on Friday when he was threatened by a driver.

He told CTV News Toronto that their paths hadn’t crossed prior to the interaction, and that the driver started yelling profanities as he approached an intersection, telling him that all cyclists should get off the road.

“You f***ing don't respect the road, you don't respect the law, you never stop,” Zierfuss recounted the driver telling him. “You know, all of the things that we hear as cyclists pretty much on a daily basis.”

Zierfuss then said the driver tried twice to use his vehicle to get him off the roadby swerving towards him.

“He decided to slam his brakes on, which caused me to crash headfirst into the back of his car at speed,” Zierfuss said. “He fled the scene. I was left there bleeding on the ground.”

“It was a hit and run. It was a violent assault.”

Zierfuss said he suffered a serious concussion as a result of the incident, in addition to an injured nose, cracked teeth and whiplash. The incident was reported to police.

In a statement, Toronto police confirmed there was a report on file and that the incident is being investigated by traffic services.

No further details were provided.

While Zierfuss is recovering from his physical injuries, he says he has experienced intense anxiety since the assault. As an experienced cyclist, he said he always thought of High Park as a “refuge,” a place where he could connect with other riders.

“I've never had a car intentionally come in front of me and try to take me out. I'm lucky to be standing,” he said.

“It's no longer a safe place at all for me.”

ANTI-CYCLIST NARRATIVES NEED TO STOP: LAWYER

The incident comes as tensions between cyclists and drivers at High Park continue to spike. Cyclists have claimed that Toronto police are participating in an unfair “enforcement blitz” in which they ticket cyclists for speeding in the park while police and politicians claim the campaign is meant to encourage road safety amid complaints.

In early August, advocates spoke out after a police cruiser struck a cyclist in the area.

Toronto’s mayor sat down with advocates shortly after in an effort to diffuse these tensions, but lawyer and advocate David Shellnutt says not enough is being done.

“What we see is stereotypes being imposed upon all cyclists and people acting upon those here,” he said. “We alerted Mayor (John) Tory to rising tensions in the park months ago, and he doubled down supporting police intervention and showing the public that … cyclists are so bad we got to send in the police.”

In a letter sent to the mayor’s office on Sunday, Shellnutt says there is a need to “reduce anti-cycling narratives amongst the police and public.” He told CTV News Toronto that he thinks a public statement from Tory and councillors in support of people who choose to ride bikes will go a long way.

“We have incidents across the city where vehicles are weaponized against people. It's shocking and shows that we've got a huge problem on our hands that's only going to be dealt with through the coordination of all levels of government—from the province implementing the Vulnerable Road Users Act to stronger automated enforcement in the City of Toronto and municipalities across the province.”

A spokesperson for the mayor's office said that contrary to what was said in the letter, Tory has tried to reduce tensions and identify solutions to safety issues in High Park.

"He will continue with those efforts and would welcome more constructive and honest contribution from the author of this letter," Lawvin Hadisi said in an email to CTV News Toronto. "One thing this situation doesn't need is over the top accusations made in performative and politicized letters."

However, Hadisi added that Zierfuss' experience "sounds very troubling."

"No one behind the wheel of a vehicle should be behaving that way. It sounds like a dangerous example of road rage," they said. "There were very tragic incidents on our roads just this weekend in other parts of the city and, while it is up to police to investigate, the mayor believes the drivers involved should be held to account as the law provides."

For Zierfuss, he hopes that he will soon feel more comfortable to not only get back on the road himself but allow his children to ride their bikes to school without worrying about their safety.

“Bikes are not going away. They're the way of the future. We need to learn how to get along.”