Toronto cops seen cycling through stop signs prompts open letter from lawyer

A Toronto lawyer has penned an open letter to Mayor John Tory and police chief James Ramer asking that enforcement withdraw tickets issued to cyclists after videos surfaced showing officers on bikes riding through multiple stop signs.

David Shellnutt, known as The Biking Lawyer, shared a video of two Toronto police officers on bicycles failing to stop properly.

“Given the events of late summer in Toronto, some antagonistic and some quite successful and commendable, it is apparent that [the Toronto Police Service’s] targeting of cyclists for [Highway Traffic Act] enforcement and then officers themselves engaging in the targeted behaviour has and will continue to create significant distrust of the service and its members,” Shellnutt wrote in his most recent open letter.

RELATED: Cyclists protest in High Park as police deny enforcement blitz

A separate video posted by Shellnutt last week showed other Toronto police constables biking through a stop sign while cycling in a bike lane.

“These officers should not be ticketed but held up as an example of the efficiency and low risk to public safety of the Idaho Stop,” Shellnut captioned. “Other [cycling] advocates have pointed out (with stats and research) that the Idaho Stop is actually safer than coming to a complete stop at each stop sign and reduces congestion.”

The Idaho Stop that Shellnutt is referencing is a law that allows cyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign and a red light as a stop sign. Idaho passed the motion in 1982, and several U.S. states have followed, including Washington, Colorado, and Oregon.

In August, a cyclist accused a police officer of striking him while he rode his bike through High Park. That rider said he witnessed the same cop giving other cyclists traffic tickets in the park.

In a note issued to Tory in August, Shellnutt addressed an allegation from one cyclist who says they were assaulted in the park.

This led to the mayor commenting on the uproar, saying people riding bikes are not the only ones enjoying High Park, noting that pedestrians must be kept safe.

“I just think the police are doing their job, and they do not deserve to be criticized for it,” Tory said at the time.

Shellnutt says cyclists hope to receive fair treatment from the city and local enforcement.

“We are keen to work towards collaboration, unity, and a shared understanding of the vulnerability of road users who walk, run, and roll, not further division.”