1. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   ...if you're on one of the just "twelve" bicycles in Toronto. One of which is owned and used by his daughter I should add:

   From Wheels.ca
   

   1. 

      Tragedy in Toronto

      I have a daughter who rides her bike in Toronto.

      I wish she didn't, but she does.

      Back in the day, I even occasionally rode my bike from my home in Leaside to my work in downtown Toronto, mostly through Rosedale.

      I live in Milton Ontario, where former bike racing champion Jocelyn Lovell was run down by a dump truck while riding his bike. He is now quadriplegic.

      Some years ago, I personally witnessed a bicycle courier run a red light, try to dodge a car (which had the right-of-way), and slam into a concrete telephone pole. Myself and a couple of other passers-by tried to stabilize him until the paramedics arrived. I never found out if he survived or not; I don't know how he could have.

      The father of a very good friend of mine was killed when he was run over while cycling.

      So I have some personal connection with bicycles and traffic.

      As you would guess, I have very little built-in sympathy for a guy like Michael Bryant, the former Ontario Attorney-General who jumped into bed with O.P. P. Superintendent Julian Fantino to implement our ridiculous "street racing" law.

      Exactly what happened last Monday evening between Bryant and bicycle courier Darcy Allan Sheppard is still not entirely clear. We do know Bryant's car and Sheppard's bicycle collided, a melee ensued, and Sheppard ended up dead.

      Also, we must let due process take its course.

      But - you could sense the 'but' coming, couldn't you? - if I were driving top-down in my convertible with my wife in a toney district of mid-town Toronto late in the evening after celebrating my wedding anniversary, and some scary-looking dude (which, by all media accounts and photos, Sheppard certainly would have appeared to be that evening) grabbed on to my car and started yelling and screaming at me - especially with memories of various recent random killings of up-scale people in Toronto fresh in my mind - I don't know that I would have done anything but try to get away from the guy too.

      Sheppard was the one who grabbed on to Bryant's car. At any point in the process, he could have let go.

      He chose not to.

      The results were tragic. But the guilt is widely shared between the two, even if the penalties cannot be.

      Bikes and cars do not play together well. Especially in Toronto, it seems. The changes to our road network that Mayor David Miller and other brain-dead utopians have implemented have made things even more dangerous, because they give cyclists a false sense of security.

      Bike lanes? When there are four million cars and twelve bicycles in this city? And NO bicycles at all in February?

      Nonsense.

      Removing resources from the vast majority of road users and allocating them to the nearly invisible minority is not only undemocratic, it is foolhardy, and exacerbates the inherent antagonism between cyclists and drivers.

      And don’t get me started on pollution. The methane produced by most bike riders on a single ride probably exceeds the annual exhaust emissions from a modern car.

      Bike lanes along abandoned railway tracks?

      No problem.

      But along busy arterial roads? Where bikes have to dodge cars, trucks, taxis?

      Especially as in some cases (cf Logan Avenue south of Eastern Avenue, in front of the Motoring 2009 studios) allowing bike traffic to go the wrong way on one-way streets?

      Idiotic.

      Because in a confrontation, the cyclist always loses. Why create scenarios where such conflicts are inevitable?

      In one sense, the car driver has a greater responsibility than the bike rider, because he has the bigger weapon.

      But the cyclist carries the far greater risk, and has to act accordingly.

      As my old history teacher used to say (he collected epitaphs, of all things):

      Here lies the body of Jonathan Ray
      Who died defending his right of way
      He was right, dead right, as he rode along
      But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

   -----------

   I'm sure he would be far more secure were his daughter driving a car in Toronto... it's not like anyone gets killed in or by a car:

   GTA fatal traffic accidents since January 1, 2008

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

2. Militant MTBer
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   "Some years ago, I personally witnessed a bicycle courier run a red light, try to dodge a car (which had the right-of-way), and slam into a concrete telephone pole."

   See? Bikes bad. Bad biker got what he deserved. Right, Kenzie? He cites one incident from "Some years ago".

   "....if I were driving top-down in my convertible with my wife in a toney district of mid-town Toronto late in the evening after celebrating my wedding anniversary, and some scary-looking dude (which, by all media accounts and photos, Sheppard certainly would have appeared to be that evening) grabbed on to my car and started yelling and screaming at me - especially with memories of various recent random killings of up-scale people in Toronto fresh in my mind - I don't know that I would have done anything but try to get away from the guy too."

   Why is this always the backgounder for this thought process as of late; top down....wedding anniversary....scary looking dude? How shallow. Also Kenzie is acting on speculation by stating that Darcy, "grabbed on to my car and started yelling and screaming at me". The videos that police are currently pouring over don't even clearly show that. I see the media disinfo and propaganda campaign against Darcy is working. Nice going Navigator Ltd.

   "....especially with memories of various recent random killings of up-scale people in Toronto fresh in my mind...."

   What is he referring to? A murder from back in May, 2009?

   http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/05/21/9523221.html

   Kenzie is being hysterical by making it sound as though there is an Up-Scale Serial Killer out there. I think that there has been only 37 murders to date, for this year. Or is Kenzie woefully trying to draw a parallel with Monday's incident and his need to "get away" as though Darcy were a potential murderer? It seems that is the conclusion that he is trying to come to and have would his readers think that as well.

   "Sheppard was the one who grabbed on to Bryant's car. At any point in the process, he could have let go. He chose not to."

   Neither did Bryant, who was armed with 2000 pounds of car.

   "The results were tragic. But the guilt is widely shared between the two, even if the penalties cannot be."

   How does a dead/murdered man feel 'guilt'?

   "Bike lanes? When there are four million cars and twelve bicycles in this city?"

   Is this in reference to Toronto or Milton?

   "And don’t get me started on pollution. The methane produced by most bike riders on a single ride probably exceeds the annual exhaust emissions from a modern car."

   How could that be when there are only "12" of them? Nonetheless, it's an asinine statement and is clearly void of fact.

   "In one sense, the car driver has a greater responsibility than the bike rider, because he has the bigger weapon."

   Methinks Kenzie just put the other foot into his mouth with that line. Especially when he used the word 'weapon'. Fool. Just by saying that, he contradicted all that he stated in the paragraph that I quoted where "scary" Darcy is concerned.

   Kenzie, stay in Milton. Please. As a matter of fact, what right have you to bitch about bikes when you're using MY roads and you live and pay property tax in Milton?

   I find that a majority of motorists who are complaining, about most anything, are from Stuporbia. One only has to see the inbound traffic in the morning and the outbound traffic in the afternoon/evening to witness who pounds our roads and doesn't pay for them, yet feel that they have the right to complain about bikes on OUR roads in OUR city.

   You may think me nuts, but I say, toll charge the roads coming in. Isn't this done in London, England? I believe Mayor Bloomberg of NYC was looking at it as well. Only those who don't live within the boundaries of Toronto don't have to pay. I had to pay an additional $60 a year for my license sticker for owning a car in Toronto. Why not have a toll on major arterial roadways for those outside of the city coming into it? I can only dream that money will go directly towards paving and maintaining our roads and incorporating bike lanes on them.

   They tell me that I have ADD. They just don't underst...Hey look! A Chicken!!

3. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Now, I wouldn't go calling Kenzie any names.

   I don't agree with a single point he makes. And I don't think anyone else should as well.

   The problem is that he is not alone in his beliefs. To him, a bicycle is still a child's toy. Why he occasionally decided to ride from Leaside into the downtown core I can't explain. But, he is a car guy. And, he suffers from the same sense of entitlement that many drivers have.

   The Toronto Star has an article today about this sense of entitlement and it's root cause being traffic signs.

   Fair enough, the signs on the road are for drivers. Very few are for pedestrians, except when telling them what not to do (or explaining how to use a crosswalk in condescending tones). There are no signs for cyclists, aside from the tiny blue route signs that are practically meaningless. And, if we follow the reason that drivers feel entitled because they are the only ones with signs on the street, then where do cyclists fit in?

   Well, we follow the same street signs, we follow the same rules... now we just have to get everyone on the road to see it this way.

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

4. Militant MTBer
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Duncan said:

   "Now, I wouldn't go calling Kenzie any names."

   But I had to and Kenzie deserves it. It lessens what I'm saying, but he is still a d*** :)

   They tell me that I have ADD. They just don't underst...Hey look! A Chicken!!

5. TheRealRoach
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Commented on his article, but I don't know if it will be "approved" so here it is:
   Each of the cyclists mentioned in your personal examples can easily be replaced with motor-vehicle operators, or pedestrians... and in most cases they are.

   Statistics from 2005 show that there are 150 deaths in Canada where "Driver of car injured in collision with car, pick-up truck or van, in traffic accident [V43.5]", whereas there was 1 death where "Pedal cycle driver injured in collision with other pedal cycle, in traffic accident [V11.4]". And, incidentally there were 32 deaths where "Pedal cycle driver injured in collision with car, pick-up truck or van, in traffic accident [V13.4]".

   Overall there were:
   - 407 deaths by "Pedestrian injured in transport accident [V01-V09]"
   - 77 deaths by "Pedal cyclist injured in transport accident [V10-V19]"
   - 950 deaths by "Car occupant injured in transport accident [V40-V49]"

   If the Pedal Cyclist and Car occupant numbers were reversed then I could see some rationale in your arguments. But they aren't. Cars, if anything are many times more dangerous both for its occupants and everyone around them.

6. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   MM - agree with your sentiment and assessment and heck, even the name. It'd likely be the one I'd choose to use were we discussing this article over a couple of beers. That said, I hope we can keep the discourse somewhat civil here for the simple fact that there are a lot of otherwise reasonable people with Kenzie's attitude. I welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues with them in a civil manner and name-calling, as satisfying as it might be also pretty much guarantees they won't listen.

   I work with a number of folks only one of which actually cycles regularly on the road. Many have some of the same ideas that Kenzie has and I realize lots of the attitude comes from limited experience and exposure to anyone other than people like themselves. We're not going to change the world by talking to these people but we have an opportunity to show that we're all just regular folks not unlike their suburban neighbours who just happen to choose to travel by two wheels rather than four. I've found them actually very receptive to hearing from someone they know talk about the issues we face.

   Sorry to be kind of a stick in the mud. Hopefully I'm not lumped under the same moniker as Kenzie now ;-)

7. Duncan
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Here's one thing that I've always been disgusted by as a car driver.

   Motorists hate the majority of other motorists.

   "That idiot just cut me off. Nice signal their, buddy. Pick a lane, moron!"

   It's in the advertising, too. Cars speed along empty side roads, or quickly pass by lesser cars when they show up. The car advertised is never stuck in traffic or searching for a parking space. And, if the kids act up, just turn on the video games or dvd player.

   If the symphony of horns I hear from my apartment is any indication, there's a lot of anger on the streets in our city, and cities around the world.

   Is there competition on the streets amongst cyclists? You bet! Do we want each other to die in a flameball of steel and gasoline? Not that I know of.

   The crazy thing is, many, many, many people just see this as how things are. You get in a car to drive in to the city, and you have to do it with all these other jerks who won't signal or will speed or will try and ruin your morning coffee, sandwich and reading, or whatever they do in their cars.

   Articles like Kenzie's unfortunately express the same "ideas" of suburban and urban commuters who drive daily (I used quotes because I don't believe rational thought goes in to his arguments much as MilitantMTBer points out).

   The bicycle may not replace cars, but changing how we commute and where we commute to is needed.

   Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

8. AnnieD
   Member
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   Some of his statements are so absurd, it starts to read like satire...

9. toddtyrtle
   Moderator
   Posted 3 years ago #
   

   I know, Annie - almost looks like a clear example of Poe's Law.

10. joe
    Admin
    Posted 3 years ago #
    

    MTB - just to let you know, I've edited your post above where you call Kenzie a d***. As Todd mentioned, The Forum is a place for civil discussion, and no matter your personal opinions of Kenzie as a man, we should strive for discourse and not insults on this subject.

    If you feel obliged to personally insult people, there are lots of other cycling discussion boards that seem to welcome things like that. :)

11. ivanvector
    Member
    Posted 3 years ago #
    

    I'm no fan of Bryant or Fantino politically, but I stopped reading when he called the street racing law "ridiculous." I wonder if he's driving one of those sportscars you see screaming along the 401, weaving in and out of traffic and passing in shoulders and merge lanes every morning?

12. Duncan
    Moderator
    Posted 3 years ago #
    

    Here's a relevant "stunt racing" article from CTV.ca
    

    1. 
       Judge rules Ont. stunt driving law unconstitutional

       Updated: Wed Sep. 09 2009 1:38:30 PM

       ctvtoronto.ca

       The Ontario Provincial Police will continue to nab excessive speeders and charge them under the province's stunt-driving laws despite a judge's ruling that the legislation is unconstitutional.

       Sgt. Dave Woodford told CTV Toronto the legislation is still being enforced because the law has been effective in reducing the number of fatalities on Ontario highways by about 30 per cent in the last two years since its been inacted.

       "This piece of legislation is helping us get to be number one (in road safety) not only in Canada but in the world," he said.

       Napanee Judge G. J .Griffin ruled Friday that convicting someone who is "morally blameless" of an offence that carries a jail sentence breaches the Charter of Rights.

       Toronto-based lawyer James Morton said he was "really surprised" at the decision but that the judge is probably right.

       By law, speeding is considered an absolute liability, which means a driver can't claim he didn't know he was speeding as a defence. However, the driver could very well be "morally blameless," meaning the motorist thought he was going at the speed limit even though he was not, Morton said.

       "The defence of due diligence is not a defence because of the way the legislation is written," he told ctvtoronto.ca. "You would still be convicted even if you tried not to speed."

       The judge was presiding over a case involving a grandmother in her 60s, who was nabbed by police for driving more than 50 kilometres faster than the posted speed limit on Highway 7.

       The woman said she sped up in order to pass a truck. However, she said, the truck also sped up which forced her to speed up even more to pass him. The evidence given by the police officer who issued the ticket demonstrated that the driver slowed her vehicle to 110 kilometres an hour after passing the truck.

       On Sept. 30, 2007, Ontario enacted provisions of the Safer Roads for a Safer Ontario Act that allowed officers to immediately seize the car of any motorist caught driving more than 50 km/h over the posted speed limit. Aside from having their car towed for a week, motorists automatically have their licence suspended for seven days. Drivers also face a hefty minimum fine of $2,000.

       "The judge didn't say licence suspension or a car tow was unconstitutional. What he said is that a conviction for stunt driving by speeding is unconstitutional," Morton said.

       Street racers who are nabbed under this legislation would not be affected by the judge's ruling. They would be tried under a different subsection of the law that deals with racing in particular, Morton explained.

       The Crown would have a hard time reversing the judge's decision at the Court of Appeals, he said.

       Prosecutors had a chance to argue the judge's decision using Section 1 of the Charter which essentially says that a breach of the Charter can be justified if it shown to be reasonable in a free and democratic society. However, in court Friday the Crown conceded it could not argue with the judge.

       Morton said there are hundreds of cases in the system where people have been charged with stunt driving. Now the defendants have an excellent chance of getting the charge thrown out in court.

       "This (ruling) is very important," he said. "It seems to me that the judge is probably right but my instinct is that it can be reasonably justified. Going over 50 kilometres is a serious offence."

       With files from CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney

    Quite frankly, if you're going 50% over the legal speed limit, you are performing a stunt. You may believe you're simply passing slower moving traffic, but when that traffic is also exceeding the speed limit you're making the problem worse.

    And in this woman's case, she did this on Highway 7... a highway that has pedestrian crosses, stop lights and many roads that turn on to it. This wasn't even a 400 series... so 110 km/h is still 30 km/h faster than she should have been going legally.

    The problem is that drivers feel that their time, their space and their use of the road is the only one that matters. Clearly, this is how Kenzie feels. Our roads are public space with rules and laws that are designed to improve the safety of EVERYONE using them, not just the people in steel boxes with airbags and crumple zones and roll bars.

    Duncan's City Ride - That's my blog about cycling in the city of Toronto, natch!

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