A parking enforcement officer issued hundreds of dollars in fines in a matter of minutes when they came upon a pair of dangerously parked cars.
Erin Urquhart (@tps_bikehart) of the Toronto Police Service shared a video of her ticketing two drivers who illegally parked in a bike lane outside an LCBO store.
@tps_bikehart I am back from vacation! And back to enforcement. Here we haveb2 cars in bike lane lane = 2x $200 tickets served in 2 mins….also got recognized in action☺️ #f#fypt#torontob#bikelanesd#downtowntorontop#parkingticketd#droveawayp#parkingenforcementt#torontopoliceB#BikeTob#bikepatrolc#cycling ♬ original sound - erin.urquhart
"I am back from vacation! And back to enforcement," the creator wrote. "Here we have 2 cars in bike lane = 2x $200 tickets served in 2 mins….also got recognized in action."
"Seems like the fines are too low," one commenter said. "It's not a deterrent."
Cycling is a great form of exercise, and it's cheaper than using a car to get around. Especially in a city environment, you can save loads of money on gas and parking by avoiding vehicle travel. Using public transportation or your own two feet can be swell, too.
All these methods also reduce the pollution associated with gas-powered automobiles, which emit toxic gases such as volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide as well as particulate matter, and those pollutants harm our health and that of the environment. They also contribute to the rising global temperature by trapping heat in the atmosphere, leading to more negative health outcomes and more frequent and severe extreme weather events.
In Toronto, like other places, additional cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure could help mitigate these issues. One social media user showed a spot in the city where people were asked to play Frogger with traffic. Another area with new bike lanes was frustratingly rendered unsafe by a pair of FedEx delivery drivers.
These examples highlight the common refrain among those who don't use cars to get around: "Paint is not infrastructure." For road-adjacent bike lanes, some kind of barrier is needed to protect cyclists. This can include bollards, planters, trees, and more, as People for Bikes showed. And a little investment can go a long way toward improving our health and ensuring a cleaner, safer future for everyone.
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