The Biking Lawyer: ‘Charges against 3 cyclists allegedly speeding in Toronto dropped’
David Shellnutt announced the news that his clients will no longer need to go to court
The Toronto Prosecutor dropped charges for three cyclists charged with allegedly speeding in High Park, according to David Shellnutt, a.k.a The Biking Lawyer. On Wednesday, Shellutt wrote an open letter to Mayor Olivia Chow. He asked why cyclists are on trial for speeding while a motorist who was involved in a collision with a rider is having their charges dropped.
Pro bono representation
The lawyer and cycling advocate was planning on representing three cyclists facing trials in High Park pro bono. Another one of Shellnutt’s clients, who had their leg broken from a motorist collision discovered that charges against the driver had been dropped. The City’s Prosecutor’s Office cited a lack of resources post-COVID-19 pandemic.
“People who are allegedly speeding in a park on bicycles are made to go to trial. And no one was injured. Yet a driver who runs down a cyclist on causing him to have surgery and his life affected gets away scot-free,” he said.
Charges suddenly dropped
On Friday morning, Shellnutt announced all charges against his three cycling clients were being dropped. “We got word from the Toronto Prosecutor that charges against our cyclist clients are now withdrawn,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter.)
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“We have limited info. But we hope the resources saved can be used prosecuting those who injure people on our roads,” he added.
Toronto’s resources should be better spent
In an email to Canadian Cycling Magazine, Shellnutt said his firm is pleased the prosecutor has withdrawn charges in the three cases of alleged cyclists speeding in a park.
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“We hope these valuable court resources saved can be used to prosecute road users that injure people. Not those trying to get some exercise or commute to work without causing harm to anyone,” it read.
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“It’s unclear what considerations beyond witness availability went into the decisions to drop these charge. We hope our letter played some part,” he said.
Enforcement issues
“We wonder how many other cyclists have paid their fines and will continue to be ticketed for minor infractions. Meanwhile, motorists who injure people and cause 99.6 per cent of collisions on our roads run rampant with little enforcement.”
