Toronto parking officer completely ignores truck parked in bike lane

Toronto employs over 300 parking enforcement officers to ticket cars parked illegally–but this one sure didn’t seem to get the memo. David Shellnutt, a.k.a. The Biking Lawyer, shared footage of a shocking incident that took place in the city recently. “Last week, a community member filmed what seems to be a Business Improvement Area member blocking a bike lane at College and Bathurst with a large pickup truck and trailer to remove Christmas ornaments from street poles,” he wrote. “A task that presumably could have been done without the blockage and with a smaller vehicle.”

Toronto’s favourite cycling parking officer has made her absolute best video yet

That someone was parked in a lane is one thing. It’s too common of a sight in cities, hence the need for parking enforcement. One PEO that shows up regularly in the (web) pages of Canadian Cycling Magazine, Erin Urquhart.  She does a fantastic job of ticketing motorists in bike lanes. Because when that happens, cyclists are forced into traffic, and can be a risky situation.

This parking officer is the absolute GOAT when ticketing cars in bike lanes

However, in this case, the officer does not seem quite as diligent. “What has frustrated the cycling community on top of this needless safety hazard, was a TPS Enforcement Officer casually strolling past the truck, in the bike lane, checking for parking tickets and permits on the cars parked legally beside this illegally parked vehicle,” Shellnut posted.

Check out the video of the whole incident below.

Parking in a bike lane to remove xmas ornaments is not appropriate or safe. It’s also clear that cyclist safety is not a priority for TPS enforcement officers. So what can we do? Read our blog on automated enforcement & citizen ticketing #bikeTO:https://t.co/PoUgM5gtQf pic.twitter.com/n1TiYgXatq

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) February 13, 2024