Police slam door on cyclist's complaint

Officer’s response to email about cruisers blocking bike lanes is a problem, advocates say

- EMILY FAGAN

A cyclist emailed the Toronto Police Service to complain after seeing police vehicles parked in bike lanes and received a "rather aggressive, rude" reply from a complaints officer. A spokesperson for the service said that officers can park in bike lanes when responding to priority calls.

"The police can park where they need to. If they wanted to park upside down, inside out or on top of a building, that would be acceptable." The 32-year-old cyclist stared at the email in disbelief. She wondered if the Toronto Police Service unit complaint coordinator who sent it to her been hacked, or was he just having a bad day?

After years of frustration at having to swerve into traffic and around police vehicles stopped in bike lanes, the cyclist, who lives downtown and asked the Star to withhold her name due to privacy concerns, had taken to emailing the Toronto Police Service (TPS) to complain when she encountered police cars on the path that didn't appear to be responding to emergencies. She says this "rather aggressive, rude" reply was a departure from previous polite exchanges with the TPS officer.

"Thankfully, our police cars are visible to the naked eye so, unless someone is experimenting with cycling with his eyes shut, our giant "POLICE"-emblazoned SUVs won't infringe on any cyclists' safety. Next time you see a police officer parked on or near the Sherbourne bike lane, please do what I do: thank him or her for his service," wrote the officer for 51 Division, whose name the Star is withholding at the request of the cyclist.

"I was baffled," the cyclist said "Like, how can a member of a police force who is funded by my taxpayer dollars be allowed to speak to me this way?"