Tensions between Toronto police and cyclists continue to escalate, as the latter group has repeatedly recorded bike cops committing the very same offenses they regularly ticket people for. 

In a video shared by personal injury lawyer and cyclist rights advocate Dave Shellnut, a police officer is seen handing out a ticket to a working cyclist who was riding on the sidewalk near Soho Street and Queen Street West on Wednesday. 

.@TorontoPolice out ticketing cyclists again today. Apparently this working cyclist was riding on the sidewalk. We don't condone but understand it. 20 mins later I saw 2 TPS cops riding on a sidewalk Joseph/Yonge. Double standard. Waste of resources. TPS is anti-cyclist #BikeTO pic.twitter.com/zkN3xCLqEP

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) July 19, 2023

Just 20 minutes later, the lawyer alleges that he witnessed two police officers also riding on a sidewalk near St Joseph Street and Yonge Street. While the advocate agreed that e-bikes don't belong on the sidewalk, he argued that officers should dedicate more resources to dealing with pressing crimes rather than unfairly targeting cyclists. 

Shellnutt also maintained that cops should be held to the same standards that they regularly impose on cyclists in Toronto. 

You cannot ticket cyclists for what you yourselves to, it's a shocking double standard & lack of accountability. pic.twitter.com/IsFySYHVvC

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) July 19, 2023

"Bike on sidewalk, pedestrians mad. Bike on road, cars mad. Ask for bike lanes, everyone mad," one person wrote in response to the video. 

Way to go @TorontoPolice , keep up the ticketing. Need to learn they can't pick and choose the rules to follow

— Andrew Swan (@awswan) July 19, 2023

However, other avid cyclists argued that those who violate the traffic rules should be held accountable for putting pedestrians on the sidewalk at risk. 

I agree in many ways, but this enforcement is not the way to address that appropriately.

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) July 19, 2023

"Respectfully, I am a cyclist, and I see a lot of cyclists crossing red lights, riding full speed on the sidewalk and so on, those cyclists are the ones that are giving us a bad name! I totally agree that police should ticket whoever is not following the rules," another person chimed in. 

.@TorontoPolice allegedly not on a cycling blitz, last night harassed cyclists for sidewalk riding (which we don't condone), while parking & driving motor bikes off sidewalks at speed - we query whether this expensive motorized unit is not better placed on Parkside Dr 1/3 pic.twitter.com/r0LDpq3ptt

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) July 20, 2023

After a "cycling blitz" on Wednesday night, a separate police officer was recorded parking and driving a motorbike on a sidewalk near High Park at a high speed. 

with all the crime going on in this city , they pick on a cyclist (easiest to catch I guess)

— Gordon Tomlinson (@gordotus) July 20, 2023

"Perhaps TPS now understands that regular citizens/cycling community are documenting their misguided resource allocation chasing statistically insignificant infractions as road violence by motorists remains prolific," Shellnut wrote. 

While the overwhelming majority agreed that cyclists should always follow the rules of the road, others stressed that the group shouldn't be unfairly targeted for committing minor traffic offenses, especially when cops are regularly seen engaging in the same behaviour.