Scores of tickets handed out in blitz against drivers who block bike lanes

The week-long crackdown on drivers who illegally park in bike lanes appears to be paying off, Toronto parking enforcement officials say.

By noon on Thursday, the Right 2 Bike campaign, spearheaded by the Toronto Police parking enforcement unit, had resulted in 171 tickets.

That's about double the number that would normally be handed out, said Brian Moniz, a supervisor with the parking enforcement unit.

The worst offenders? "Delivery trucks have total disregard for bike lanes," Moniz said. "For them it's a cost of doing business. They just say, 'Give me the ticket'," he said.

'A cat-and-mouse game'

The fine for illegally parking in a bike lane is $150.

Other offenders managed to leave the scene before a ticket could be issued, he said, "so it's a bit of a cat-and-mouse game."

Parking enforcement officers are out in force in the downtown core is being saturated looking for bike-lane blockers, but some of the outlying areas of the city are also being targeted, Moniz said.

The blitz ends on Friday evening.

According to the city's Bylaw 886-8,  bicycle lanes are designated for the use of bicycles only. But there are several exceptions:

• Loading or unloading of a person with a disability while actively engaged in doing so
• Operating a school bus while actively engaged in picking up or dropping off school children
• Operating a taxicab while actively engaged in loading or unloading of passengers.

As well, the Bicycle Lane Bylaw does not apply to the following vehicles:

• Ambulances, police or fire service vehicles or any other vehicle actively engaged in responding to an emergency;
• Vehicles actually and actively engaged in works undertaken for or on behalf of: (1) The City, the TTC or a public transit agency authorized to operate in the City; or (2) A public utility, including utilities providing telecommunications, energy, water supply or wastewater related services.