Tory made the comment to reporters during a press conference Tuesday morning.
His comment comes after a lawyer for a firm representing injured cyclists said on Twitter he would file a formal complaint on behalf of a client who was ticketed for cycling at 26km/h in the park.
The posted speed limit on the roads within High Park is 20 km/h.
Armed @TorontoPolice officers continue to harass cyclists in High Park. This person was ticketed to go 26 out of 20. All I feel is rage. #DefundThePolice. Make High Park car free: pic.twitter.com/fyLQaHIBqj
— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) July 25, 2022
“When I heard this conversation being had about why anyone should pay attention to any of this, I think it would be great for a world where there are only cyclists in High Park, but there are other people there and we need to establish a safe balance between all these different activities and no one group can have their rights supersede the rights of others,” Tory said. “If someone was going to be hit by one of these speeding cyclists and seriously injured, then what discussion would we have about it? Some of you would say where were the authorities to make sure people weren’t put in harm’s way like this?’
Toronto Police previously told CTV News Toronto that both members of 11 Division and the City of Toronto have received complaints about cyclists and vehicles traveling at high speed in High Park.
Speaking to reporters, Tory said that ultimately there had to be a “balance” between the interests of cyclists and other park users, including people who might be walking or pushing a stroller.
As part of that, he said he was “looking into” whether some flexibility could be shown to cyclists during the early morning hours, when foot traffic in the park is lighter.
But he said he would “make no apologies” for the fact that the police would “enforce the law”.
“If we can find a time where more of the roads are available to cyclists and it wouldn’t matter so much, so it’s safe for them and everyone else, maybe we can do that. But right now I just think the police are doing their job and they don’t deserve to be criticized for that because there are security issues here,” he said.
