Chaotic Toronto meeting sees locals cheer on man saying he wants to kill cyclists

An unhinged community meeting has the internet ablaze with anger, after a raucous crowd of Etobicoke locals laughed and cheered after a man said he wished to run down cyclists getting in his way in downtown Toronto.

A town hall meeting hosted by Councillor Stephen Holyday on February 28 to brief Etobicoke locals on the City of Toronto’s cycling plan went completely off the rails, devolving to the point of what cycling activists are calling the incitement of anti-cyclist violence.

Our letter to @stephenholyday calling on him to publicly denounce anti-cyclist violence incited by his latest cycling network town hall. Should any cyclist be targeted & injured following this event in Etobicoke, blame may fall at your feet #BikeTO: https://t.co/vT5lTHlwcp pic.twitter.com/Ucd7LVseBx

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) March 1, 2024

“What do you mean by safety?” the local resident asks. “You leave it up to the drivers to be safe. We are safe. Have you seen some of the bikers that are out on the roads?”

The crowd can be heard cheering at the question.

The local goes on to compare The Queensway to “the Tour de France,” complaining that cyclists take up a whole lane of the thoroughfare, forcing him to slow down.

“Personally, I’d like to run them over,” the man says, holding for ghoulish laughter from the irate crowd, before continuing, “to get them out of my way.”

Because vehicular homicide is (and please detect my sarcasm) a totally chill and healthy way to respond to having to drive your car slightly slower than you’d prefer.

Personal injury lawyer and cycling safety advocate David Shellnutt issued an open letter to Holyday regarding the town hall, saying, “We understand that the event quickly transformed into an anti-cycling free-for-all, wherein City Staff were berated, and members of the public felt unsafe.”

“Some of the worst elements in our society, racism and untethered conspiratorial thought were on display. We have spoken to several people who for their own safety felt they had to leave the meeting early.”

Informative recap of the Stephen Holyday Cycling Plan Consultation from @jnyyz :

“after a meeting like this, I despair for the future of the human race.”https://t.co/h3Agkm7tT9

— NotSafe4BikesTO (@NotSafe4BikesTO) March 1, 2024

Shellnutt calls out Holyday for allowing the situation to devolve to this level, saying, “At no time was this person admonished by you or asked to leave. At no time was anti-cycling rhetoric or general uncivil behaviour addressed. This acquiescence is tantamount to complicity.”

Several other notable members of the cycling community have spoken out about the event on social media, and Shellnutt stresses how “people on bikes are incredibly concerned with how this event unfolded,” and accuses the councillor of normalizing criminal behaviour by providing a platform for this type of speech.

“Should any cyclist be deliberately targeted in the wake of your town hall, we intend to place blame and legal liability in all quarters for such reprehensible acts,” warns Shellnutt.