Marcel Zierfuss said he was bicycling on Colborne Lodge Drive around 2 a.m. Friday when he was threatened by a driver.
He told CTV News Toronto that their paths had not crossed before the interaction and that the driver began shouting profanities as he approached an intersection, telling him that all cyclists should get off the road.
“You don’t respect the road, you don’t respect the law, you never stop,” Zierfuss allegedly told the driver. “You know, all the things we hear as cyclists almost on a daily basis.”
Zierfuss then said the driver tried twice to use his vehicle to run him off the road and turn toward him.
“He decided to hit his brakes, which caused me to crash head first into the back of his car at speed,” Zierfuss said. “He left the scene. I was left there bleeding on the ground.”
“It was a hit and run. It was a violent attack.”
Zierfuss said he suffered a severe concussion as a result of the incident, in addition to a bruised nose, cracked teeth and whiplash. The incident was reported to the police.
In a statement, Toronto police confirmed that there is a report on file and that the incident is being investigated by traffic services.
No further details were given.
While Zierfuss is recovering from his physical injuries, he says he has experienced intense anxiety since the attack. As a seasoned cyclist, he said he always thought of High Park as a “sanctuary,” a place where he could connect with other riders.
“I’ve never had a car deliberately drive in front of me and try to take me out. I am lucky to be standing,” he said.
“It’s no longer a safe place for me at all.”
ANTI FOOTBALL NARRATIVES MUST STOP: LAWYER
The incident comes as tensions between cyclists and drivers in High Park continue to rise. Cyclists have claimed Toronto police are engaging in an unfair “enforcement blitz” in which they fine cyclists for speeding in the park, while police and politicians say the campaign is meant to encourage road safety amid complaints.
In early August, advocates spoke out after a police cruiser hit a bicyclist in the area.
Toronto’s mayor sat down with advocates shortly afterward in an attempt to diffuse those tensions, but lawyer and advocate David Shellnutt says not enough has been done.
“What we’re seeing is stereotypes being imposed on all cyclists and the people who act on them here,” he said. “We alerted Mayor (John) Tory to rising tensions in the park months ago and he doubled down on supporting police intervention and showing the public that … bikers are so bad we have to send the police in.”
In a letter sent to the mayor’s office on Sunday, Shellnutt says there is a need to “reduce anti-cycling narratives between police and the public.” He told CTV News Toronto that he thinks a public statement from the Tories and city councilors in support of people who choose to bike would go a long way.
“We have incidents all over the city where vehicles are armed against people. It’s shocking and shows that we have a huge problem on our hands that will only be addressed through the coordination of all levels of government—from the province that enforces the Vulnerable Road User Act to stronger automated enforcement in the City of Toronto and municipalities across province”.
A spokesman for the mayor’s office said that contrary to what was stated in the letter, Tory had tried to reduce tensions and identify solutions to safety issues in High Park.
“He will continue these efforts and would welcome more constructive and honest input from the author of this letter,” Lovin Hadissi said in an email to CTV News Toronto. “One thing this situation doesn’t need is over-the-top accusations leveled with executive and politicized letters.”
However, Hadisi added that Zierfuss’s experience “sounds very disturbing.”
“No one behind the wheel of a vehicle should behave like this. It sounds like a dangerous example of road rage,” they said. “There have been some very tragic incidents on our roads just this weekend in other parts of the city and while it is up to the police to investigate, the mayor believes the drivers involved should be held accountable as required by law.”
For Zierfuss, he hopes he will soon feel more comfortable not only getting back on the road himself, but allowing his children to ride their bikes to school without worrying about their safety.
“Bikes don’t go away. It is the way of the future. We have to learn how to get along.”
