Update - Cyclist who was hit by cab - Driver charged by Police

While I acknowledge the unfortunate cyclist has had to have his leg amputated, I do know two cyclists who have kept riding despite losing the use of one leg. One is an amputee with a prosthetic and the other was fortunately only temporarily unable to use a leg due to a break which healed. Both ride recumbent tricycles. My sympathies to the cyclist, hoping he did nothing to deserve a charge (I'm thinking self-defense here), and that he recovers medically as quickly as possible. The loss of a limb is no doubt going to be a big adjustment for the cyclist. When the time comes, I wish that cyclist the courage and support to attempt to cycle again, in whatever form that may take.

This case certainly sounds like a case of attempted vehicular manslaughter. May the cabbie find peace and let's hope this incident can prevent others.

I see these things almost every day on the road -

1. Cabs cutting in front of me and slamming their brakes to pick up a passenger -
2. Cabs not warning their passengers to let cyclists pass before opening doors -
3. Cabs deliberately closing the gap between car and curb to prevent bikes from passing -
4. Cabs pulling out of a center lane stopped at a red light to pass everyone else on the right-hand side, then racing it out with the car on their left to get back in the lane before the parked car in front of them - swerving across cyclists paths twice -
5. (add your own ...)

There are two questions of interest that result:

A) What makes cab drivers think they have the right to behave like that in traffic, rather than being mindful, civil, helpful, professional ... ?

B) What can we do to make cab/cyclist encounters safer?

If I just let it go, will it not just encourage such behaviour? If I swat their trunk, will it not just harden their attitude?

Some time ago I saw a "door-prize" tag - you probably know what that is. I thought that was a promising approach. I am thinking of tickets to hand out to cabs, mentioning how to do things better (use flashers, let cyclists pass safely, maintain spaces ... appreciate us not clogging traffic). Engage cabbies in a conversation, work to get our encounters back on a human level, rather than confrontations between abstract, faceless antagonists...

"Taxi tickets" - perhaps an activity for TCU?

(Oh and while you're thinking, how about going down to Dovercourt/Argyle and tying a white ribbon?)

Ride safe.

At times cabbies don't have it easy and safe, but that said, I'm pleased that there are a set of relatively stronger charges that bolster the NO of using car/cab as a weapon.
Iakub has listed a good list of problems; but yes, what to do?
I was nearly doored by an uncaring cab on Bloor who told me what to do with myself, and the cops when I called essentially hung up on me. Geoffrey's treatment after being run down from behind is a far worse failure of police to not truly protect unarmoured civilians. While some of the cops are great, there's a systemic "carism" that permeates this Kultchur and then beyond the biases there are problems of one-vs-one and who to believe? So the city's Licensing Commission may be as ineffective as some other parts of the city.
There may be a leverage point with insurance. TaxiNews last edition had a story about only one insurance company being willing to insure TO cabs - maybe someone could find out the number/contact for this company and then we make a point of calling in bad cab driving to it, and see if market forces help improve driving?
And yes, Dexter is truly hopeful. I saw his example for the first time last night at the Bike Pirates film night - and folks should go back up to tino's good link.
Maybe if we got a nice still from that show, printed it up as a supportive card and get a thousand of us to sign it...

this is a sad scenario it would have been better if the biker decided to take a cab home instead then we would not have had this mess and both men would have been happy the cabbie because he made money and the biker becasuse he got home early (with both legs).

Why do bad things happen to good hard working people trying to survive in this rotten world.

this is a sad scenario it would have been better if the biker decided to take a cab home instead then we would not have had this mess and both men would have been happy the cabbie because he made money and the biker becasuse he got home early (with both legs).

Why do bad things happen to good hard working people trying to survive in this rotten world.

doh! the cyclist wasn't blamed for being hit for a change. no claims it was his fault for not wearing a helmet. nonetheless the media did not fail to enthrall its readership with assertions he may have attempted to rob the cab driver. again. blame the victim. they must have done something wrong, right? oh, yeah. they were pushing peddles on the motorholicway.

when the police released they were unable to obtain a coherent statement from the cyclist it sounded to me like deja vu:

http://sockpuppet.ca/xray

gee. hospital administered medication couldn't have any bearing on that, right?

how do you fall off a bike and land on your back if you are not hit from behind?

if this were anything but a cab do you think those charges would have been laid? do you really think highly visible cabs are more likely to drive aggressively than couriers who have no distinguishing marks on their vehicles? do you really think charges like these will be applied to jane and joe commuter the next time they centre punch a bicyclist with their hood ornament?

The Star reported the cab was damaged at the back (smashed tailights, dented trunk). Seems what may have happened is this cabbie reversed into the cyclist, the wheel going over his leg. If this is so, it shows he could have just driven away since the cyclist was behind him.

If he did deliberately run down a cyclist then he is a cowardly scumbag who deserves the harshest of sentences. Imagine runnng down someone like a dog then fleeing the scene to leave him to bleed to death. What scum.

The fact of the matter that he left the scene, and then the charge of obstructing justice, I think he's in more trouble than people think. I hope he gets put in jail for his stupidity. A very long time. Depending on what the judge believes, it could approach attempted murder.

Moderator's note: I have deleted the address that was posted here. If anyone is crazy enough to do any kind of vigilantism, you're on your own. The information (name and address) were from publicly-available sources, but could be wrong.

While I don't think a lynch mob is appropriate, the conflict between cyclists and car drivers has become worse and worse over the years I have lived in the city and the police still seem to be overwhelmingly on the side of drivers. If the authorities are unwilling to protect our rights, at some point we will be required to take things into our own hands. Furthermore, if the justice system does not mete out an appropriate punishment in this case, I think having the offender's address made public is appropriate.

Its time for cyclists to stop being bullied.

While a lynch mob response to Mr. Ahmed's actions is unacceptable, there is absolutely nothing wrong with telling Sultan Ahmed exactly how one feels about his actions that fateful night. Taking the law into one's own hands is illegal, public shaming of those who have committed wrongs is not.

If its OK for local citizens to be informed of sex offenders in their neighbourhood (actually a legal requirement), its also OK for the public to be informed that a lying ("he was trying to rob me"), vicious (he backed up over the cyclist) scumbag, who resorts to violence as a first option, is their neighbour.

Put the address back up.

For one thing, the driver hasn't been convicted of anything yet. For another, he was denied bail, so is unlikely to be at home any time soon. And really, the problem is that he's a dangerous driver - if someone wants to post licenses/cab numbers of dangerous drivers, I'm okay with that, but home addresses is a step too far.

Perhaps Ryan and Vic have greater faith in the justice system than I do.

This scumbag viciously and intentionally attacked a cyclist (damage to back of cab, not front), drove away as he was bleeding out and then tried to concoct a story about how he was being robbed to justify his actions (robbery would not justify his actions in any case).

Mr. Ahmed will not lose his leg or be permanently harmed in any other way by our "justice" system whereas the victim has been permanently affected.

A lynch mob and/or harrasssing his family is inappropriate but a nicely worded letter of condemnation addressed to Mr. Ahmed would be completely appropriate.

I respect the blog administrator's decision to remove the address although I disagree with it.

Brian,

First of all, notice I said the letter was to be addressed to Mr. Ahmed, not his family. It is high time the community at large start informing wayward members about their deficiencies. Jail sentences and fines don't seem to do the trick; its time for public humiliation of animals like Mr. Ahmed.

Placing one's faith in the "justice" system sounds great on paper but having lived through the experience I know it is useless. I have an injury from a bike accident that occurred when I was 16 that still bothers me; the cabbie in this case hit me from behind but got off b/c the officer at the scene failed to show up for the court date. Where is the justice?

Secondly, I could not give a rat's ass about the dependents of Mr. Ahmed. They are his responsibility. It was his responsibility to provide for them and he made choices that jeopardize his ability to do so. Ergo they suffer.

Thirdly, Mr. Ahmed did not make a "mistake". He intentionally resorted to violence as a dispute resolution tactic. Mistakes are forgiveable, willfully inflicting violence on another person and then fleeing the scene (as the victim lay bleeding out) is not.

What the Toronto bike community needs is less feel good BS like yours (the fact that you state "This cyclist is in a position of excellent power" as he recovers sans limb actually sickens me) and more militant action against drivers who have little or no respect for cyclists.

Instead of putting oneself in the shoes of the family of the perpetrator, perhaps it would be wiser to put oneself in the shoes of the victim.

I don't know what the solution is regarding cabbies in this city but I do know;

A) There is a problem;
B) Little has been done about it;
C) I'm tired of cyclists being treated as second class citizens on the road.

Furthermore, let me state once more that I do not condone vigilantism but I do believe that the community at large must start "policing" its members. The police certainly won't do it; they are busy tracking down the Bronfmann's stolen jewellry instead of protecting the rights of us lesser citizens.

There is a world of difference between sending a letter of condemnation to Mr. Ahmed (legal option) and taking the law into one's own hands (illegal option). Mr. Ahmed needs to know that regardless of the legal outcome of this trial (likely a short jail sentence unless he is a repeat offender), he has earned the derision of his community.