{"id":6445,"date":"2009-09-08T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2009-09-08T16:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=6445"},"modified":"2013-01-21T13:00:21","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T18:00:21","slug":"john-lorinc-deafening-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2009\/09\/08\/john-lorinc-deafening-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"JOHN LORINC: Deafening Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"

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David Miller’s lawyerly silence about the broader implications of the Bryant-Sheppard tragedy is, to use one of the mayor’s favorite terms, unacceptable.<\/p>\n

No, I’m not expecting him to speak out about the specifics of their fatal encounter, which is before the courts and thus off-limits to political commentary.<\/p>\n

But this incident, more than any other cycling fatality, has crystallized the brewing sense of tension between drivers and riders. As mayor, Miller has a duty to directly address the people of Toronto about the state of our roads as a means of de-escalating the polarized atmosphere of confrontation and recrimination.<\/p>\n

He could, without prejudicing the case, urge the importance of mutual respect, and call on both those who drive and those who ride to re-double their efforts to acknowledge one another’s humanity and fragility as they navigate city streets.<\/p>\n

He could urge calm, and ask the citizens of the city to refrain from pre-judging either Darcy Sheppard or Michael Bryant.<\/p>\n

He could propose the establishment of some kind of citizen’s forum to bring together drivers and riders — and not the usual suspects — to develop new ideas about how to improve the day-to-day relationship between the two groups.<\/p>\n

He could speak frankly — as I’ve argued in the magazine — about the profound safety failings of Toronto’s approach to bike lanes and how these contribute to the chronic unease experienced by both drivers and cyclists.<\/p>\n

He could say that it shouldn’t — mustn’t — be a war out there, and that we all have a moral obligation to step back from the brink.<\/p>\n

I understand why Miller’s been silent. It’s election season, and he gets enough grief as it is from the anti-bike crowd. But there’s no doubt that Sheppard’s death is a turning point in Toronto’s fraught relationship with the bicycle. David Miller, of all people, should be playing a central role in guiding the city into this new era.<\/p>\n

photo by Matthew Blackett<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Miller’s lawyerly silence about the broader implications of the Bryant-Sheppard tragedy is, to use one of the mayor’s favorite terms, unacceptable. No, I’m not expecting him to speak out about the specifics of their fatal encounter, which is before the courts and thus off-limits to political commentary. But this incident, more than any otherContinue reading “JOHN LORINC: Deafening Silence”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,21758,21759,2,9],"tags":[28,13015,425,1030,667,426,12980,19],"class_list":["post-6445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bikes","category-community","category-features","category-politics","category-traffic","tag-behaviour","tag-darcy-sheppard","tag-david-miller","tag-john-lorinc","tag-matthew-blackett","tag-mayor","tag-michael-bryant","tag-toronto"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJOHN LORINC: Deafening Silence - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2009\/09\/08\/john-lorinc-deafening-silence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JOHN LORINC: Deafening Silence - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"David Miller’s lawyerly silence about the broader implications of the Bryant-Sheppard tragedy is, to use one of the mayor’s favorite terms, unacceptable. 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