Mr. Bryant has the same protection under law as ALL other Canadians which includes the PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE. Except of course among some wigged out cyclists who are on the warpath against Mr. Bryant and who offer zero proof of their contentions, allegations, and outright judgements against Mr. Bryant and who have zero idea of what actually happened because not a single one of them was there to witness the events.

As it happens there was a witness, an American tourist, whose vehicle and person was attacked by Mr. Sheppard in a rage just before the incident with Mr. Bryant. This American visitor to Toronto was willing to come and testify in court. His testimony would have been that Mr. Sheppard, who had a long history of alcohol and drug abuse and violent outbursts, attacked him and his vehicle just prior to attacking Mr. Bryant's vehicle.

This is far from the only incident of unbalanced bikers failing to obey road rules and laws and getting violent for no apparent reason. In fact I was attacked in a similar fashion when a cyclist who was rding along a sidewalk, whizzing dangerously past pedestrians leaped off of his bicycle and ran in front of my vehicle, as I was attempting to make a right turn and was slowly inching ahead from the position of the stop sign so that I could see the oncoming vehicles, and threw his barely rideable old bicycle against the front of my vehicle which bounced back off of the front of my vehicle, damaging it, and struck him. He then proceeded to go ballistic on me!!

I have witnessed many bicycle riders attempting to make right hand turns while pulled up beside a motor vehicle which was also making a right turn and was there prior to the cyclists showing up at the intersection. Regardless of the fact that this manoeuver is illegal for any road vehicle - including cyclists - and extremely dangerous. Several similar incidents which ended tragically for the cyclists have occured in Toronto over the last few years. Have cyclists learned anything - NO! This is still a very common tactic for cyclists to split the single curb lane into two and attempt to pass or turn or speed through a red light - all very dangerously and illegally. Which aparently makes zero difference to some angry and psychologically disturbed cyclists, many of whom lacked the required safety equipment. Cyclists riding dangerously and disobeying all vehicular laws and road rules are a daily occurance in Toronto.

Toronto cyclists should b e licenced and a vehicle licence should be required to ride on major streets and in the downtown area. In addition there should be traffic cameras installed at all downtown intersections which record the traffic and which can be used in charging and convicting illegal cyclist activity.

Unfortunately Mr. Sheppard had a history of anti social behaviour, drug and alcohol abuse and very recent violent abuse of other motor vehicle drivers prior to his incident with Mr. Bryant. Mr. Sheppard provoked this incident and his manic actions led directly to the tragic events which ultimately led to his death.

Excoriating Mr. Bryant with zero proof and unnatural explosive anger, instead of contending for more cooperative law abiding cycling specially in congested and potentially dangerous streets - which could lead to a resolution of such regrettable accidents, is simply irrational and an example of irresponsibility on the part of the cycling community.

My advice is grow up, leave your anger at home (it has no place on the road), obey all laws and rules of the road and cycle safely. Only this, along with registration of cyclists and their bicycles and intersection cameras will solve this problem. However it seems like there are at least a few dozen cyclists who take their anger out on other vehicles and drivers while on our downtown roads; so it is unlikely that these sad events will end anytime soon.