"My little brother was killed by a guy who was texting and driving. TPS barely does traffic enforcement. I can't describe how angry this useless waste of time exercise makes me,"
wrote Torontonian on Twitter.
"Is the Toronto Police Force trolling us?"
wrote another. "We will not do a THING about cars speeding down your street which has a school on it, or deadly intersections, or near deadly intersections, but hey, bicycles and chalk messages that say mean things about US, we're on it!"
In response to some of the angry messages flooding in on social media, and there have been hundreds, the Toronto police wrote that the initiative was meant to raise awareness following concerns expressed by members of the public and local city councillor Mark Grimes.
"Officers were there to increase awareness & educate people after a number of concerns were raised by the community, including fellow cyclists, & a councillor,"
they wrote. "The speed radars were used purely for education & not enforcement. We received a positive response from residents."
But many are pointing out that Grimes has not historically been the most pedestrian/cyclist-friendly councillor in the city, and that, in reality, speeding drivers pose a much greater risk to the safety of local residents than bikers on a quiet path.