The way Sarah Barrett sees it, Toronto’s mayor is a pretty recognizable person, and his gold van with the licence plate “ROB FORD” isn’t exactly subtle.

So she feels she can say with conviction that’s who she witnessed committing the ultimate urban sin Monday while driving west along Dundas St. W. near Spadina Ave.

“He had his (cell) phone clamped onto his ear,” Barrett said.

“I said, ‘There you go. There’s Rob Ford talking on the phone.’ ”

The semi-retired small business owner was in the left lane at the time. The mayor was in the right.

When Ford switched lanes, he ended up behind her — and Barrett saw him deep in conversation in her rearview mirror. They ended up side-by-side again.

“I was sort of stunned,” she said. “I wanted to get his eye and wave at him and point to the phone with my hand movements and say, ‘No, no, no.’”

Barrett lost the mayor around Bathurst St., but not before she saw him use his left fingers on the keypad — either dialling or texting, she claims.

It’s illegal to use a hand-held cellphone and other electronic devices while driving in Ontario, and drivers can be fined up to $500.

It’s not the first time Ford has been forced to defend his driving habits.

In July, a Toronto mother accused the mayor of giving her the middle finger in front of her 6-year-old daughter after talking on the phone while driving.

The mayor’s press secretary, Adrienne Batra, did not respond to the Star’s request for comment, but told another Toronto newspaper that Ford has been using his hands-free OnStar system more frequently.