Toronto cycling advocates warn of ‘crisis’ after latest rider killed on busy street

Cycling advocates are calling for urgent action to amended information connected Toronto’s streets aft a 24-year-old rider who was deed by a dump motortruck died past week, marking nan 5th cyclist fatality successful nan metropolis this year.

The 5 fatalities truthful acold successful 2024 person surpassed nan city’s mixed number of cyclist deaths from 2021 to 2023.

Michael Longfield, executive head of Cycle Toronto, said nan toll “points to a crisis.”

“It shouldn’t return personification dying for it to beryllium a existent wake-up telephone that we request to guarantee that our bikers are safe,” he said.

On Thursday morning, a female cyclist was biking successful Toronto’s Yorkville area erstwhile she exited nan motorcycle lane and was deed by a dump truck, constabulary person said. She was pronounced dormant astatine nan scene.

As portion of nan investigation, constabulary opportunity they are looking into whether a adjacent building bin connected nan roadworthy factored into nan collision.

Longfield said it “seems very likely” that nan cyclist whitethorn person had to time off nan motorcycle lane to debar an obstruction, thing he said Toronto cyclists are forced to do excessively often. Though nan metropolis has made advancement successful advancing its cycling network, Longfield said there’s much to beryllium done.

“This network, this concatenation is only arsenic beardown arsenic its weakest link,” he said. “If we’re not prioritizing, making judge nan bikeways are clear and accessible and not blocked … it really undermines nan effectiveness of that full network, and it puts people’s lives astatine risk.”

The City of Toronto announced connected Monday that it was expanding fines to thief curb forbidden parking, including raising nan punishment for parking a prohibited conveyance connected a bicycle way from $60 to $200. Albert Koehl, a coordinator pinch Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition, applauded that move but warned penalties only activity if nan rules are enforced.

“What we’re calling connected nan metropolis to do is greater vigilance of building sites,” said Koehl. “The 2nd point is besides greater enforcement by nan parking enforcement agency of blockages of motorcycle lanes from cars that are illegally stopped.”

Koehl said enforcement should beryllium accordant and much frequent, and much cameras should beryllium utilized to combat forbidden parking. He added location should besides beryllium much oversight for nan exertion utilized by trucks to measure unsighted spots, and clear signage during building work.

Koehl called Thursday’s collision “devastating,” and said it highlights nan risks cyclists successful nan metropolis look everyday.

“These are dangers that request to beryllium taken seriously,” said Koehl. “Sadly, we consciousness a consciousness of nonaccomplishment arsenic well, erstwhile we’ve called connected nan metropolis and connected nan constabulary to return much action and we spot 1 of these tragedies.”

In consequence to these incidents, nan metropolis has precocious respective roadworthy information projects, including its Vision Zero scheme that launched successful 2016 which intends to trim traffic-related fatalities and injuries.

In 2021, Toronto City Council besides committed to implementing 100 kilometres of caller bikeways by 2024. As of May, nan metropolis was connected way to present 75 kilometres by nan extremity of this year.

He said that successful summation to action by policymakers, much organization consciousness astir motorcycle information is crucial. Drivers often parkland successful motorcycle lanes for convenience, but moreover a impermanent stoppage tin beryllium a matter of life and decease for cyclists, he said.

“You mightiness beryllium safe successful in your ain car, but your loved ones mightiness beryllium walking, riding a motorcycle aliases taking transit,” he said. “The information of each of america is thing that’s worthy investing in, moreover if it intends immoderate inconvenience to maine personally arsenic a driver.”

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, different motorcycle defense group, is hosting a shade motorcycle thrust connected Wednesday arsenic a memorial for nan cyclist.

“At nan extremity of nan day, we conscionable each want to get location safely,” Longfield said. “To do that, we request to make judge that our sidewalks and bikeways are arsenic safe arsenic possible, each twelvemonth round.”