Canadian Press
Cycling advocates are calling for urgent action to improve safety on Toronto’s streets after a 24-year-old rider who was hit by a dump truck died last week, marking the fifth cyclist fatality in the city this year.
A female cyclist was biking in Toronto’s Yorkville area on July 25 when she exited the bike lane and was hit by a dump truck, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
As part of the investigation, police say they are looking into whether a nearby construction bin on the road factored into the collision.
Albert Koehl, a coordinator with Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition said it “seems very likely” that the cyclist may have had to leave the bike lane to avoid an obstruction, something he said Toronto cyclists are forced to do too often.
Though the city has made progress in advancing its cycling network, Longfield said there’s more to be done.
“This network, this chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” he said. “If we’re not prioritizing, making sure the bikeways are clear and accessible and not blocked … it really undermines the effectiveness of that entire network, and it puts people’s lives at risk.”
“What we’re calling on the city to do is greater vigilance of construction sites,” said Albert Koehl, a coordinator with Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition. “The second thing is also greater enforcement by the parking enforcement office of blockages of bike lanes from cars that are illegally stopped.”
Koehl said enforcement should be consistent and more frequent, and more cameras should be used to combat illegal parking. He added there should also be more oversight for the technology used by trucks to assess blind spots, and clear signage during construction work.
“These are dangers that need to be taken seriously,” said Koehl. “Sadly, we feel a sense of failure as well, when we’ve called on the city and on the police to take more action and we see one of these tragedies.”
In addition to action by policymakers, more community awareness about bike safety is crucial. Drivers often park in bike lanes for convenience, but even a temporary stoppage can be a matter of life and death for cyclists, he said.