Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Toronto has laid bylaw charges against two companies after a 24-year-old cyclist was struck and killed by a dump truck last month after going around a construction waste bin that was blocking a bike path.
The city says disposal bin company Ontario Trucking and Disposal Ltd. is facing five bylaw charges, including encumbering of a street, placing an object on a street and causing dangerous conditions.
Also, contractor Mass Contracting Ltd., is facing one charge of causing encumbering of a street.
Under the Provincial Offences Act, the maximum penalty a contractor can face for illegally blocking a public lane is $1,000 if the accused is found guilty at trial, and if the accused elects to pay the fine out of court, the set fine for each offence is $200.
In a statement the city said there was no “street occupation permit” issued for the location.
“Temporary occupation of any portion of the public right of way during a demolition, renovation and/or construction permit requires a street occupation permit,” the city said.
Bylaw charges come after some Toronto cycling advocates called for safer closer surveillance on construction sites in the city following the cyclist’s death.
The cyclist was biking in the area of Bloor Street and Avenue Road on July 25 when she exited the bike lane and was hit by a dump truck, police said previously. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, told The Canadian Press last week that the cyclist may have been forced to leave the bike lane to avoid an obstruction.
“This network, this chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” he said of the city’s cycling infrastructure. “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.”
