AGAIN ... a truck has killed a cyclist, this time at Cherry St. and Commissioners RD. Again cyclists will gather to mourn her passin on Wednesday August 7, at 6:00 pm at the scene, exactly one week following her death.
Early on Monday, July 29, a memorial was held for a young cyclist killed by a truck on Bathurst St. at Queen. Fellow cyclists laid flowers at the scene and held a silent vigil. Calls were also made for a coroner`s inquest into the death. On Wednesday, July 31, cyclists in Toronto were appalled to discover that it had happened again. A 78yearold woman was struck and killed by a transport truck on one of the busiest cycling routes in Toronto.
How can this have happened twice in two weeks? Dr. Robert Huxter, Metro Regional Coroner, has announced that he is "carefully investigating the issue of safe cycling in Metro Toronto". We hope that the coroner will consider modifications to trucks to prevent pedestrians and cyclists from slipping underneath the truck after being struck. Of even greater importance is determining wha tneeds to be done to prevent trucks and cars from hitting cyclists at all. Metro Toronto, number one ciry for cycling in North America, must thoroughly readdress its transportation infrastructure.
This is a public safety issue. The cyclist at Cherry and Commissioner`s was the third to die in Metro Toronto in 1996. Yet it is an issue for more than cyclists. It is an issue for everyone who breathes. On the day of this release an air quality advisory has been issued. Torontonians are being cautioned not to exercise outdoors. Walking and cycling are the only modes of transportation that do not pollute the atmosphere. Metro Toronto cannot aford to discourage them.
Each time a cyclist is killed in this city we all feel its impact. Every one of us is thinking, "Will it be me next time? Will it be someone I love?" We refuse to accept cycling deaths as normal and we refuse to be frightened off the road.
THERE SHOULD NOT BE A NEXT TIME!