Yet Another Cyclist Death in Etobicoke

As if this year wasn’t bad enough for Toronto’s cycling community with five cyclists killed as of July, news broke out that a 26-year-old female cyclist died today resulting from last Saturday's crash at Burnamthorpe just east of Kipling. This sixth cyclist death of 2024 also happens to be fifteen years to the day from when bike messenger Darcy Allan Sheppard was killed by then Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant. Let’s look at the street’s current condition and what the City’s plans are for improving cycling in this part of Etobicoke.

Memorial Ride for a 24-year-old Cyclist on Bloor

Unfortunately, Toronto’s cycling community had to gather tonight for the fifth time this year to pay their respects for a fallen cyclist. The latest victim was a 24-year-old female who was struck and killed on Bloor Street east of Avenue Road. While I wrote about the initial death and how to address some of the design fails at this site and others across the city, it was essential to write about tonight’s memorial ride.

By the time Helen, Mozzie, and I got to Matt Cohen Park, the park and sidewalk was already packed with people.

Memorial Ride for Ali Sezgin Armagan

Tonight, Toronto’s cycling community took part in their fourth memorial ride in as many months; this time for 39-year-old Ali Sezgin Armagan who was killed at Avenue & Elgin on Tuesday, April 30. With eight months to go, this year has already become one of the deadliest for those who bike in this city per Toronto's Vision Zero dashboard, though it hasn’t been updated for the most recent fatal crash.

Memorial Ride for Vlad Zotov

Last Monday, 59-year-old Vlad Zotov with the Morning Glory Cycling Club was killed on Bayview Avenue just south of Evergreen Brickworks. This latest tragedy marks the third cyclist killed in Toronto within the past three months with the other two happened in Scarborough at Brimley & McNicoll and near Warden & St. Clair. By the time Helen and I arrived at Bloor & Spadina, Matt Cohen Park was packed unlike any of the other memorial rides I could remember. During the ride, someone mentioned over 400 cyclists turned out tonight, while there was a lot of media present.

Memorial Ride at Brimley & McNicoll

Unfortunately, it seems Toronto can’t get by a single year without a cyclist getting killed. On Monday, January 30, a woman in her 60’s was struck by a driver at Brimley & McNicoll and died of her injuries on Saturday, February 3. Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists hosted a memorial ride for the fallen cyclist earlier today which started at Kennedy Station.

Documenting Toronto Cycling with Jun Nogami

If you participated in certain cycling events in Toronto, chances are you have seen a blog post about them as soon as an hour after the event finished. This blog called “Biking in a Big City” has been around for thirteen years which covered a fair number of advocacy events, gear reviews, long distance rides, and the World Human Powered Speed Challenge. I spoke with the blog’s author – Jun Nogami – to learn more about what first inspired him to start the bike blog and some of the things he has learned over the years.

Researching Active Transportation with Nancy Smith Lea

For almost 30 years, Nancy Smith Lea has been a pioneering road safety advocate focused on academic research and has covered topics such as economic impact studies, complete streets, and suburban bike hubs. Before becoming Director of The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) in 2008, she helped found Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC) and worked on one of Toronto’s now-defunct City Cycling Committee’s sub-committees. I spoke with Nancy about this experience on August 22, 2023.

Respecting Fallen Cyclists

When a cyclist gets killed in Toronto, a ghost bike memorial ride is organized one week after the crash in which a white painted bicycle (a.k.a. ghost bike) is brought to the crash site and locked to a post as a memorial to the fallen cyclist. The ghost bikes serve as a reminder to motorists and cyclists alike about the dangerous nature of Toronto’s streets.

Geoffrey Bercarich (with ghost bike) & Joey Schwartz leading the memorial ride