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General cycling issues (Is Toronto bike friendly?)

That was a freak accident. A car knocked down a hydro pole which killed the person, so nothing to do with bike lanes at all. And news reports are now saying that it was a pedestrian.
 
See link from the Toronto Star.

A 40-year-old woman has been confirmed dead following a vehicle collision on Dufferin St. north of Steeles Ave. on Monday night.

The woman was one of two cyclists on the sidewalk corner of Dufferin St. and Glen Shields Ave. at approximately 6 p.m. when two vehicles collided in the intersection, striking a hydro pole. As a result of the crash, the hydro pole fell and struck the cyclists, police told reporters on scene.

The 40-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on scene. The second cyclist was taken to hospital in serious condition.

This is the fourth cyclist fatality in Toronto as a result of a crash in just over four weeks.

The three people inside the two vehicles — both drivers and one passenger — were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The cause of the accident is still unknown. The investigation continues.
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Sad story. The deceased woman was just an innocent bystander, not even riding her bike at the time, standing on the corner.

The updated news story above indicates the driver has now been charged:

Police have charged the driver of the Mercedes, Olumide Banjo, 34, with dangerous operation causing death and dangerous operation causing bodily harm.

Banjo will appear in court in Newmarket on August 6.
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andrewpmk said:
Another cyclist got killed yesterday, on Dufferin Street in Vaughan. This road has "bike lanes" in a strange arrangement with bus lanes beside them.
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Dufferin at Glen Shields just has regular bike lanes (that fizzle out south of Glen Shields) and no 'bus lanes', just a broken line in the bike lane at corners and bus stops. Not a 'strange arrangement' at all.

andrewpmk said:
I do not think that these "bike lanes" are safe and riding a bicycle is dangerous with or without bike lanes.
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Well, you've made it clear that you are a concern troll anyway.
 
James said:
Sad story. The deceased woman was just an innocent bystander, not even riding her bike at the time, standing on the corner.
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Which really gives the lie to the reflexive victim-blaming that surfaces sometimes: 'Biking's not safe ... probably crossed against the light ... should have been wearing a helmet ... should have been in a car', etc.

I know someone who was also killed standing on a street corner, waiting to cross, minding her own business. A minivan came along, hopped the sidewalk, hit her from behind and also knocked down a traffic light. We act like these things are unavoidable and inevitable, but how fast was that driver going to roll the car like that?
 
James said:
Not that this is related to the cause of the accident but it appears Mr. Olumide Banjo had has a prior criminal record with 13 convictions of fraud and was supposed to be deported in 2006, to which he filed an appeal and got the removal order suspended with conditions, back in 2008.

http://caselaw.canada.globe24h.com/...d-emergency-preparedness-2009-18195-irb.shtml
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If that's the same guy. Appears to be a fairly common name in Nigeria.

York police are now saying both of the people struck were cyclists but had dismounted and were standing on the sidewalk.
 
Such a sad case. I get nervous quite often in Toronto for pedestrians on corners. When a vehicle is stopped attempting to turn left at an intersection, I so often see cars pass on the right at high speed, often without adequate clearance or so fast they could potentially hit an oncoming left turn.

Police really should start enforcing traffic laws. I don't even need two hands to count the number of vehicles I've seen stopped by police in the downtown core in any given month.
 
salsa said:
The pedestrian you're referring to was a separate incident, an elderly man who was hit by a car at Dufferin & Rogers.
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Some news reports were saying that original reports said cyclists but police had updated to say pedestrians. Then it said that they were cyclists but were off their bikes and on the sidewalk at the time of the accident
 
What a difference a hundred plus years make.

From this link:

In 1900, Los Angeles had a bike highway — and the US was a world leader in bike lanes

California_Cycleway_1900__1_.0.0.jpg


Copenhagen is one of the world's best cities for biking, with more than 200 miles of bike lanes and two of just a handful of bike superhighways built worldwide. Meanwhile, of the top 20 most bike-friendly cities in the world, only one is in the US — while 17 are in Europe.

But what most people don't realize is that way back in 1900, Los Angeles began construction on the world's first bike highway. During this bike-crazed era, cities across the US built the earliest precursors to today's protected bike lanes — and the country as a whole was briefly at the forefront of global bicycle infrastructure.

At the time, the bicycle was largely a leisure toy for the rich, and as part of the Good Roads Movement, these riders campaigned heavily to pave existing roads. In some places, they also pushed for bike-specific paths and routes.

Soon afterward, though, the automobile replaced the bike as their recreational vehicle of choice — and it eventually became the country's main mode of transportation. Almost as quickly as they were built, most of these bike routes and paths were converted into roads, dismantled, or allowed to fall into decay.
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Napoleon said:
Police really should start enforcing traffic laws. I don't even need two hands to count the number of vehicles I've seen stopped by police in the downtown core in any given month.
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A few ideas on this.

First, police should stop focusing on (but not ignore) speeding and instead enforce laws on intersections, such as full stop behind line before turning right on red lights, full stop at stop signs, no entering intersection to turn left after the light has turned red, enforce existing laws for pedestrians and cyclists. Put red light cameras at every four lane traffic light where the speed is 50 kph or more - they'll pay for themselves in short order.

Second, get out of the police cars and more onto foot, motorcycle and bicycle. To make this work for traffic enforcement as I describe above you need a lot more cops, and they can't all be paid $100K. So, following the NYPD model and create a new force of traffic cops on many high risk corners, pay them a fair wage but not sunshine territory.
 
Admiral Beez said:
A few ideas on this.

First, police should stop focusing on (but not ignore) speeding and instead enforce laws on intersections, such as full stop behind line before turning right on red lights, full stop at stop signs, no entering intersection to turn left after the light has turned red, enforce existing laws for pedestrians and cyclists. Put red light cameras at every four lane traffic light where the speed is 50 kph or more - they'll pay for themselves in short order.

Second, get out of the police cars and more onto foot, motorcycle and bicycle. To make this work for traffic enforcement as I describe above you need a lot more cops, and they can't all be paid $100K. So, following the NYPD model and create a new force of traffic cops on many high risk corners, pay them a fair wage but not sunshine territory.
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Sorely needed. Good post.
 
WARNING: This video contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing. Intended for mature audiences only. Mild peril. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty (in a court of law). Viewer discretion advised.

Watch as Copenhagen Drivers Turning Right Exhibit Incredible Patience for Cyclists (as they should)

 
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