Hundreds take part in memorial ride for cyclist killed

Nearly 600 people took part in a bike ride in Toronto on Wednesday in honour of a female cyclist struck and killed last week by a dump truck driver.

The 24-year-old woman was struck on Bloor Street W. near Avenue Road early on July 25.

Toronto police have said the cyclist was westbound on Bloor, then exited the bike lane. She merged into a westbound vehicle lane and was struck by a dump truck driven by a 39-year-old man. Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman's death marks the fifth cyclist fatality in Toronto this year. Her name has not been released.

The cyclists who took part in the ride met at a park and biked to the collision site on Bloor Street W. in Yorkville, before holding a moment of silence with their helmets off. A ghost bike was installed and many cyclists were in tears. Some put flowers over the newly installed bike to commemorate the woman's life.

"We are gathered here today to remember a 24-year-old cyclist who was killed here about a week ago," Joey Schwartz, a co-organizer of the ride, told the crowd of cyclists.

"That death should never have happened. This is a protected bike lane. We are gathered here to remember her."

Before the ride, Schwartz said he is calling for accountability.

"This was totally, totally unnecessary. This was an unnecessary death that could have been prevented by simply not having a garbage bin illegally in a bike lane," he said.

Schwartz said construction is "out of hand" on Toronto streets and that cyclists have died because construction is not being kept under control and monitored for safety.

"The most obvious thing is make sure that the bylaw officers are getting out there and actually seeing what's going on, enforcing the current rules that we have."

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who attended the gathering at the end of the ride, said she is working to prevent such deaths. 

"As the mayor, I'm doubling my efforts, tripling my efforts — more fines, ticketing those who are parked illegally, enforcing the law and setting up a mobility squad to check whether there are construction sites in all the places where there are a lot of cyclists to make sure they're safe," she said.

Police say investigation 'active and ongoing'

No charges have been laid in the death, but police said on Wednesday the investigation is "active and ongoing."

Coun. Dianne Saxe, who represents Ward 11 (University-Rosedale), has said the bike lane was blocked by a large construction bin. She said the bin was placed illegally in front of 150 Bloor Street W., before the cyclist was killed.

In a statement on Wednesday, 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. 

The city added that enforcing those permits falls under its jurisdiction and that enforcement officers regularly patrol for such issues and hand out violation notices where warranted.

City staff also meet with builder and contractor agencies to educate them on topics related to building on the right of way, it said.

Saxe said a general contractor is working at the address and that she wants to see the contractor and the customer charged with criminal negligence causing death.

The death is a "terrible, completely avoidable tragedy," she said.