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Trucks kill cyclists one day apart in Montreal and Toronto on streets with bike lanes

Two women died in similar circumstances on streets with bike lanes in Canada's two biggest cities

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June 12, 2018
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The streets of Canada’s two biggest cities were the scene of deadly collisions between cyclists and trucks early this week. On Monday, a woman in her 30s was struck and killed by a dump truck in the Rosemont neighbourhood of Montreal. A day later on Tuesday, a similar situation played out in Toronto when a 58-year-old woman was struck and killed by a truck at the intersection of St. George St. and Bloor St. Both streets have bike lanes.

The collision in Montreal took place at the intersection of St. Zotique St. and 19th Ave. The intersection has a four-way stop, has a bike lane that is spaced to prevent dooring and the speed limit was recently reduced to 30 km/h, all in an effort to protect cyclists.

Despite the measures, police were called at 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning after a cyclist was run over by a dump truck. The victim’s body was so mangled it took the police several hours to identify the gender of the victim according to the Montreal Gazette.

According to police, the cyclist was riding straight on the bike path when a dump truck driven by a 52-year-old man attempted to make a right turn onto 19th ave. By the time parametics were on the scene the victim had no vital signs and was pronounced dead.

Details of the collision on Tuesday in Toronto are so far sparse but at 12 p.m. police were called to the intersection of St. George St. and Bloor St. as first reported by The Toronto Star. A 58-year-old woman had been struck by a flatbed truck. Bloor has a bike lane at this intersection. The victim was found with no vital signs and was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We continue to see trucks that are completely blind and to see truck drivers in dense areas without the training to make sure they won’t hit a cyclist,” said Magali Bebronne of Vélo Québec told the Gazette. Police continue to investigate both deadly collisions.