All eyes are on Toronto’s roads as we brace for the changes to come as part of Bill 212, the divisive set of laws just passed this week that lets Doug Ford’s government have ultimate say regarding all new — and some existing— bike lanes across the province.
Many fear what the veto on cycle paths that replace a traffic lane will mean for the safety of road users who aren’t behind the wheel, especially given the legislation’s preposterous wording that prevents anyone from suing the province “as a direct or indirect result of the removal of a bicycle lane, part of a lane, or any related features or adjacent infrastructure.”
But there is another demographic that is significantly more vulnerable on the city’s streets than cyclists, per City data — pedestrians, of course.
A new report on road user injuries and fatalities shows that while one cyclist was killed and 36 seriously injured as they traversed Toronto last year, 29 pedestrians died after being struck on our roads, and a whopping 134 others sustained substantial injuries. (A total of 11 automobile occupants died, and 74 were seriously injured, for the record.)
Read more: Here’s where you’re most likely to get hit by a car in Toronto – BlogTO, November 28, 2024
