Toronto cyclist outraged but lucky to be alive after being struck by school bus

Disaster barely averted at Avenue Rd. & Cottingham

A Toronto cyclist is still shaken after narrowly escaping serious injury in a collision with a bus this past summer, and demands changes to the car-centric road conditions in neighbourhoods north of the core.

Cyclist Brock Howes knows the dangers of main roads all too well, telling blogTO, “I bike in the city regularly, in bike lanes where available, in traffic when it is not an option. I bike more defensively, sticking to paths, sidestreets, and protected bike lanes when I’m pulling my 4-year-old daughter in our trailer.”

Continue reading Toronto cyclist outraged but lucky to be alive after being struck by school bus – BlogTO, October, 2022


Brock Howes’ account of Avenue/Cottingham collision

I bike in the city regularly, in bike lanes where available, in traffic when it is not an option. I bike more defensively, sticking to paths, side streets, and protected bike lanes when I’m pulling my 4 year old daughter in our trailer. Whether by myself or with her though, I always do my best to avoid Avenue Road. When I have to cross it, I take the crosswalk at Cottingham. Despite those precautions, I was quite literally hit by a bus.

I am fortunate the trailer was empty and I escaped serious injury. Fifteen minutes later, on our way home, this could have been much worse. If it had been a child crossing Avenue – or anyone shorter than that hood – they would be dead. This was within half a kilometer of 4 separate schools.

I know there’s talk of change, and consultations are ongoing, but the change cannot happen fast enough. The sidewalks are pitifully narrow, and bike safety is non-existent (despite Avenue feeding into the new lanes at Bloor and University).

Four lanes are sufficient north of St. Clair, and 4 lanes are sufficient South of Bloor. There is no reason why we need 6 lanes and higher speed limits for our stretch that is filled with residential homes, new condos, and multiple schools.

Torontonians are getting hurt, and it is only a matter of time until there is another death like Miguel Joshua Escanan, the 18 year old killed last year. Please expedite a solution before that happens.

Avenue Road is an embarrassment to Vision Zero.

Thanks,
Brock Howes
October 4, 2022