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Cyclist hit on Bloor Viaduct

December 22, 2010 By 9 Comments

The Star has news about a cyclist hit on the Bloor Viaduct:

A cyclist is in critical condition after being struck by a car on the Bloor viaduct.

The 57-year-old man was cycling east bound towards Broadview Ave., when the vehicle appeared to have veered into the bike lane and struck him just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.

… [an eye witness] said the driver remained at the scene and appeared to be very “shaken up.”

It’s pretty dark around 5 pm nowadays… be sure and be careful out there… and make sure to be visible on your bike.

[photo from veryscarygary on flickr]

Deal of the Day

A cyclist is in critical condition after being struck by a car on the Bloor viaduct.

The 57-year-old man was cycling east bound towards Broadview Ave., when the vehicle appeared to have veered into the bike lane and struck him just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.

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  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/todd/ Todd Tyrtle

    Even after all of the recent upgrades, that’s a *terrible* spot, particularly at that time of day. It’s dark, it’s rush hour and everyone’s in a big hurry to get on the DVP and head home. In my opinion the biggest part of the problem is that the width of the viaduct encourages folks to move quickly and the curve onto the DVP is so gentle you don’t have to slow down much. (see: http://goo.gl/maps/Oz81) It’s a suburban interchange in the middle of a city. It needs a full right-angle turn instead of the gentle turn that’s there. The same could be said for the intersection with Broadview a few metres ahead. There’s no reason we need to make it possible for drivers to turn without significantly slowing down there.

  • Raj

    I biked the same route as this unfortunate cyclist later the same evening of this accident and saw the aftermath, but didn’t know then what had happened. Coincidentally, I remember thinking to myself at the time that the sharrows are probaby giving cyclists a false sense of confidence, especially where they “cross over” the turning lane. Like Todd said, your average driver is probably going way to fast to even notice them. Let’s hope something good comes out of this sad event.

  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/joetravers/ Joe T.

    Yeah – I go through Broadview and Danforth (sat. map) twice a day… making this intersection a “5 point” one is on my list of “if only”. It would make the whole area so much safer.

    You can see from the Satellite map linked above that the northern part of Broadview is almost directly in line with the DVP on-ramp. This is a holdover from the pre-DVP days when this was the eastern End of Winchester Street (yes, in Cabbagetown).

    Make the intersection a 5 point one, with the on-ramp being enter-only, obviously. Drivers heading east on the Viaduct not only have to go through the intersection, but slow down significantly to make the sharp right turn onto the on-ramp.

  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/shelaghdb/ SD-B59

    Very Sad!
    At the moment, I dont ride often at night but when I do, i tend to take more of the lane than in the daytime, this way i am seen for sure and people will go around me, rather than beside me…..i have noticed that whenever i do get as close to the side as possible, too many cars brush up alongside of me too close……..mind u, i am on St Clair West where the traffic is not as heavy as it must be on the Danforth.

    I hope he makes it and is ok ;-(

  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/michaelholloway/ michael holloway

    Very sad news, I hope he continues to have a long and healthy life.

    On Joe’s idea, a five point intersection – great idea. I don’t think anyone would be against that (besides the Pizza Pizza franchise owner on the south west corner). The lanes changes there, with cyclists in the middle must be as horrible for car drivers as it is for cyclists. Let get that done before this happens again.

    Does anyone know where one can access accidents statistics for that spot (or all traffic accident reports)?

    mh

  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/joetravers/ Joe T.

    Well, the pizzapizza *could* stay, but only if the north side of the intersection was modified a bit – shifting it over to the west a little bit – taking space away from the northwest corner and giving it to the northeast corner (which is always busier – packed with people).

    BUT… why take out the pizzapizza at all? Just have the on-ramp start at the intersection (by the front of the pizzapizza) and have cars stop a bit earlier (the middle of the intersection would grow larger), and allow for a wider, better crosswalk for pedestrians.

    For selling this – this actually HELPS cars in this neighbourhood get on the northbound DVP. Sure, coming from the Viaduct they have a sharp slow right turn to get on the ramp, but anyone coming from the north or the east now has much easier access to the on-ramp – they wouldn’t have to drive through the long Bloor-Bayview interchange to get onto the DVP.

  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/todd/ Todd Tyrtle

    @Joe – You’re thinking just a simple three-way stop like at Eglinton and Allen Rd? No sloping corner but a hard right that forced drivers to slow *way* down? I think that’d be a huge improvement. It would likely face a great deal of resistance but might be worth bringing up to the appropriate people – whomever that may be.

  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/joetravers/ Joe T.

    Here’s a very quick graphic of what I mean…. make it a 5 point intersection with an earlier stopping point for eastbound traffic. … the crosswalk from the NW corner across to the pizza pizza could stay as well, of course.

    Entering the ramp:

    EASTBOUND traffic would have to stop at the intersection, and then turn right onto the ramp when safe to do so.

    SOUTHBOUND traffic would have the option (when going straight through the intersection) of continuing southwards on Broadview, or entering the ramp. (currently, southbound traffic can not enter the DVP here).

    WESTBOUND traffic would have the option (when turning left) of going southbound on Broadview, or entering the ramp (currently, westbound traffic can not enter the DVP there).

    This is why I think this plan would not only make things safer for pedestrians and cyclists, but also make the on-ramp more convenient for those driving.

  • http://bikingtoronto.com/members/michaelholloway/ michael holloway

    Sent your 5 point intersection pic to Paula Fletcher as per her tweet for ideas – https://twitter.com/#!/PaulaFletcher30/status/161916198601232384

    My reply tweet to her – https://twitter.com/#!/m_holloway/status/162259051852464129







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