Have we had enough of this yet? Why aren’t our leaders tired of watching their constituents be violently killed over and over and over and over again? If they wanted it to stop, they could make it stop. THREAD #TODeadlyStreets #BikeTO #PublicHealthCrisisTO #ZeroVisionTO https://twitter.com/BenSpurr/status/1309496085547831297

Let's unpack: a cyclist moved into middle lane containing streetcar tracks, apparently to pass vehicle in curb lane. Note: Fully legal manoeuvre, needed to move around parked or illegally stopped vehicles outside of 'door zone', etc. Also merging is necessary to make a left turn.

This man fell on the tracks, and was then rear-ended and dragged by a driver. Streetcar tracks are a menace, especially when wet and slippery from the rain. There are solutions to this, like flange fillers, where cyclists interact with tracks. https://www.cp24.com/news/37-year-old-man-dead-after-being-struck-by-car-downtown-1.5119295

Immediate questions: wasn’t the driver watching the road? Not dark at 6:00pm, even when raining. The fall should have been easily visible. And, why did they drag the cyclist so far – did they not notice they’d hit someone? Distracted? Cognitive decline? https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/cyclist-dies-in-hospital-after-being-hit-by-a-car-downtown-toronto-1.5119294

Were they following too closely at high speed to stop in time? The speed limit there is 40km/h. Or, like almost ALL #TODeadlyStreets, is there a huge mismatch between design speed and posted speed limit? https://twitter.com/MetroManTO/status/1309536862281838593

Many Torontonians who ride bikes will say this could have been them. They’ve ridden this stretch. Many people have fallen on streetcar tracks, too – it’s joked about as a Toronto rite of passage. This could have been any of us.

Indeed, it has. This part of Dundas has a horrific record. 8 KSI crashes. 3 cyclists severely injured. Pedestrians: 2 fatalities, 3 severe injuries. This is not a problem that’s been invisible. It’s been a problem for a LONG TIME. Each of these dots is a loved, valuable person.

As always, all this #RoadViolence could have been prevented through design improvement, yet none of the long list of potential simple, inexpensive solutions is ever built. Eg: narrowing car lanes to reduce speed, installing a dedicated cycle track with cheap curbs and bollards.

Why not dedicate the curb lane to active transportation on Dundas W, and create a useful corridor connected to the protection we hope to see added on Dundas E? Cars don't have to be top priority on EVERY street. https://twitter.com/GraphicMatt/status/1281264098676813826

Why is it SO HARD to change street design? It’s maddening that our leaders pander to the toddler-like fury of drivers who can’t recognize that restoring equity is not the same as oppression. Why not care about the people whose lives have been destroyed or stopping future carnage?

What if this was John Tory’s son? Stephen Holyday’s son? Denzil Minnan-Wong’s son? Cynthia Lai’s son? Michael Ford’s brother? These are some councillors who routinely vote against safety improvements. What would it take for them to care enough not to obstruct safety improvements?

Those who disagree that we need a #MinimumGrid of safe infrastructure, especially on main streets, and complain about how hard change is, can think instead about the shattered family of this man. Did he have kids, a spouse? Parents? Brothers, sisters? Friends, colleagues?

Indeed, if people opposed to #SafeStreets want to complain about change, they can think about the changes we've endured too: killed spouses, sudden single parenthood, destroyed health, destroyed identity, chronic pain, protracted stressful legal battles for minimal compensation.

We don't know this man's identity so we don’t know which communities have a gaping hole ripped in them, but be assured, their agony does not compare to any potential (probably mythical) discomfort caused by imperceptibly increased car commuting times from fixing #TODeadlyStreets.

It might take electoral reform to finally get leaders who reflect the makeup and diversity of Toronto, and who believe in the legitimacy of active transportation and #VisionZero, and who value the life of every road user, and who are committed to addressing climate collapse.

The binary choice is this:
- build safe streets
OR
- watch loved ones be violently killed and our climate be further destabilized.

To be against #SafeStreets is to be in favour of violent death for innocent vulnerable road users.

Safety (and decarbonisation of transportation) will never improve without infrastructure change. It’s the only way. THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND. There is no educating or enforcing our way out of this #PublicHealthCrisisTO. We've spent decades hoping for the best. IT HASN'T WORKED.

This pandemic has shown some hope. #ActiveTO is better #VisionZero than our actual #VisionZeroTO plan. Fastest policy implementation and building of #SafeStreets ever, but it’s a pittance at 40km. We could and should be installing many times that, every year, without fail.

#DestinationDanforth is a huge success – why can’t more streets be like this? Streets with businesses benefit from a #MinimumGrid, and suburban arterials without shops have tons of space anyway. #CarCulture excuses are ideological, not based in truth, facts or human compassion.

Our hearts are with everyone who loved and cared about this 37-year-old man. He didn't deserve to die, and his and every other death could have been prevented if we had the #PoliticalWill in Toronto to do something rapid and effective about our deadly infrastructure problem.

If you knew or loved this person and you are struggling with grief, you can reach out to us for support. You are not alone.