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[respectcyclists]

Ghost Bike Ride for Vlad Zotov

Monday, 15 April at 6:00 p.m.

59-year-old Vlad Zotov, a seasoned road cyclist, was out on a personal ride on Bayview Avenue, riding north, near the off-ramp for the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) and south of the Evergreen Brickworks. A 38-year-old male motorist, driving a large SUV, collided with Mr. Zotov and killed him. He was a ride leader with the Morning Glory Bicycle Club here in Toronto. He was a researcher with the Department of Defence and wrote several academic papers. He leaves behind a wife and three children. May his memory be a blessing to his family. MEET at 6:00 p.m. at Matt Cohen Parkette at Spadina and Bloor. We DEPART at 6:30 p.m. Details in the link below

[respectcyclists]

Alex Amaro Kindness Award Nominations Open

We lost Alex Amaro on Toronto's roads in December 2020. If you know someone that has contributed to making Toronto a safer place to cycle, nominate them. Nominations close in April 2024.

[respectcyclists]

Kirti Baweja Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver

Kirti Baweja, a 22-year-old foreign exchange student, was cycling home in the early morning hours on Wednesday, 23 August 2023. Happening somewhere else nearby, Peel Police stop a driver and start checking his licence and insurance. At that point 26-year-old, knew he violated his bail, fled from the police and drove away. In the Malton area of the City of Mississauga, Baweja was cycling northbound on Airport Road. Around 3:10 a.m., the fleeing driver struck her with his automobile and then failed to remain at the scene. She died where she was left for dead by the driver. He was finally captured about a week later and charged with four counts including failure to remain, and also fleeing a peace officer. ARC held a Ghost Bike Memorial Ride for Baweja on Saturday, 2 September 2023. At the time, we still didn't know her identity. In the past year, this is the second foreign student killed in the Greater Toronto Area by negligent drivers. ARC sends its condolences to Kirti Baweja's family and friends. https://jnyyz.wordpress.com/2023/09/02/ghost-bike-ride-by-the-airport-for-a-female-exchange-student/

[respectcyclists]

Ghost Bike Ride For Prakash

Today’s (9 July 2023) Ghost Bike memorial ride is in memory of 29-year-old Prakash Mariyappan, a male cyclist killed on 3 July 2023 in Brampton. Rain or Shine, meet at 3:00 p.m. in the Professor's Lake recreation centre parking lot. Depart at 3:15 p.m., arrive at the crash site approximately 3:40 p.m. ARC and BikeBrampton will install Ghost Bike memorial.  Bike route is here in this link: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43525001

[respectcyclists]

Male Cyclist Killed in Brampton: Memorial ride plans T.B.A.

It's with great sadness that ARC has to deal with another cyclist's death. This morning, Monday, 3 July 2023, in Brampton, an alleged impaired driver, allegedly driving the wrong-way on a street, supposedly struck and killed a male cyclist, and then fled the scene. Peel Police located the car and driver and have made initial DUI charges. ARC sends its condolences to the cyclist's family and friends. We will announce plans for a Ghost Bike Memorial in the coming days. 

[respectcyclists]

Ghost Bike Ride: Scarlett Rd

On Sunday, 28 May 2023, a motorist on Scarlett Road, south of Dixon Road, killed a thirty-something male cyclist. On Sunday, 4 June 2023, meet at 4:30 p.m. at Matt Cohen Park at Spadina Ave at Bloor Street. We depart at 5:00 p.m. Route will be finalized on Thursday. Details here: https://fb.me/e/uhpqpvcs

[respectcyclists]

Cyclist Killed in Etobicoke, Toronto

May is turning into a cyclist kill month in southern Ontario. Another horrific death on our streets. The third cyclist killed this month from Niagara Falls to Toronto happened this evening. A motorist in an SUV struck a cyclist going northbound on Scarlett Road, in Toronto’s Etobicoke district, near Lockheed Blvd. From images of the SUV, it seems the driver did a close pass in the same lane. Condolences go out to the cyclist’s family and friends. A Ghost Bike Memorial Ride will happen on a future date. Details at a later date.

[respectcyclists]

Ghost Bike Memorial Ride For Doug Fritz

Ghost Bike memorial ride for Doug Fritz, as reported by Hamilton’s CHCH-TV. It was held on Saturday, 27 May 2023. He was an 81-year-old retired police officer riding to the local hospital to get results from a cancer test. Instead, he arrived in Emergency, where he died. The test said he was clear of cancer. The motorist was a 41-year-old female from Toronto. She entered the bike lane and hit him full-on from his back. She fled. She was obviously distracted, but we don’t know why. She turned herself in six days later and was charged with the federal charge of Failing to Remain at the Scene of an Accident, and other provincial Highway Traffic Act violations. Condolences go out to his family and friends. No rider rides alone! https://www.chch.com/cyclists-held-ghost-ride-in-burlington-to-honour-hit-and-run-victim/

#ghost bike

#burlington

#vulnerable road user

[respectcyclists]

Cyclist Killed in Burlington

On Thursday afternoon, 18 May 2023, an 81-year-old cyclist was killed by 41-year-old motorist on North Shore Road at the QEW overpass in Burlington. The motorist failed to remain at the crash scene. She fled eastbound. She was arrested six days later on 24 May in Toronto. ARC sends its condolences to his family and friends. A Ghost Bike Memorial will be held on Saturday, starting from the Burlington GO Station. Meet at 12:45 pm, depart 1:00 pm. https://fb.me/e/2UrlikrnF

[respectcyclists]

Cyclist Killed In Oakville

ARC is deeply saddened that another cyclist was killed while riding their bike on GTA roads. A motorist killed a cyclist in Oakville yesterday, 9 March 2023. A Ghost Bike Memorial Ride is being planned. Details to follow. https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/10865326-oakville-crash-leaves-cyclist-dead/

[respectcyclists]

Kartik’s Killer Named!

Today, in Toronto’s Old City Hall Courtroom C, we learned the name of Kartik Saini's killer: Jose Alberto Sebastião. This 60-year-old driver ignored signage that clearly said “no right turn during rush hour,” and subsequently ploughed into Kartik. In today's court proceedings, we learned his name and the date of the next court hearing: Wednesday, 5 April 2023 at 0930 EDT (1330 UTC) in Courtroom D, Old City Hall Courthouse. Today, everyone was on Zoom, so we hope to provide a Zoom link for Courtroom D around the time of the hearing.

[respectcyclists]

Ghost Bike Memorial Ride for Kartik Saini

A Ghost Bike Memorial Ride for Kartik Saini, a 20-year-old male Sheridan College student, killed on Wednesday, 23 November 2022 at St. Clair Ave E. and Yonge Street. On Wednesday evening, 30 November 2022, meet at six and ride departs at 6:30 p.m. to the crash site. (Matt Cohen Park is the SE corner of Bloor and Spadina). Rain or shine. Updates on ARC’s Facebook Event page.

Some local media coverage: CBC Toronto News Global TV News Toronto Star 

[respectcyclists]

10th Anniversary of Tom Samson's Death

As a recent TPS press release has made us aware of another cycling death in the Toronto community. It occurs on the 10th anniversary of Tom Samson's death. Keep in mind the toll these deaths take on the victim's family and friends. 

Today's messy communications from the Toronto Police Service is another example of unnecessary confusion that might bring more trauma to the survivors. Ten years ago, the miscommunication was basically victim-blaming Tom for his own death. Minor improvement in ten years on that front. 

Tom was cycling from his home in the Wychwood neighbourhood to work in the Swansea neighbourhood. Near his work, he was going to meet friends for coffee in the Bloor West Village Area. He was riding along Davenport RD, waiting to make a left turn south onto Lansdowne Avenue in a left turn only lane. He was going to connect to the Dupont-Annette Street bike lanes. A distracted driver slammed into the back of his bike and sent Tom into on-coming eastbound traffic. The driver fled the scene. Only turning himself in the next day. 

This is yet another example that penalties for Failure to Remain need to be the same as impaired driving. Many suspected or convicted impaired drivers that killed cyclists were involved in hit-and-run incidents. 

The police did a terrible job investigating Tom's crash. They blamed Tom at first. They said he was going northbound on Lansdowne which would have made no sense at about 7:00 a.m. After Tom's family hired a lawyer to re-open the investigation, the police retracted their claim many months later. 

Like the confusion on Wednesday evening, over whether it was a cyclist, or a pedestrian killed, how the police communicates matters. As this 2013 Toronto Star article showed, how the police handled Tom's death caused unnecessary distress to his wife and family.

Finally, the crown convicted the driver in early 2016. It was a slap-on-the-wrists, and the male driver served six months in jail on 15 weekends because his sentence was reduced by time already served. He only had his licence suspended for 24 months. Tom's family were sentenced for life.

[respectcyclists]

Who Breaks A Butterfly Upon A Wheel?

A mass protest ride that objects to the police presence in High Park as an over escalation response to complaints about bad cyclists in the park. Over 800 cyclists proved that point on Thursday evening.  The problem isn’t cyclists, it’s motor vehicles killing and maiming vulnerable road users. The past month’s Toronto Police Service (TPS) actions in the park are highly questionable to the point that they are likely a misuse of funds. A 52 Division Officer that makes over $280,000 per year giving out tickets and then running into a cyclist? That  action alone puts the lie to this supposed “safety” crackdown.  https://www.facebook.com/634499045/videos/887149875575507/

[respectcyclists]

Jenna Morrison’s Death, A Decade Later

One of the most shocking cycling deaths of the past ten years in Toronto was the death of Jenna Morrison. She died on 7 November 2011, and ARC held a Ghost Bike memorial ride for her on 14 November 2011. May her memory be a blessing.  https://medium.com/@joeyschwartz/jenna-morrisons-death-10-years-later-d2a8d692c17c

[respectcyclists]

18-Year-Old Killed on Avenue Road

First cycling death of 2021 in Toronto proper. An 18-year-old cyclists was killed tonight, at about 6:30 p.m. He was cycling northbound on Avenue Road’s curb lane, immediately north of Bloor St. West. A motorist driving a cement mixing truck, attempted to pass the cyclist in the same lane. Ontario has a one-metre passing rule for motor vehicles passing bicycles. Clearly, the motorist didn’t adhere to that rule as he had to be flagged down by bystanders to stop and told him he hit a cyclist. Our hearts go out to the cyclist’s family. He reportedly lived in the area. We will hold a Ghost Bike Memorial ride. Details to follow. https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/18-year-old-cyclist-killed-in-collision-with-cement-truck-in-yorkville-1.5552652

[respectcyclists]

Summer 2020 Has Been Deadly

Summer 2020 is turning into a deadly one for cyclists in Toronto’s suburbs. Seven cyclists died between mid-June to early August. Joey Schwartz talks about the two most recent deaths in Peel Region in the past week in this Medium article, “It’s a Slaughter on Toronto-area Roads.”