Earlier this week, a person biking on Hemlock was hit by a driver near the Manor Park Public School. Flex posts weren’t up yet. Adding insult to injury, bike lanes were blocked by a police car on one side and a vehicle on the other side well after motorized traffic started moving again, forcing people on bikes into traffic or on sidewalks for safety.
Read a parent’s letter to the mayor about this.
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Dear Mayor Sutcliffe, Councillor King and Police Chief Stubbs
I’m writing to ensure you are aware that a person riding a bike was struck by the driver of a vehicle on Hemlock Road in front of Manor Park Public School yesterday afternoon(sometime after 4pm). I do not have any information about the well-being of the cyclist and was not present at the time of the collision, but my son saw the bike on the side of the road, a cyclist receiving emergency assistance and many flashing lights from emergency vehicles. (He and his cohort of kids saw the whole incident from the play-yard at the school where he was attending MPCC After-care).
I hope the cyclist and everyone involved is ok, and obviously this reinforces the need for immediate improvements to cycling safety along Hemlock road. Flex-posts are not enough, and in this case, haven’t even been installed yet. Separated cycle tracks are needed and better interim protection is possible as you know (like pin-curbs used on McArthur, Lees avenue, etc). This is not the first incident of a cyclist being struck by a driver on this segment of Hemlock.
My reason for writing today is to inquire on what are the protocols after a collision to ensure that there is safe detour / passage for other cyclists immediately following such a collision or other road incident?
In this case, I walked by the area of the collision after EMS had left, but 1 police car remained stopped blocking the east-bound bike lane and a car was stopped blocking the west-bound bike lane (I suspect this was the car of the driver involved in the collision, who was across the road talking to the police officer). These 2 vehicles were fully blocking the bike lanes in both directions for at least 25 minutes while I walked past the area on my way to and from the school main entrance to get my child. I observed numerous cyclists passing in both directions, many of whom had to merge with fast-moving cars into the car lane, and a couple of whom decided to ride on the sidewalk (on the north side). Of note the road space for cars was clearly opened up as quickly as possible. There were not even safety cones or other signals to advise cyclists they would need to merge with fast-moving vehicle traffic.
I fully understand and appreciate the need to conduct a thorough investigation in such a situation. But, I would hope there would be attention to the considerable danger that leaving cars blocking the bike lanes poses to subsequent cyclists using the bike lanes. There was clearly no safe detour for other cyclists while these bike lanes were blocked and no awareness that this was even dangerous to cyclists, all while responding to a collision involving a cyclist! There were side streets and an empty school parking lot available in the immediate vicinity. It seems reasonable that these 2 vehicles could have moved elsewhere if they had further administrative details to complete following the incident.
I would like to know, what are the current policies and procedures for OPS to ensure that safety for cyclists (and pedestrians where applicable) is considered immediately following such an incident that blocks bike lanes or sidewalks. People who are travelling on bikes or walking deserve safety at all times, not least of which in the immediate aftermath of a collision involving a vulnerable road user.
Thank you,
Eugenie Waters, MD
Family Physician
Extra details:
After a few minutes observing the situation while walking back from the school, I presented myself to the officer and spoke to him through the window. When I inquired if there was a protocol to ensure safety for cyclists when emergency vehicles are blocking the bike lane and explained why I was concerned, his response was that he hadn’t even considered the fact that his vehicle was continuing to pose a safety hazard to other cyclists. He assured me he would bring my feedback to his Chief.
Eugenie Waters is a parent of two school-aged kids, a resident of Manor Park, and previously served on the board of the Manor Park Community Association as chair of the Environmental Sustainability Committee for 5 years. She is a community-based family physician involved in medical education regarding the intersections of climate change and health and an advocate for sustainable transportation.