Spate of pedestrian deaths spurs call for action

A pedestrian safety advocate says dangerously high speed limits are to blame for the spate of four pedestrian deaths that occurred in a 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

“The speed limits on the most dangerous roads are not getting changed,” said Dylan Reid, co-founder of Walk Toronto.

Four pedestrians were killed in Scarborough on roads with speed limits of 50 km/h or higher.

The first two to be struck and killed were a woman and her 5-year-old daughter Wednesday night. Hours later, a 56-year-old man was pinned under a vehicle and died at the scene. Thursday night, a 71-year-old man was struck and killed.

The 34-year-old woman and her daughter died after running across a road at Warden Ave. and Continental Pl., near Ellesmere Rd. The father and another child, 2, crossed the street safely while the mother and daughter were struck. The speed limit on the road was 60 km/h.

The 56-year-old man died Thursday on Birchmount Rd., south of St. Clair Ave. E., which has a speed limit of 50 km/h. Another man died on McCowan Rd., south of Steeles Ave. E., which has a speed limit of 60 km/h.

“There are more deaths on the roads where the speed limits are higher,” said Reid. “It just speaks to the need to reduce speeds in Toronto as a whole because people are at risk in all different parts of the city.”

Warden Ave. and Continental Pl., where the first two victims died, is described by locals as the most dangerous stretch of road in Scarborough.