‘We knew this was going to happen’
Residents call for safety measures after two killed in multi-vehicle crash
The death of two people in a Tuesday afternoon multi-vehicle crash on Parkside Drive was a “totally preventable” disaster, according to road safety advocates and residents of the westend community.
“Parkside doesn’t meet any of the safety measures required for an arterial road — literally zero,” said Faraz Gholizadeh, who for the past eight years has lived on the east side of Parkside, a busy four-lane street that run along the east side of High Park.
He and his wife, Michelle, have been documenting “close calls” and dangerous driving behaviour on this road, and have constantly contacted local councillors and city officials about the lack of proper infrastructure to protect vulnerable users.
“It’s just out of control,” he said of reckless driving, noting they constantly see drivers going more than 80 km/h and others swerving over the sidewalks that are already too narrow for an arterial road.
Many of the speeding drivers end up in the “very spots” where families wait while taking their kids to and from the park.
“Every time you walk or cycle there you just hope it isn’t the day you get hit. We knew this was going to happen, and it’s going to happen again if nothing is changed.”
Toronto police have yet to release the identity of the two victims, a 71-year-old man who died at the scene and a 69-yearold woman who died at the hospital. The two were travelling southbound on Parkside Drive in a 2003 Toyota Matrix when a driver of a 2013 BMW 320i crashed into them at high speed, causing a collision involving at least three other vehicles, according to police.
The identity of the 38-yearold driver of the BMW won’t be released unless he’s charged with an offence.
“There are multiple avenues that we are examining and to be done correctly takes time,” said Det. Sgt. Sean McKenzie, who is co-ordinating the investigation, on Wednesday. “As such, we are not near a position where we can make a supposition on charges in this collision.”
Gholizadeh said residents would like to see Parkside Drive get the same treatment that Woodbine Avenue got: dedicated bike lanes, speed limit down to 40 km/h and wider sidewalks on each side of the road.
“Enforcement alone isn’t going to work,” he said.
In a statement, the city said staff “are currently conducting a safety review to identify any immediate deficiencies at this location to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”
The city said it has implemented measures to reduce speeding and enhance pedestrian safety along the road, including Watch Your Speed devices to remind drivers to check their speed, as well as changes to traffic signals.
In July, city council voted to allow curbside parking on the east side of Parkside during rush hour to slow traffic and create a buffer between drivers and pedestrians.
Nearby resident Janet Joy Wilson said people have been “begging” the city for years to do something to stop speeding drivers on Parkside Drive, especially the southbound lanes feeding into Lake Shore Boulevard and the Gardiner Expressway.
But a lack of strict enforcement is an incentive for drivers “to fly by” at high speeds, endangering other drivers and especially vulnerable road users like cyclists, pedestrians and dog walkers enjoying the park.
“It’s been like this forever and the most tragic thing is that those deaths were totally preventable,” said Wilson, a founding member of the Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition.
The posted speed limit on Parkside Drive is 50 km/h, which Wilson finds to be too high on a residential street with families living on one side and a highly visited public park on the other. She’s especially troubled by city officials not making any adjustment to road design even after past tragedies.
“We have a collective blindness to road violence in this city,” she said.
“People die on our streets, and the roads are reopened again the next day with no changes whatsoever. It’s appalling.”