Toronto cyclist lucky to escape alive after being flung into air by driver

A newly surfaced video shows a cyclist getting hit by a speeding car in Toronto, as opposition continues to grow against the Ford government’s legislation that would require municipalities to receive approval from the province before installing new bike lanes. 

The video, shared by cycling advocate and lawyer Dave Shellnut, shows a vehicle rolling a stop sign before turning and striking a cyclist travelling in the opposite direction. 

Although the clip was captured roughly two months ago, Shellnut says the incident highlights the current urgent need for municipalities to focus on the safety of vulnerable road users. 

“Instead of being bullied by the premier to rip out bike lanes, municipalities should loudly proclaim the need to protect people on bikes and pedestrians,” the cycling advocate told blogTO. 

TW: Driver fails to stop at stop sign, hits person on a bike w right of way. Given their enforcement blitz against cyclists, I’m curious when was the last time @TorontoPolice camped out at literally any intersection to target motorists running stop signs & blowing reds? 1/4 pic.twitter.com/LEzTdv4ETd

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) November 12, 2024

“Dangerous driving causes an incredible amount of harm to individuals and our communities. Its costs are huge, from health care to lost wages. We should be investing the comparatively paltry sums into more safe infrastructure and driving training to prevent these incidents.” 

Luckily, the cyclist in the video escaped serious injury, but Shellnutt stresses that the situation could’ve ended very differently. 

We need driver education campaigns. We need safe protected infrastructure to prevent as many conflicts between road users as possible. Anti-cyclist attitudes from the province to police need to be starkly denunciated. 3/4

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) November 12, 2024

“This person could have been killed,” he said. “It represents a biting contrast to the narratives around police anti-cyclist blitzes and the premier’s war on bike lanes.” 

Last month, the Ontario government introduced controversial legislation, titled Bill 212, that would require municipalities to demonstrate that their proposed bike lanes won’t have a negative impact on vehicular traffic. 

Premier Doug Ford has also confirmed that the provincial government could force the removal of existing bike lanes, including ones already on Yonge Street, Bloor Street, and University Avenue in an effort to reduce traffic. 

Ontario wants to make it a lot harder for Toronto and other cities to install bike laneshttps://t.co/CGsQagGuqZ

— blogTO (@blogTO) October 15, 2024

The legislation has been met with heated opposition, with one protest organized by grassroots movement, Fight for Bikes, even attracting hundreds of attendants at its rally on Saturday. 

Approximately 1,000 cyclists gathered in Christie Pitts Park to protest the bill, with many advocates holding up signs that read, “Bike lanes save lives” and “Bike lanes keep cars moving.”