Vlad Zotov, a member of the Morning Glory Cycling Club, was killed on Monday, April 8 while he was riding on Bayview Ave. He was remembered as “a sensational human being“. Today was the ghost bike ride in his memory.
There was a huge turnout. Alas, I was not able to attend as I was out of country at the time. However, the pictures are rolling in, and Rob Zaichowski will be reporting on his blog.
Rob estimates that there were over 400 cyclists present. Here is a thread, starting with his video of the cyclists coming down Rosedale Valley Rd.
Bayview Ave was shut down during the installation.
Here are some photos from Joey Schwartz.
Although we will never know the exact circumstances, it appears that he was riding northbound on Bayview and was hit by a SUV exiting the DVP on the offramp marked by the circle. There is a northbound bike trail shown in green (red arrow) that parallels Bayview at this point, but my understanding is that it is in very poor condition so that it is not uncommon for faster cyclists to bypass it by riding on the road in this section. This has been confirmed by the report in the Star.
I hope that the city takes corrective action so that this will not happen again at this particular spot. Needless to say there are many such on and off ramps all across the city that are highly dangerous for cyclists.
Deepest condolences to Vlad’s family and friends.
Update:
Toronto Star coverage: ‘It made my heart hurt’: Hundreds of cyclists partake in ghost bike memorial ride to honour man killed on Bayview Avenue
CBC: Hundreds of cyclists pay respects to man who died after being struck by driver
CP24: Toronto cyclist Vlad Zotov remembered with memorial ride, ghost bike installation
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