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Cycling advocates warn of ‘crisis’ after latest rider killed on Toronto street

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TORONTO – Cycling advocates are calling for urgent action to improve safety on Toronto’s streets after a 24-year-old rider who was hit by a dump truck died last week, marking the fifth cyclist fatality in the city this year.

The five fatalities so far in 2024 have surpassed the city’s combined number of cyclist deaths from 2021 to 2023.

Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, said the toll “points to a crisis.”

“It shouldn’t take somebody dying for it to be a real wake-up call that we need to ensure that our bikers are safe,” he said.

On Thursday morning, a female cyclist was biking in Toronto’s Yorkville area when she exited the bike lane and was hit by a dump truck, police have said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

As part of the investigation, police say they are looking into whether a nearby construction bin on the road factored into the collision.

Longfield said it “seems very likely” that the cyclist may have had to leave the bike lane to avoid an obstruction, something he said Toronto cyclists are forced to do too often. Though the city has made progress in advancing its cycling network, Longfield said there’s more to be done.

“This network, this chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” he said. “If we’re not prioritizing, making sure the bikeways are clear and accessible and not blocked … it really undermines the effectiveness of that entire network, and it puts people’s lives at risk.”

The City of Toronto announced on Monday that it was increasing fines to help curb illegal parking, including raising the penalty for parking a prohibited vehicle on a bicycle path from $60 to $200. Albert Koehl, a coordinator with Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition, applauded that move but warned penalties only work if the rules are enforced.

“What we’re calling on the city to do is greater vigilance of construction sites,” said Koehl. “The second thing is also greater enforcement by the parking enforcement office of blockages of bike lanes from cars that are illegally stopped.”

Koehl said enforcement should be consistent and more frequent, and more cameras should be used to combat illegal parking. He added there should also be more oversight for the technology used by trucks to assess blind spots, and clear signage during construction work.

Koehl called Thursday’s collision “devastating,” and said it highlights the risks cyclists in the city face everyday.

“These are dangers that need to be taken seriously,” said Koehl. “Sadly, we feel a sense of failure as well, when we’ve called on the city and on the police to take more action and we see one of these tragedies.”

In response to these incidents, the city has advanced several road safety projects, including its Vision Zero plan that launched in 2016 which aims to reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries.

In 2021, Toronto City Council also committed to implementing 100 kilometres of new bikeways by 2024. As of May, the city was on track to deliver 75 kilometres by the end of this year.

He said that in addition to action by policymakers, more community awareness about bike safety is crucial. Drivers often park in bike lanes for convenience, but even a temporary stoppage can be a matter of life and death for cyclists, he said.

“You might be safe in in your own car, but your loved ones might be walking, riding a bike or taking transit,” he said. “The safety of all of us is something that’s worth investing in, even if it means some inconvenience to me personally as a driver.”

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, another bike advocacy group, is hosting a ghost bike ride on Wednesday as a memorial for the cyclist.

“At the end of the day, we just all want to get home safely,” Longfield said. “To do that, we need to make sure that our sidewalks and bikeways are as safe as possible, all year round.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2024.

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Montreal skateboarders rally to protect skatepark

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Montreal skateboarders rally to protect skatepark

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Ilia Malinin lands 4 quads – and a backflip – to win his third straight Skate America title

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World champion Ilia Malinin won Skate America on Sunday for the third consecutive year, altering his free skate on the fly after an early mistake and punctuating the program with a backflip that had been banned in competition until this season.

The two-time and reigning U.S. champion scored 290.12 points to finish ahead of Kevin Aymoz of France, whose career-best free skate left him with 282.88 points and earned a standing ovation inside Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas.

Kao Miura of Japan, who was second after his short program, finished third with 278.67 points.

“It was a pretty challenging moment for me, just stepping on the ice. I felt way more nervous than usual,” said Malinin, the early favorite for gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. “That may have played a part in the whole program.”

Vancouver’s Wesley Chiu placed ninth in the free skate with a score of 140.08 points, he finished ninth overall with a total of 206.94 points.

The ice dance competition was to be decided later Sunday in the final event of the season-opening Grand Prix. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain had the lead over American world champs Madison Chock and Evan Bates after the rhythm dance.

Malinin and Miura were separated by a mere 0.15 points after their short programs, but it was Aymoz who challenged Malinin for the top of the podium. The 27-year-old from France, who struggled mightily at the end of last season, landed a pair of quads in an error-free program to score 190.84 points — the best of all the free skates — and vault into first place.

Nika Egadze of Georgia was next on the ice but fell on his opening quad lutz and stepped out on his quad salchow, and those two mistakes kept him from medal contention. He wound up fourth with 261.71 points.

Miura, the 19-year-old former world junior champion, landed three quads during a program set to “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” the 1964 musical romantic drama film. But Miura lost points for an under-rotated triple axel and on a step sequence that led into a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination midway through his free skate.

Malinin was last to take the ice, performing a program set to “I’m Not a Vampire” by the rock band Falling In Reverse.

He opened with a perfect quad flip and then hit a triple axel, even though Malinin remains the only skater to have landed the quad version of the jump in competition. Then came the mistake, when he doubled a planned quad loop, leaving Malinin to make changes on the fly over the second half of the program in an attempt to make up the lost points.

After putting his hand down on his triple lutz, Malinin landed a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination before a quad salchow-triple axel in sequence — a pair of huge jumping passes that sent his technical score soaring.

Malinin capped the recovery of his program with a backflip during his choreographed sequence, a move that had been banned until this season because of its inherent danger. It was expected all along but nonetheless sent a roar through the crowd, just as Malinin’s program came to an end and a steady stream of stuffed animals were thrown onto the ice.

“It was really hard for me in the middle of the program to think what I have to do — what I need to do,” Malinin said when asked about the early mistake. “I just went full autopilot through there and I’m glad I made it out.”

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AP sports:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Leclerc wins US Grand Prix and late penalty gives Verstappen 3rd place over Norris in title chase

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Charles Leclerc earned Ferrari its first United States Grand Prix victory since 2018 with a clever start and a commanding drive Sunday, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen strengthened his lead in the F1 season championship by finishing third ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Verstappen earned the podium only after Norris was given a five-second penalty for leaving the track to pass Verstappen in the final laps.

Verstappen immediately complained about the move, while Norris insisted Verstappen also left the track. Norris’ pass came after the two drivers had battled for the final podium spot and critical championship points over several laps and Verstappen had stubbornly refused to give ground.

The penalty and fourth place finish cost Norris valuable points in the title chase. Verstappen stretched his championship lead over Norris from 54 points to 57 with five grand prix and two sprint races left.

Leclerc earned his third win of the season and Ferrari pulled a 1-2 finish with his teammate Carlos Sainz in second. Kimi Raikkonen had been the last Ferrari winner at the Circuit of the Americas in 2018.

But the bigger battle was raging behind them as Verstappen and Norris fought over every inch of the final dozen laps.

Verstappen has not won a grand prix since June and Norris has steadily chipped away at his lead as the Red Bull car has faded. Yet Verstappen still stretched his lead by five points over the weekend by also winning Saturday’s sprint race.

Norris will leave Austin knowing he squandered a big chance to gain ground. He had even earned pole position for Sunday’s race.

Verstappen started right beside him, and it was their battle into the first turn that saw both cars run wide, leaving room for Leclerc to pounce on the opening.

The Ferrari driver jumped from fourth and straight into the lead.

Norris complained Verstappen forced him off the track at the start to begin a battle that would be fought over the entire race.

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AP auto racing:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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