Safe street activists outraged by the number of deaths on Toronto’s streets will stage a “die-in” Monday evening at Nathan Phillips Square in solidarity with victims of road violence and in support of road safety.The 6 p.m. event at the Peace Garden is organized by Friends and Families for Safe Streets, a Toronto-based advocacy organization made up of people who have experienced, or have been bereaved by, road violence.“We’re outraged at the incredible number of people who have been killed on our roads,” said Jessica Spieker, organizer of the die-in and a member of the group. Spieker said 2018 has been “extremely bad” for traffic deaths, with 16 people killed on the roads since Jan. 1. “Which is more than one a week,” Spieker noted. “Which is truly unacceptable and shocking and very, very sad.”In 2015, Spieker was riding her bike on Bathurst St. near Shallmar Blvd. and was T-boned by a driver turning left. Her spine was broken and she sustained a moderate traumatic brain injury.“I can walk and talk,” Spieker said Sunday, almost three years after the crash. But she still experiences pain, and said she notices the “lasting effects” of the brain injury daily.“I also just have scars on my body that I see every day, that are a pretty constant reminder of how dangerous our streets are,” Spieker said.On Monday, city council will consider Reimagining Yonge, a North York reconstruction project. The die-in will be held the same day, to “highlight” the city council vote, Spieker said.Read more: City planners urge mayor to support north Yonge St. bike lanesCity to stick with Vision Zero, but some councillors question its commitmentOpinion | Hume: Pedestrian deaths are the price we`re willing to pay to keep traffic movingAccording to the study, Yonge St. between Sheppard and Finch Aves. “has numerous challenges including boulevards that have deteriora ...
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