Companies accused of leaving garbage bin in Toronto bike lane where cyclist died face bylaw charges

Police tape is shown at the scene after a cyclist was struck by a dump truck on Bloor Street West on July 25. (Ken Enlow)

Bylaw charges have now been laid against two companies accused of leaving a garbage bin in a downtown bike lane where a cyclist died last month.

In an email to CP24, the city said both general contractor Mass Contracting LTD and disposal bin company Ontario Trucking and Disposal LTD have been charged with causing encumbering of a street.

Ontario Trucking and Disposal LTD has also be charged with placing an object on a street, causing dangerous conditions, unauthorized street occupation, and failing to provide proper signage warning the public of an obstruction in the street.

A 24-year-old female cyclist was biking in the area of Bloor Street and Avenue Road on July 25 when she exited the bike lane and was hit by a dump truck, police said previously. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time, investigators indicated that they were looking into whether a nearby construction bin on the road factored into the collision.

CP24.com has reached out to both companies for comment but has not yet received a response.

Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, told The Canadian Press last week that the cyclist may have been forced to leave the bike lane to avoid an obstruction.

“This network, this chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” he said of the city’s cycling infrastructure. “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 says the maximum penalty a contractor can face is “governed by the Provincial Offences Act.”

“Under the Provincial Offences Act, a Part 1 offence notice may carry a maximum penalty of $1,000 if the accused is found guilty at trial. If the accused elects to pay the fine out of court, the set fine for each of these offences is $200,” the city said in a statement to CP24.

The city noted that these offences are separate from any charges that may be laid by Toronto police.

With files from The Canadian Press