Cyclist killed after hitting parked car while swerving to avoid turning van: police

Police say a 71-year-old cyclist has died after crashing into a parked car near Christie Pits when he swerved to avoid a turning van.

Const. Clint Stibbe said the cyclist was heading westbound around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on Dupont Street near Christie Street and was “splitting the lane” — traveling between parked cars and the active traffic lane — when an eastbound Mercedes van was attempting to make a left-hand turn into a car lot.

He said that though the westbound traffic had stopped the cyclist continued on, with the van stopping its turn when it spotted the rider.

The cyclist then swerved to avoid the van, colliding with the rear of a parked car, said Stibbe.

The man, who was wearing a helmet, suffered life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital.

Police initially called the incident a fail to remain collision, but later clarified that was not the case.

Stibbe said the “main issue is the cyclist was splitting the lane” and that it’s currently believed that was the “error that contribute to the collision.”

He said that the investigation is still ongoing and police are also looking into the actions of the van’s driver.

The death comes nearly one month after Mayor John Tory announced a road-safety strategy to cut pedestrian and cyclist fatalities by 20 per cent within 10 years. After the plan was criticized for lacking ambition, Tory amended the target to zero deaths, but without pledging additional funding.

WATCH: Mon, Jun 13: Reduced speed limits and new pavement markings are among the proposals being made by Mayor John Tory to curb fatalities on Toronto roadways. Mark McAllister reports.

3:20 New road safety plan for Toronto aimed at reducing pedestrian deaths

A Toronto cyclist on Twitter has been informally tracking pedestrian and cyclist collisions with vehicles since May 30.

According to his data, Monday was the worst day yet, with 13 injuries and one death.