Navjot Kaur, her husband and a friend went to the Humber River Bridge on Aug. 24 and were cycling home on Burnhamthorpe Road, just east of Kipling Avenue, around 8:20 p.m. when the unthinkable happened.
Kaur’s husband, Gagandeep Singh Sidhu, said in an exchange with Global News that the three were riding westbound in single file close to the curb when Kaur, who was at the back, was struck from behind by a car that was also travelling westbound.
“We decided to take the streets instead of the trails because the sun was setting,” Kaur said, adding that they were originally going to ride on the Humber Trail.
According to Toronto police, the 28-year-old driver of that car, a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, remained on scene. Kaur was rushed to hospital with serious injuries but, on Aug. 31, Kaur succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
Sidhu said the couple, who were married two years ago, had a joyful and beautiful life.
His 26-year-old wife had just finished her second year of studies at Georgian College’s Toronto campus. In her first year, she took a project management program and in her second year, she studied supply chain management.
“I want my wife in my life,” Sidhu told Global News. “I’m incomplete without her. She was my strength.”
Sidhu is aware there is a so-called “ghost bike” ride planned for his late wife’s memory on Saturday but said he’s not sure he’s able to attend. “Every place and everything reminds me of our happy life. Right now I feel like I’m completely broken. I can’t think about what I should do next.”
Toronto police’s traffic services team continue to investigate what caused the crash and are asking for residents and drivers who may have security or dashcam video to call them.
Spike in cyclist deaths causing concern
Kaur’s death is the sixth cycling fatality in Toronto this year, compared to one during all of 2023.
Joey Schwartz, who is planning the ghost ride which will begin at Matt Cohen Parkette at Spadina Avenue and Bloor Street and end at the site of the collision, said he fears that cycling fatalities will continue to rise.
“Unfortunately I’m concerned that this will continue,” said Schwartz. “Some of this has to do with distracted driving. Some of it has to do with the actual design of our roads.”
Residents who live on Burnhamthorpe Road say they are encouraged that the speed limit was lowered from 50 km/h to 40 km/h in June but that they’ve been calling for a bike lane here for years.
“I think it could have been prevented if the bike lanes were here but we’ve been asking for bike lanes since 2017 on this road and still nothing,” said Max Rohel-Jones.
Jessica Spieker from Family and Friends for Safe Streets said the City of Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan is underfunded.
“It’s so infuriating to me in the face of all this violence and death and anguish,” she said. “Why is the city still dragging its heels and dithering?”
Spieker said Burnhamthorpe needs a bike lane with a robust barrier, like those on Richmond and Adelaide streets.
“You cannot drive a vehicle through that — you cannot kill a cyclist,” she said.
Cyclists who want to take part in the ghost ride are asked to meet at Matt Cohen Parkette at noon on Saturday. The ride will leave at 12:30 p.m.