Almost a week after five-year-old Xavier Morgan died when he fell off his bike and into traffic while riding on the Martin Goodman Trail in Toronto’s west end, officials have pledged to investigate the safety of the city’s 300 kilometres of trails.
At an event for Bike to Work Day, Mayor John Tory told Global News the boy’s death shed light on the issue.
“We’re going to take a hard look at that,” said Tory.
“And make sure that for cyclists and for other people walking and skateboarding and rollerblading these trails we have and lanes are as safe as they can possibly be.”
READ MORE: Death of boy, 5, while riding bike in Toronto’s west end sparks calls for safety barriers
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On the stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard West close to Jameson Avenue, the Goodman Trail runs almost right alongside the busy road. The trail and the road are separated by concrete thinner than a typical sidewalk.
Last week, Global News questioned the lack of a safety barrier at that section of the trail given that the City’s own mixed-use trail design guidelines recommend designers of trails near high-volume roadways “should try to achieve the maximum distance between the trail and the roadway.” Where that can’t be achieved, the guidelines recommend “guide rails and a physical separation such as a fence or landscaping.”
But Barbara Gray, the City of Toronto’s General Manager of Transportation Services, insisted “the standards of width and dimension for a multi-use trail and setbacks from a roadway and curb height … are far in excess of standard” on that part of the Martin Goodman Trail.
READ MORE: Boy, 5, dies after being struck by car in Toronto’s west end
After multiple meetings at City Hall Monday, Public Works Committee Chair Jaye Robinson told reporters city staff will conduct a safety review of the stretch of the Martin Goodman Trail in question by the end of the week and decide how to rectify any issues.
“We will wrap that up Friday and we will be looking at some type of installation and implementation shortly thereafter,” Robinson said.
Meanwhile, back at the scene of Xavier Morgan’s death, there are multiple memorials, including a row of flowers, notes and plush toys. More items are tied to a nearby pole and a couple balloons are tethered to a nearby fence.
Toronto cyclists will hold a memorial ride in the boy’s honour on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. It will end at the scene of his death where cyclists will dedicate a white ghost bike in his memory.
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