pbrown@mollp.com
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A federal law isn’t necessary for the city to take action against pedestrians and cyclists being killed by heavy trucks, Toronto critical injury lawyer Patrick Brown tells Metro.
The municipal government could pass a bylaw that would restrict heavy trucks without side guards from using certain roads, Brown, a partner with McLeish Orlando LLP, says in the report. Municipal trucking routes are restrictions are quite common.
Side guards prevent pedestrians and cyclists from landing under the wheels or getting caught in the undercarriage if they are hit by a truck as it’s turning, says the article.
Brown, an avid cyclist, is part of a coalition calling for increased penalties for people who hit vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and people using mobility devices.
The city should take the lead on the issue, Brown says, because turning trucks are particularly dangerous in urban areas.
Pedestrian deaths in Toronto have jumped 90 per cent this year compared to 2011, reports Metro.
Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 this year, 1,513 pedestrians were hit, and in the last four weeks alone, four pedestrians have been killed, says the article.
