Toronto Bike to Work Day highlights calls for safer streets

Cyclists called for safer streets after taking over Yonge Street this Monday for Bike to Work Day.

More than 100 cyclists of all ages — kids riding in cargo bikes included — took part in the annual ride down Yonge Street to city hall.

The event kicks off bike month, a celebration of all things cycling in Toronto that will run until the end of June.

Mayor John Tory rode at the front of the group on a Bike Share and later addressed the crowd at Nathan Tory also issued a message to drivers: driving in Toronto is different now, he said, and motorists always have to look out for cyclists.

During Tory’s remarks, a dozen cyclists staged a die-in just steps from the stage.

On May 16, Douglas Crosbie was killed while riding to work in the city’s east end. Meanwhile, the city’s Vision Zero program, which aims to eliminate all road deaths, continues to be criticized, with 18 pedestrians and cyclists killed so far in 2018.