Toronto drivers hit more than 1,000 people this summer

Toronto isn't one of the most bike-friendly cities out there, despite recent efforts to improve. But apparently things are now particularly bad for cyclists and pedestrians, considering cars hit 1,083 people travelling by foot or bike since June, reports CBC News.

Urban Planner Kyle Miller even told CBC we're facing a "public health epidemic." He says these unfortunate stats indicate we need to focus on building better infrastructure for those choosing alternate modes of transportation.

Over 112 days (since June 1), cars struck 541 cyclists and 542 pedestrians - that works out to nearly ten incidents per day.

While Toronto got new bike lanes - notably on Bloor Street - this summer, we clearly still have a long way to go before our city is safe for both pedestrians and cyclists.

As the Toronto Star reports, out of those 1,083 accidents, 11 pedestrians and one cyclist died. In 2015, there were 1,165 pedestrian collisions. City council is starting to address this serious issue and introduced a new road safety plan in June.

Are you surprised by these numbers? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Grégory Thiell via the blogTO Flickr pool.

by Amy Grief via blogTO