City installs permanent barriers along Martin Goodman Trail

Over a year after 5-year-old cyclist Xavier Morgan was killed when he was struck by a car, the city is installing a permanent barrier along a section of the Martin Goodman Trail to separate the bike lane from vehicular traffic.

The structures will replace temporary interlocking fencing installed in May 2017, after the young boy fell into live traffic while riding his bicycle westbound on the bike trail along Lakeshore Boulevard West near Jameson Avenue.

He was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but eventually succumbed to his injuries.

At the time, mayor John Tory demanded a review of the safety of the city’s bike trails saying that it was “past time for us to have a hard look at safety on these trails.”

The city says it immediately undertook a Vulnerable Road User Fatal Collision Review at the location. The review identified a number of safety improvements in the area including the installation of a permanent barrier to separate the trail and the roadway, providing additional separation between cyclists and motorists.

Two days after Xavier’s death, the city confirmed it would erect barrier fencing along the section of the trail which runs adjacent to Lakeshore Boulevard West.

Soon after, temporary fencing was installed as a stop-gap to a more permanent solution. On Wednesday, city workers began installing a permanent barrier between the east end of the Boulevard Club and Net Drive.

Work on the barriers is expected to be completed on Thursday and will cost approximately $82,000.

More safety improvements are also currently being designed for the location and construction on them is slated to begin by the end of the year. These include warning signs for cyclists on the trail and for drivers on the road before driveway entrances and intersections, both of which will also receive enhanced surface treatment.

There will also be a painted green “conflict box” and pavement markings reading “SLOW” on the trail for cyclists on approach to driveways or intersections in both directions. Blue and green waterfront trail centre lines will also be painted along the trail, on either side of driveways and intersections.

Cyclists say the move was long overdue.

“Lots of families come along here with their kids and safety’s got to be the number one thing,” says Toronto resident and cyclist Maureen Carolin.

“I think it should have been done a while ago. I wish we hadn’t had to wait for a really tragic accident,” says cyclist Ann Shisko. She says the new fencing will help both drivers and cyclists feel more at ease when using the road and bike path. “It also keeps it permanent in people’s memories what happened here,” she says.

After his death, the city also undertook a Toronto-wide review of multi-use trail locations with similar conditions as those along the Martin Goodman Trail where Xavier fell.

The review found no other instances of a similar accident at any of the trail sections involving a cyclist losing control and falling into traffic. Based on these findings, the city says there are no plans to install similar barriers in other locations.

A “ghost bike” and Xavier’s picture still remain at the site of the accident as tribute.