Memorial and rally held for victims of Oct. 2021 fatal Parkside Dr. crash

A memorial and rally were held in a High Park neighbourhood Sunday for two victims killed in a multi-vehicle crash over a year ago.

It was Oct. 12, 2021, when a dark-coloured BMW was travelling at high speed southbound on Parkside Drive before striking a Toyota Matrix that was waiting in traffic, causing a chain reaction that led to multiple vehicles crashing into each other.

Two people in the Toyota – 71-year-old Valdemar Avilaman and his wife, 69-year-old Fatima – were killed in the crash.

Artur Kotula, 38, of Burlington, was charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death.

Following the crash, there were calls to improve safety along Parkside Drive near High Park, which many area residents say is a hot spot for speeding. They have long called for photo radar and a redesign of the roadway.

A motion was put forth at Toronto City Council last November calling for a revamp of the road between Bloor Street and Lakeshore Boulevard, including improved lighting and speed cameras to be installed, among other measures.

Coun. Gord Perks, who represents Ward 4-Parkdale High-Park, has advocated for the speed limit on that stretch of road to be reduced to 40 km/hr from the current 50 km/hr. However, he points to the city’s “antiquated road classification system,” which identifies Parkside as a major arterial road and, as such, must have a speed limit of at least 50 km/hr.

While provincial regulations currently limit photo radar to streets around schools, there is currently an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) device on Parkside just south of Algonquin Avenue. According to the City, this speed camera has issued the most tickets to speeding drivers in May, June, and July. There is no data available for August or September.

The city has installed pedestrian protection barriers at the underpass on the south end of Parkside, eliminated the right-turn at the northeast corner of Parkside Drive and Howard Park, and ended the rush hour evening parking prohibition on the east side of Parkside.

A permanent sidewalk on the west side of the southern portion of Parkside is also part of future improvement plans.