Coyote killed by motorist on Parkside Drive

A coyote was killed by a motorist a couple of weeks ago on Parkside Drive. I rushed over when I heard and was saddened to find a beautiful coyote, now deceased, tucked under a guardrail. I don’t know if she had a companion travelling with them or a family waiting for them to come home.

If you aren’t from Toronto, you might not know that this road runs beside High Park, and people treat it like a highway. As of early September, the speed cameras have been cut down seven times in the past ten months by someone apparently committed to speeding. Last fall, a camera was dragged into the park and thrown into the pond. While the cameras are controversial to some, one study showed they reduced speeding by 45% in Toronto school zones and safety priority areas. They may not be perfect, but they help.

That street feels so dangerous that I rarely cycle on it. In 2021, a driver killed two people while travelling at more than 100 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. That was one factor that led to the speed camera being installed. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the de facto mayor of Toronto who only focuses on provincial issues just long enough to scrap environmental assessments and remove endangered species protections, has decided “enough is enough” and will ban speed cameras. Vehicles registered to Ford’s cabinet ministers were caught by speed cameras more than twenty times. One cabinet-assigned vehicle was cited for stunt driving twelve times over three years. While Ford calls speed cameras a cash grab that does not slow traffic, he has offered no effective plan to reduce speeds and is unlikely to allow traffic calming street design measures. This is on top of Bill 212, the “Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024,” which prevents new bike lanes if they remove a lane of traffic. Consequently, I expect more injuries and deaths for people and wildlife on Parkside Drive and other Toronto roads. We will know who is responsible: those who insist on speeding in the dark near wildlife areas, and a premier who resists road safety measures that might slow drivers.

The photo shows a coyote crossing a residential street where vehicles travel more slowly, giving the animal time to cross. Speed matters: lower speeds allow drivers to react to the unexpected.