Hundreds of cyclists pay respects to man who died after being struck by driver

April 15, 2024 Canuck

Hundreds of cyclists took part in a memorial bike ride on Monday for a man struck and killed by a driver last week in Toronto.

In memory of Vlad Zotov, 59, cyclists attached a memorial bike to a pole above a metal guardrail near the scene of the fatal collision on April 8.

Zotov, a member of the Morning Glory Cycling Club, was struck by an SUV while riding his bike on Bayview Avenue near a Don Valley Parkway off ramp.

According to police, a man, 38, driving a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport, was exiting the Don Valley Parkway to proceed northbound on Bayview Avenue when he collided with the northbound cyclist.

The collision caused the cyclist to fall, resulting in “significant injuries,” and he died in hospital, police said. Officers were called to the area at about 9:25 a.m.

Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC), an advocacy group for cyclists, identified Zotov but police have not released his name. No charges have been laid in the collision.

Before the ride, hundreds gathered at Matt Cohen Park, near Spadina Avenue and Bloor Street, to honour Zotov.
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“Thank you all for being here to remember Vlad,” Fraser Chapman, president of the Morning Glory Cycling Club, told the crowd.

“He was a remarkable human being. He was a great guy, smiling all the time, so happy to be out.”

Ghost bikes are bicycles that are painted white and placed where collisions have occurred that have either killed or seriously injured a cyclist.

Geoffrey Bercarich, a member of ARC who builds the memorial bikes, said it’s already been a rough year because traffic has been crazy.

“This is the sixth memorial I’ve had to do in the Greater Toronto Area, third for Toronto. It doesn’t get easier and this year is just starting. And cycling season is not even in full swing. I’m really worried about the future.”

According to Chapman, Zotov leaves behind a wife and three children.

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