A Toronto city councillor is calling for a review of safety measures near construction zones for the new Ontario Line subway project after a pedestrian was hit and critically injured by a construction vehicle.
"I was saddened and shocked to learn that a woman was hit by a Metrolinx sub-contractor’s dump truck on Thursday while crossing the Pape-Mortimer intersection," Councillor Paula Fletcher said in a news release.
"My thoughts are with the victim and her family. I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery."
Police say just before 2 p.m., a 46-year-old woman was walking northbound on Mortimer Avenue when a dump truck made a right turn from northbound Pape to eastbound Mortimer.
The woman was struck by the dump truck and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police said the 34-year-old driver remained at the scene.
Councillor Fletcher alleged the dump truck was not using an approved ‘haul’ route for Ontario Line construction vehicles.
'This is unacceptable'
"This is unacceptable. Metrolinx needs to investigate its contractors and take action to ensure vehicles entering and leaving all its work sites use the approved routes," Fletcher said.
She called on Metrolinx to work with residents and schools to immediately review safety requirements based on an expanded construction site at Pape and Sammon avenues and to add more locals to its community liaison committees.
She said Metrolinx needs to make public a ‘safe haulage’ plan for the transport of soil from its future Gerrard and Carlaw portal.
An estimated 100 dump trucks a day will remove excavated soil from the 4.2 km of subway tunnels to be built between Gerrard and the Don Valley, the councillor said.
A Metrolinx spokesperson released the following statement to TorontoToday:
“Our thoughts are with the individual who was injured and their loved ones. An investigation is underway, and we are reviewing internally."
"We will continue to work with our partners at the City of Toronto to ensure the safest and most appropriate routes are being used at all times."
"As this matter is under investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time.”
The Ontario Line will be a 15.6-km subway line with 15 new stations, running from Exhibition Place, through downtown and all the way to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road.
"While we need this new transit, it needs to be done safely," Fletcher said.
